The Guide: Aspen
03/01/2006
Celebrated for its pristine beauty and legendary for its on- and off-slope glamour, Aspen’s initial claim to fame was actually in mining. In 1879, prospectors there discovered one of the largest silver lodes in history. However, with the government’s return to the gold standard in 1893, the town eventually became the rural county seat and a popular ranching center. It was not until the mid-1940s that visionary Chicago industrialist Walter Paepcke and his wife, Elizabeth, transformed Aspen into the international cultural center and European-style ski resort it is today.; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
Handcrafted bedroom furniture by Aspen Design Works. Photograph by
Brian Porter. (Click image to enlarge)Even with talk of the real estate market slowing down, the numbers in Aspen’s Pitkin County continue to soar. In fact, home prices produced record-breaking sales in 2005. With only 7 percent of Pitkin County available for sale to the public (it is surrounded by the White River National Forest), Aspen will likely continue its reign as the nation’s preeminent luxury ski resort. So whether you are looking to buy a classic ski chalet, a modernist shelter in the woods, or the finest in frontier furnishings or metalwork, we present to you a guide to all things home in the capital of winter chic.
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Vintage decorative canoes at McHugh Antiques. Photograph by Jason
Dewey. (Click image to enlarge)TALKING SHOP
For luxe home accents, Amen Wardy Home stocks everything from hard-to-find candles to exquisite tableware. Henry Beguelin crafts eye-catching handmade leather furniture, as well as home accessories like woven baskets and trays. Shop the Isberian Rug Co. for antique Oriental rugs, kilims and Navajo weavings, and Daniels Antiques for rare Black Forest carvings. If your taste is more Louis XVI than Louis L’Amour, McHugh Antiques carries French furniture, paintings and art objects from the 17th and 18th centuries (but periodically mixes in great finds from other eras, such as a lacquered 1940s desk). Galerie Maximillian houses one of the world’s largest collections of 19th- and 20th-century posters and prints, while at the Baldwin Gallery the focus is on paintings, drawings, photography and sculpture by contemporary American artists. And for stunning fine art glass, visit sister galleries Pismo and Sardella Fine Art. Both display works by internationally renowned artists such as Lino Tagliapietra, Christopher Ries and Dale Chihuly. If you are looking for something a little more organic, By Nature Gallery carries a vast collection of home and art objects–stocking everything from authentic petrified woods and fossils to skulls, exotic earth-inspired jewelry and sculptured quartz for display.
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Custom glass doors by Spiro Lyon Glass. Photograph by Jason Dewey Photography.
(Click image to enlarge)SINGULAR SENSATIONS
Partners Mark Terkun, Rob Ashcraft and Bill Budinger began Aspen Design Works by creating custom cabinetry and furnishings for discerning clients in Aspen and Vail. They have since introduced a line of handcrafted furniture that uses mortise-and-tenon joinery and hand-rubbed finishes. Terkun describes the versatile pieces as “old-world craftsmanship meets modern sensibility.”
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Leather furnishings and accessories at Henry Beguelin. Photograph by
Paul Viola. (Click image to enlarge)Also producing stunning handmade wood furniture is Jeffry Mann, whose showroom and studio showcase mainly one-of-a-kind stream-lined pieces. Mann creates a wide range of furniture–from dining chairs and tables to desks and children’s furniture–and welcomes custom commissions or tweaks on his already-designed pieces.
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Metalwork by Blue Heron Forge. Photograph by Franz Froelicher.
(Click image to enlarge)For custom metalwork, visit the Blue Heron Forge for the inimitable craftsmanship of Franz Froelicher, who began his career 15 years ago as an apprentice to the late master smith and National Heritage Fellow Francis Whitaker, from whom he learned traditional smithing techniques, including the art of repoussé. His designs range from dramatic chandeliers and sconces to ornate estate gates and railings.
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A Dale Chihuly glass sculpture at Sardella Fine Art. Photograph by
Scott M. Leen. (Click image to enlarge)Aspen Murals is an international consortium of decorative artists, whose specialties include restorations, gilding and faux finishes. Member and founder Ziska Childs, a Broadway, film and television scenic artist (also a painter), now based in Aspen, can be commissioned to create murals and old master studies.
