2020 Circle of Excellence: Interior Designer Robyn Scott

Portrait by Jennifer Olson

“I always ask clients, ‘If you were describing your ideal space, how would you want it to feel? ’” Robyn Scott says. “Because that feeling is something most clients can’t get to on their own.”

And creating a feeling is what Robyn Scott is all about. “Lighting is a huge influence on how a space feels, but colors matter, too—which colors does a client love or hate?—as does lifestyle, like whether clients have pets or grandkids.  I also incorporate a concept called ‘artitexture,’ which means bringing everything into the selection process, responding to the outside and really creating a bridge between the architecture and the interior.”

As a child, Scott grew up in Florida but came out West for family ski trips and summer vacations. She returned here to major in interior design at Colorado State University.  Post grad, she worked for Andrea Lawrence Wood, where she learned about designing resort properties, and then for Mary Ann Hall, whose contemporary, minimalist designs meshed well with Scott’s true passion.

Photo by Alex Irvin

But the mountains were calling, so she and her husband moved to Snowmass Village (and later to Basalt). In 2001, she opened her own residential-design firm, whose work is mostly centered in the surrounding mountain towns in the Roaring Fork Valley. “I rented office space at an architect’s firm in Aspen and basically knocked on the doors of the town’s top architects and said, ‘This is what I do.’”

But her big break came after she remodeled her parents’ mountain home in a modern style, winning multiple awards and capturing the attention of architect Harry Teague, who in turn referred her to the owner of the Sardy House, a landmark Aspen property—and she was off and running.

Over the years, Scott has kept her firm small, because she likes to work hand in hand with clients.

“I like a client who is willing to take risks and be open to new ideas,” she says. “And the more a client has dug deep thinking about their own needs and desires—and is able to communicate them—the better the project.”

Photo by Gibeon Photography

AN ARTISTIC SENSIBILITY “When I was a child, my family did a lot of traveling in Europe, so I got to see a lot of historical architecture. My parents exposed me to art as well, because my mom is a renowned artist. They also collected art, especially Abstract Expressionism pieces, so we went to a lot of galleries and museums. And one summer in college, I did a study- abroad program in Italy. That really committed me to interior design.”

STANDING OUT “I was fortunate enough that when I was starting out, my parents decided to buy a house in Snowmass Village, which I remodeled. The look I did was modern, and nobody was doing modern up here at that time—everyone was doing Swiss chalet. It was refreshing and new, and I won five ASID awards for it. Suddenly, I had this great project to show around, and architects here were really excited to meet me.”

BEHIND DOOR NO. 1 OR DOOR NO. 2? “We always formulate two concepts that are a little bit different. One reflects a ‘safer’ approach of things the client has seen and showed us. The other pushes them outside their comfort zone, providing new ideas they may not have thought of. The good thing is that, given where I am in my career now, my clients trust me. So if I say, ‘I really think you should try this great new idea,’ they are more willing to let me do it.”

WELCOME TO COLORFUL COLORADO “I love designing for second-home owners, because they see this as a kind of fantasy world. They want to have fun with their vacation homes here. Colorado people know how to balance their lifestyle; they’re hard workers, but they enjoy the balance of the outdoor lifestyle, too.”