Set in a prime location at the base of Aspen Mountain, this long-loved vacation townhome underwent a full upgrade to accommodate a multi-generational family.

At three stories and with a loftlike Soho Club vibe, the upper level features a vaulted ceiling with exposed beams and skylights. Kitchen, dining, and multiple seating groups for gathering, lounging, reading, and working open onto a balcony overlooking town and the mountain views. An expanded open stair with a new glass guard rail allows natural light to filter down to levels below, which encompass a trio of primary suites and a bunk room. An elevator provides easy access between levels.

The remodel was completed in close collaboration with Bradley Stephens of New York-based Stephens Design Group. A complementary exterior remodel included updating and staining windows and refinishing wood soffits.

Urban. Sleek. Open. Inviting. Elegant. Located within The Jacquard hotel in Denver’s dynamic Cherry Creek North neighborhood, this 3,500 square foot restaurant is tailored to perfection.

Inspired by the locale, increasingly considered the place to be for a younger, forward-thinking clientele, the sleek, high-end interior design concept is intended to pique curiosity and invite exploration.

Close collaboration with and interactivity among the client, architects, interior designers, consultants and owners has enabled the creation of a cohesive, uniquely appealing establishment that engages with the neighborhood and will quickly become Denver’s newest gathering place.

Situated at the base of Aspen Mountain in The Little Nell hotel, Ajax Tavern has been a famous après ski destination since opening in 1989. This recent refresh follows an initial renovation by R+B in 2007. It is one of over 20 projects R+B has collaborated on with owner Aspen Skiing Company in the last 10 years.

Addressing present and long-term requirements, primary goals of the renovation include improving the overall circulation of the restaurant and ensuring maximum flexibility within the space. A new corner entry allows for better flow into the interior and improves the restaurant’s presence from the gondola plaza. The new entry leads directly into the bar area, further enhancing the tavern feel and community atmosphere. The previous entry remains for service access between the patio and dining room.

Inside, enhancing the seating flexibility Rowland+Broughton kept existing booths and banquettes but added a new central, divisible banquette set on casters that may be reconfigured or moved away to accommodate private functions and groups.

With the goal of brightening the interior, the color palette was lightened and existing wainscoting painted. New caramel-colored leather Sling Bar Stools by Industry West complement natural light oak tabletops, and a custom mirror hung by leather straps reflects exterior light and activity of guests entering the space. A higher banquette overlooking the main dining area was also added along a rear wall for some of the best seats in the house.

Throughout the restaurant, handcrafted details reflect the ethos of Colorado and enhance the overall effect of the new décor. Banquettes feature new custom design, fabricated by Aspen Upholstery that transitions from leather to fabric. Pendant lights were updated with matte black “Allied Maker” fixtures with brass interiors and leather accents. The rear dining room wall and back wall of the semi-open kitchen was refinished with handcrafted Industrial Glass tiles from Decorative Materials.

Additional interior details include new black leather Sling Barstools by Industry West at the blackened steel bar and the community table, and sustainable Interface carpet that softens acoustics and discourages slipping for those in ski boots. Updates on the patio include new Tuuci dual cantilever umbrellas and Outdoor Euro dining chairs.

The White House Tavern is operated by Hillstone Restaurant Group and located on a prominent street corner in Aspen. The miner’s cabin was originally constructed in 1883 and is a historic landmark in the City of Aspen including two historic buildings and the alley shed also on site.

R+B worked extensively with the City of Aspen Historic Preservation Commission to restore and rehabilitate these structures which earned R+B and Hillstone the 2014 Historic Presentation Commission Award for Renovation.

The interior fireplace was kept in its original location within the cabin. The interiors are warm and inviting, with reclaimed wood floors, an exhibition kitchen, wood paneled walls and banquette style seating. A sensitive and complementary modern brick addition on the backside of the cabin houses the exhibition kitchen. The new brick patio and landscape pay homage to the scale of the building.

A fresh, forward thinking aesthetic was utilized to rebrand the highly lauded restaurant in The Little Nell as Element 47. Sleek, modern architecture designed to complement sophisticated culinary and wine programs was warmed by wood accent screens, upholstered banquettes, new lighting systems, and acoustical wall and ceiling panel treatments.

Nestled on Aspen Highlands, Cloud Nine Alpine Bistro welcomes all mid-mountain visitors to an intimate European inspired dining experience. The historic abode cabin milieu invites guests for lunch, dinner and après ski experiences. Interior renovations include expanding the dining room seating capacity, creating a private dining experience with sweeping views of the Maroon Bells and improving back-of-the house environment. Paying homage to Aspen’s rich alpine history, interiors are refurbished with wood paneling, robust alpine furniture and unique mountain memorabilia.