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A finely wrought coffee table by Jeffry Mann. (Click image to
enlarge)Finally, for custom decorative and architectural glass elements, visit Spiro Lyon Glass. Glass artists Jacqueline Spiro and Lee Lyon produce everything from cast glass walls and sinks to furniture, walls and flooring.INTERIOR DESIGNERS
Many second-home owners in Aspen use designers from their primary hometowns to dress their winter getaways, but Aspen possesses a small pool of local talent that has the advantage of being plugged into the local retail-and-artisan matrix (they can, therefore, get things done quickly). These designers are also well versed in the frontier vernacular, an aesthetic that Aspen buyers often embrace.
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Internationally known for its award-winning custom residential architecture, Poss Architecture + Planning opened Poss Interior Design in 2002. Since its inception, the division has shined with its mountain-meets-modern interiors (it decked out the spa at the St. Regis Resort using custom stone veneers). Like Poss, Reno Smith Architects practices both architecture and interior design. The interior design team has revamped a host of high-end residences in the Aspen area–including rustic Western-style estates and ranches–and has been integral in historic preservation projects. Robert Singer & Associates specializes in lighting and interior design. The company’s home base is in Aspen, but it has satellite offices in Scottsdale. Past projects include a 10,000-square-foot residence in Aspen and a 25,000-square-foot estate on Red Mountain.
LANDSCAPING
Thirty-six-year-old residential landscape architecture and master planning firm Design Workshop strives to balance client needs with site conditions, while employing sustainable environmental design. The firm’s philosophy is “to create a relationship between the interior and exterior spaces for one harmonious environment,” says associate Steven Spears. The firm’s vistas are highly inventive, but without forsaking the classically romantic feel that suits Aspen so perfectly. The considerably younger Bluegreen embraces projects of all sizes–from a diminutive shade garden created for homeowners at the Little Nell residences to the taming of wide swaths of community land in Mammoth, Calif.’s, Snowcreek neighborhood. The firm’s aesthetics swing from Japanese and traditional desert creations to more modern layouts.
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Mountain Bird Ranch, on the market for $17.5 million through Joshua
& Co., a Christie’s Great Estates affiliate. Photograph by Steve Mundinger.
(Click image to enlarge)ARCHITECTS
Frontier (or Western) architecture dominates Aspen, but is rarely given its due as one of the most no-rules architectural styles going. Local architect Harry Teague has been taking advantage of the form’s flexible tenets for years and has, in fact, been credited with revitalizing the style. His modern mountain style can be whimsical, but is always distinctly masculine. The designs of Charles Cunniffe Architects range from traditional to contemporary mountain modern, and Hagman Architects is known for simple, functional and environmentally-sensitive designs with an emphasis on detailing. Established in 1991, Studio B Architects is a firm that founder Scott Lindenau structured as “a traditional atelier,” he says, where clients tend to be “art collectors and design fanatics.” Lindenau works exclusively in the modern vernacular, creating geometric forms that borrow from industrial design.
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The Wildcat Ridge estate in Aspen, offered through Joshua & Co.
at $35 million. (Click image to enlarge)CONTRACTORS
Having built some of the town’s most spectacular residences and worked on some of Aspen’s finest boutiques–including Prada, Gucci and Louis Vuitton–Hansen Construction is the most sought-after contractor in Aspen. Owner Steve Hansen, who says he will “avoid cutting corners at the expense of the final product,” founded his business 26 years ago, and has won fans through his attention to detail, hands-on project management and creative cost-containment methods.
REALTORS
Although Aspen luxury properties usually range from $6 million to $15 million, fierce competition exists for everything from smaller lots downtown to estates in Red Mountain, with the most coveted properties–those over $20 million–sometimes never even formally listed.
With 30 years of trend and market knowledge, Sonny D’Anna of Aspen Land & Homes Sotheby’s International Realty is consistently a top producer in Aspen. Representing some of the most architecturally significant and exclusive homes in the region, Christie’s Great Estates affiliate Joshua Saslove of Joshua & Co. has listings for the 200-acre, $35 million Wildcat Ridge estate, with a 14,300-square-foot, 11-bedroom home designed by noted architect Bart Voorsanger, as well as the $24.5 million Elk Mountain Lodge, which comprises a main residence, six cabins, a barn with stables and an exercise facility on 54 acres. Bob Starodoj of Mason & Morse also has 30-plus years in the business, along with extensive experience in selling and procuring ranch properties. Another top-drawer choice is Morris & Fyrwald, where broker Craig Morris sold over $200 million in real estate in 2005–an Aspen record, he claims.