One of the great hotels of the American West, Hotel Jerome is on the National Register of Historic Places (1889) and is renowned for its relaxed elegance. Under the management of Auberge Collection, R+B’s design team embraced the task of addressing two visually opposed historic buildings, the Hotel Jerome and the Aspen Times Building, as well as a central courtyard, for this singular addition and restoration project.

Hotel Jerome’s stately brick façade set the challenge of designing a multiple-suite and gathering place addition that highlighted the existing structure in style and demeanor. Built as an extension of the courtyard, the new three-story Suites building features cedar siding specially stained to complement the red brick siding of the existing hotel. An informal, Accoya hardwood screen on the façade functions as a vertical garden trellis. Interior palette, millwork, finishes and furnishings take their cue from the original hotel, for which R+B completed a full interior renovation in 2012.

Renovations to the courtyard, which previously turned its back on the Aspen Times Building, included raising the interior portion to improve accessibility, redesigning a central garden courtyard encompassing a pool, and providing outdoor restaurant seating. Now offering a 360-degree experience, including improved connectivity to Main Street, the courtyard has become locally known as “Aspen’s Front Yard.”

The historic 1904 Aspen Times Building’s extraneous exterior additions were removed, and a steel super-structure was installed to allow the original building to once again stand on its own. Original wood siding was preserved and re-detailed. Historic windows once hidden or removed were replaced with new wood windows. A new metal roof was added to reflect the historic vernacular. A new sliding barn door system was added to the original garden-facing wall to create permeability or enclosure as needed.

Overall, the interior program of the project includes eight hotel suites, a speakeasy bar, two meeting spaces, two catering kitchens, two means of egress, an elevator and stairways. In line with historic preservation and the creation of timeless architecture, the renovation honors historic legacy through architectural preservation while unveiling contemporary amenities. This layered approach to design has resulted in numerous awards.

Quote: Over my 30-year tenure at Hotel Jerome, the hotel has been thoughtfully reinvented while remaining loyal to its revered history and authentic character. Working with the team at Rowland+Broughton once again has ensured that this latest expansion and renovation will continue to honor its legacy, while enticing and accommodating new generations of guests. R+B’s appreciation of and sensitivity toward historical architectural preservation is exemplary, as are their design skills and professionalism. I’m certain our new spaces will be a welcome and exciting addition to the place we all hold so dear. – Tony DiLucia, General Manager, Hotel Jerome

At the base of Aspen Mountain, the 14,250 SF spa at The St. Regis Aspen Resort draws inspiration from both the Colorado alpine landscape and the original RAKxa wellness retreat outside of Bangkok, marking the brand’s first U.S. location. A natural palette of greens, buffs, and browns connects the interiors to the surrounding mountains, while plush, oversized furnishings create a quiet sense of calm throughout.

The circular entry establishes the spa’s immersive atmosphere. A reception desk clad in smooth and split-face stone references nearby alpine rock formations, while a custom chandelier of ascending crescent forms floats overhead. Curved architectural walls, custom seating, and an ombre green crescent rug reinforce the fluid geometry of the space.

Beyond the entry, the Oxygen Lounge features a curved custom sofa backed by traditional Fah Lai wood panels with integrated LED lighting, a signature RAKxa detail. Floor-to-ceiling Raydoors separate the lounge from a more secluded Private Lounge, where custom Minotti daybeds and ombre drapery create an intimate retreat. A limestone-clad fireplace adds warmth and texture, while oxygen treatments are discreetly integrated into each seating area. The fireplace is detailed with textured natural white limestone. The renovation also includes seventeen treatment rooms, a pool, hot tub and cold plunge areas, retail space, and a gym — a comprehensive wellness environment designed around rest, recovery, and renewal.

RAKxa at The St. Regis Aspen also marks an important milestone for Rowland+Broughton, serving as a prelude to the firm’s next collaboration with the brand: the North American flagship RAKxa at Redstone Castle.

As part of a multi-program expansion of Hotel Jerome, an Auberge Collection and Aspen landmark for more than 125 years, the Rowland+Broughton design team restored the adjoining 1904 Aspen Times building and introduced Bad Harriet, an intimate underground speakeasy that serves as the project’s hidden centerpiece.

Named for Harriet Wheeler, wife of early Aspen developer Jerome B. Wheeler, the 55-seat cocktail lounge draws from the layered history of the site while offering a distinctly contemporary hospitality experience. The work began with the careful restoration of a structure that had been altered over time, returning clarity and integrity to its historic form.

In collaboration with TAL Studio, the interiors extend the building’s Victorian-era origins into a moody, refined atmosphere. Mirrored wall panels, polished accents, painted wood trim, and richly layered furnishings create a sultry intimacy, while a Bruna Terra leathered-stone bar brings weight and contemporary contrast. The result is a hidden destination that honors Aspen’s past while adding a memorable new layer to its hospitality culture.