Perfectly sited to capture dramatic Aspen Mountain views, the interior renovation of this five–bedroom, 7,874 square foot Red Mountain home involved a close collaboration between the R+B team and the New York City based owners – a curator of modern and contemporary Asian art with a Guggenheim Museum affiliation and a financier-philanthropist, respectively.

Appreciating the scale and flow of the home, the project team worked to contemporize the older French Chateau-style structure and re-imagine aspects of the interior space.

The ample kitchen was modernized and reworked to accommodate the personal needs of the owners, as well as for catering and entertaining purposes. Ceiling beams were added to enhance to the formal dining room. The hall to the primary bedroom was dramatically opened and a new bedroom seating area specified to take advantage of mountain views. Furniture selection was in collaboration with Atelier AM.

Upon completion, a tranquil, sophisticated setting reflects the sensibilities of the owners and embraces the serenity of the surrounding environment.

The remodel of this significant mountainside home in Aspen, CO, which featured a formal layout and traditional detailing, successfully blends elements of old and new in every aspect with a clean material palette. In addition to updating finishes, the R+B team improved flow and storage areas throughout and created opportunities to display the owners’ extensive modern art collection.

In the kitchen, spaces were rearranged to open up the floor plan by replacing a butler’s pantry with a wet bar and clever storage compartments. Saltillo tile flooring was replaced with white oak to match the existing public spaces, and the original cabinets were redone with updated white oak cabinets topped with Calacatta marble at the room’s perimeter. The kitchen island is equipped with warming drawers and outlets for catering larger gatherings and utilizes a Glassos slab top. In order to accommodate a large family, an adjoining mudroom was reorganized and outfitted with storage solutions for multiple family members. The media room features updated millwork, including a new bar area and storage for games and toys, as well as a new lighting system. Design elements in the master bedroom and bathroom include maximizing storage within the roof and dormer spaces of the upper floor, while incorporating clean detailing that update these spaces such as wool and silk carpet, white plaster walls, and black slate fireplace surround.

R+B also transformed an existing Old World style home wine cellar into a refined, functional space for storing and showcasing a significant wine collection. Uniform grids of white oak bins are recessed into the wall and framed in blackened steel. The centerpiece is a substantial display table made of honed black slate with a waterfall edge countertop and additional built-in storage. A white oak ceiling cloud centered over the display table and featuring hidden light coves provides additional depth to the space. New humidity and temperature control systems, and a fingerp­rint scanner linked to the home’s security system, are state-of-the-art.

On Orcas Island, the largest of the San Juan Islands of the Pacific Northwest and colloquially known as “the gem of the San Juans,” this intimate 1,200 square foot “getaway” cottage is set on a forested site within a long-time family farm.

With the challenge of restoring and contemporizing the original structure while preserving its innate charm, the design team repurposed scalloped wood shingles and other exterior wood working details handcrafted by the owner-couple’s family. Multi-color siding was replaced for a more monochromatic aesthetic to draw focus to the natural surroundings.

Inside, a complete remodel is marked by the addition of sidelights flanking the new, repositioned wood front door, a custom live-edge walnut mirror, and a built-in bench with open cubbies. Beyond the centrally located open kitchen, complete with a quartzite topped walnut cabinet system and island, the main living area features extensive storage and library space. Ample seating offers plenty of room for settling in with a book and warming by the modern suspended fireplace.

Flooring throughout is durable large format porcelain tile, selected to withstand muddy Pacific Northwest dog paws and the area’s variable weather. Existing exterior cedar was repurposed/refinished and new matching cedar was specified for the living area ceiling and exterior soffits. Additional rooms include the main bedroom suite and a flexible guest suite.

The concept for Victorian Square is inspired by a nearby backcountry skiing haunt referred to by locals as “The Pillow Factory”. The highlight of this area is the countless snow-covered rock outcroppings (pillows) that gently step down the slope with skiers playfully bouncing down the terrain from one pillow to the next. We sought to abstract the inherent qualities of a typical pillow where the snow is softly suspended over the mass of the rock, revealing the stratified lines of past snow falls.

Peterson Cover Brick from Denmark represents the stationary mass of the rock outcropping. These handmade bricks are detailed using a lapped siding technique with hidden fasteners, which recalls the many wood sided buildings that once were prevalent throughout downtown Aspen during the early mining years. African Mahogany represents the snow pillow and is detailed with an undulating façade to indicate the stratified lines of past snowstorms and is cantilevered over the masonry façade. This wood pillow also has another layer of significance in that of the old false storefront façades prevalent in mining towns during the turn of the century. However, unlike those historical applications where billboard and signage indicated the use or merchandise of those buildings, the snow pillow’s silent message is that Aspen is now an international destination for skiing and sells dreams of abundant snow fall.

The design by Rowland+Broughton Architecture will speak the architectural language of Aspen for decades to come. It is rich in form and detail that builds on what went on before in Aspen architecture to extend the trajectory of the vocabulary of the town’s streetscapes into the future. – Client, Victorian Square