R+B served as Architect for the 2011–2012 renovation of the Hotel Jerome, a landmark building in Aspen, Colorado, built in 1889 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. Operated by Auberge Resorts, the historic hospitality icon is a beloved gathering place for locals and travelers alike, home to The Living Room, Prospect Restaurant, The Library, and the iconic J-Bar.

The scope of work encompassed core & shell and fit-out improvements across hotel rooms, public spaces, and support areas — a comprehensive effort to modernize the building’s infrastructure and guest experience while preserving its historic character.

The project was recognized with five awards in 2013, including the ASID Crystal Award for Hospitality, the ASID Crystal Judges Merit Award for Commercial, the City of Aspen Historic Preservation Commission Award for Renovation, the IIDA Merit Award for Play, and was named a Hospitality Design Award Finalist.

Replacing a beloved building with a new version – one that doesn’t disappoint those who remember, and were fans of, the original – remains one of the most interesting, and tricky, of design opportunities. How do you protect and preserve and, at the same time, advance and innovate? That was the challenge when R+B was selected to resurrect the Rusty Parrot Lodge, an iconic Jackson, Wyoming luxury inn that had been destroyed by fire. The owners were determined to recapture the eccentric flavor that popularized the original – even as they recognized the need to contemporize the design (and make it code-compliant), improve the lodge’s amenities, and render the entirety a model of sustainability.

The site, at the convergence of the town grid and its rural surroundings, suggested a complementary architecture, at once urban and indebted to regional traditions. Inspired by the great lodges of the historic west, the wooden, three-story gabled structure emerges from low stone walls suggestive of a preexisting artifact, a seductive interweaving of past and present. Compliance with the town’s zoning standards influenced the inclusion of private porches and communal balconies – the latter named The Perch and the Wildlife Deck – which allow the building to taper in mass and scale while generating an undulating rhythm of solids and voids that, not least, affords an embrace of a spectacular setting comprised of mountains, valleys, wildlife, and parklands.

On the exterior, the inclusion of a porte-cochère ensures that arriving guests enter the lodge while entirely protected from the region’s inclement weather. Within, the owners expressed a commitment to preserving the old Parrot’s warm domestic character, famously reinforced by the seductive scent of on-site baking. In response, R+B crafted a commanding grand stair – the new interior’s defining feature – which, in addition to connecting the lodge’s three floors and encouraging collective conviviality, draws the aromas upward, infusing the entirety with the pleasurable presence of home cooking.

R+B’s embrace of sustainable practice includes an open-loop ground-source heat pump, geothermal cooling via a subterranean natural aquifer, and advantageous siting driven by optimal solar access. Subterranean parking reduces the site’s visual footprint, and enabled the construction of a tranquil south-facing garden revealing panoramic views and warmed by the sun.

A central theme of the project was a sense of discovery, a philosophical underpinning of the original lodge. Accordingly, a series of ‘found moments,’ which encourage guests to explore the environment in comfort, are nested in the design; the experience is reinforced by a new spa, the gourmet Wild Sage restaurant (featuring a homespun open kitchen), and a double-sided fireplace shared by the domestic-scale lobby and barroom. Natural and local materials, migrated from the exterior into the décor, craft a subtle merging of the lodge and its surroundings.

The new Rusty Parrot bridges old and new, urban and rural, rustic and refined, and home and hospitality. The outcome brings back a lost legacy and – better still – sets the stage for the making of new memories.

The Jacquard Hotel, Denver, Colorado

Cherry Creek North has long set the tone for Denver’s most discerning dining, and Narrative, located within The Jacquard, an Autograph Collection Hotel, was designed to become its newest essential gathering place. Urban, sleek, and genuinely inviting, the 3,500 square foot restaurant speaks directly to a younger, forward-thinking clientele that expects both sophistication and energy from its surroundings. Rowland+Broughton’s interior design concept meets that expectation with precision bringing something fresh, timeless, and wholly attuned to a neighborhood thriving with locals who know exactly what they want from a room.

The design takes its cues from the space itself. High ceilings and an open, indoor-outdoor floor plan create a sense of expansiveness that R+B leaned into rather than corrected, allowing abundant natural light to animate the interior throughout the day. To ground that generosity of scale, the team layered in a palette of rich, considered materials. Magma herringbone mosaic tile flooring and white-stained European oak establish warmth and pattern underfoot, while Elegante marble slab at the banquettes and wainscoting lends a polished, residential quality to the dining room. At the bar, a pewter-colored coating introduces an industrial edge that keeps the space from tipping too formal, and WhisperSpan ceiling treatment addresses acoustics without compromising the room’s open character. Custom light fixtures suspended from the interior columns serve as both functional anchors and sculptural moments, drawing the eye upward and reinforcing the vertical drama of the space.

Circulation and flexibility were as central to the design as any material choice. The full program moves seamlessly from restaurant seating and bar atmosphere to a wine room stocked with over 750 bottles, private dining options, and a 5,735 square foot rooftop that opens the venue to Cherry Creek’s energy and Colorado’s abundant sky. Together, the two levels create a destination that serves an intimate weeknight dinner as naturally as it hosts a large-scale social event with comfort and connectivity woven into every decision.

Situated at the base of Aspen Mountain within The Little Nell hotel, Ajax Tavern has defined après-ski culture in Aspen since its opening in 1989. One of more than 20 collaborations between Rowland+Broughton and Aspen Skiing Company over the past decade, this recent refresh builds upon an initial R+B renovation in 2007, deepening the tavern’s character while positioning it for the demands of a new generation of guests.

The renovation addresses both present needs and long-term operational flexibility. A new corner entry improves circulation and strengthens the restaurant’s presence along the gondola plaza, drawing guests naturally into the heart of the bar and reinforcing the communal atmosphere that has made Ajax Tavern a beloved Aspen institution. The original entry is retained for seamless service access between the patio and dining room.

Inside, flexibility was paramount. Existing booths and banquettes were preserved and complemented by a new central, divisible banquette set on casters, allowing the space to be swiftly reconfigured for private events and larger groups. A lightened color palette brightens the interior, while caramel-colored leather Sling Bar Stools by Industry West, natural light oak tabletops, and a custom mirror hung by leather straps animate the space with warmth and movement. A higher banquette along the rear wall offers elevated views over the main dining room and is among the best seats in the house.

Handcrafted details throughout reflect a distinctly Colorado sensibility. Custom banquette upholstery by Aspen Upholstery transitions from leather to fabric; matte black pendant fixtures with brass interiors and leather accents punctuate the ceiling; and handcrafted Industrial Glass tiles from Decorative Materials define the rear dining room wall and semi-open kitchen. Black leather Sling Barstools at the blackened steel bar and community table, along with sustainable Interface carpet, complete the interior and keep the interior practical for ski boots, while warm in atmosphere.

Glamorous yet relaxed, the sun-soaked terrace beside the Silver Queen Gondola is a front-row seat to the theater of Aspen Mountain and the backdrop for one of the most sought-after social scenes in town. Tuuci dual cantilever umbrellas cast generous shade over Outdoor Euro dining chairs, creating an alfresco setting that moves fluidly from leisurely mountain-view lunches to the festive, communal energy of the daily après crowd. As the lifts wind down and skis lean against the railing, the patio holds the ritual that has anchored Ajax Tavern for more than three decades.

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.

The name says everything about where this restaurant is rooted. Element 47, silver on the periodic table, is a nod to the mineral veins that first brought prospectors to Aspen’s mountains in the 1880s. That heritage of discovery and refinement runs through every aspect of the dining room that Rowland+Broughton designed inside The Little Nell hotel.

The design marked a deliberate rebrand and a fresh aesthetic that signaled a new chapter for one of Aspen’s most lauded dining destinations. Serving as architect of record alongside collaborators Bentel & Bentel Architecture Planning Design and KGM Architectural Lighting, R+B established a sleek, modern architectural framework calibrated to complement the sophistication of both the culinary and wine programs, then carefully tempered it with warmth. Wood accent screens, upholstered banquettes, a refined lighting system, and acoustical wall and ceiling panel treatments layer texture and intimacy into the space while ensuring the room feels as considered as what arrives at the table.

The AIA Colorado West Chapter recognized the project with an award for design excellence at its annual gala in Snowmass Village, with the jury describing Element 47 as “a smooth understatement … spaces have been carefully broken down into intimate sitting areas; the restaurant is both grand and comfortable.” It is a precise summation of the balance R+B sought from the outset.

Element 47 is Aspen’s benchmark for fine dining. Recognized by the Michelin Guide and a perennial pillar of The Little Nell’s rare Five-Star, Five-Diamond distinction, one of only a handful of properties in the world to hold both designations simultaneously, year after year. The menu is Colorado Contemporary in spirit with local wagyu, house-made pastas, and seasonal produce guided by what the landscape offers and plated with genuine intention. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and an all-day bar menu ensure the restaurant moves fluidly through the rhythms of a mountain day, from unhurried morning light to the glow of a long evening at the table.

The wine program is a destination in its own right. Built with care, depth, and a sense of discovery, it earned Element 47 recognition as a 2026 Silver Star winner by Star Wine List, a distinction reserved for the world’s finest wine restaurants and was honored for Best Long Wine List with more than 600 references including Best Austrian Wine List, Best Italian Wine List, and Best Sparkling Wine List. It is a collection that rewards curiosity, and a fitting complement to a kitchen that takes its sourcing just as seriously.

Nestled on Aspen Highlands, Cloud Nine welcomes all mid-mountain visitors to an intimate European inspired dining experience. The historic pan abode cabin milieu invites guests for lunch, dinner and après ski experiences. Interior renovations include, all new finishes and seating, 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 warm and welcoming with wood paneling, robust alpine furniture and unique mountain memorabilia.