Harmony and Flow Inspire a Minimalistic Design Approach

Sitting Area The living room includes Huggy swivel armchairs by Ellison Studios; a ceramic side table by Bari Ziperstein, Los Angeles; a Kneedler Fauchère custom ottoman; and a one- of-a-kind coffee table by BDDW. | Photo: Kimberly Gavin

Wellness. Spirituality. Sustainability. A connection to the outdoors. These are the key design elements showcased in this North Boulder remodel, a project by Home Within, a wellness-focused branch of Joe McGuire Design. The owners, famed yoga teacher Amy Ippoliti and her husband, Taro Smith, a visual artist, photo­grapher and wellness consultant, opted first for an architectural redo. The original house, a 1971 ranch with full-height front windows overlooking down­town Boulder, was reimagined by Brad Burch of Index AD. Burch reconfigured over 80 percent of the original exterior with all-new interiors, including three bedrooms, three bathrooms, an elevated yoga loft and an art studio.

“They really wanted to take advantage of the expansive surroundings, so I think they originally imagined a glass box,” Burch explains. Instead, he integrated a wall of windows, 70 feet long and 20 feet high, along the backside of the 4,800-square-foot home. “It’s an amazing property where the site slopes down toward the back of the house, so the openness of the glass allowed us to really engage the landscape.” Burch also designed the interiors with clean lines, including an entirely new kitchen and bathrooms. “Amy and Taro are fairly minimalist, so they preferred white walls and all-glass handrails and guardrails with concealed hardware,” he says.“There’s not a lot of fussiness.”

Entry The entryway, brightened by new, wider windows on either side of the front door, features a Chilewich rug and a 1950s Scandinavian bench by FDB Møbler. | Photo: Kimberly Gavin

Next, the couple turned to Joe McGuire Design to finish the interior décor. “Part of what drew them to work with us was our wellness-and-holistic approach to design,” says Matthew Tenzin, principal designer at the Aspen- and Boulder-based firm. “They wanted really comfortable, livable, super-functional spaces while also prioritizing health and wellness elements that are natural, nontoxic and sustainable.” Tenzin, a former Buddhist monk who developed the Home Within design philosophy in the firm, adds: “Studies say we spend 90 percent of our time indoors, and the majority of that time is spent in our home, so our living spaces have a huge impact on us.

Besides the physical and aesthetic aspects to a space, there are the emotional, energetic and spiritual layers. And if we attune to those in a way that’s aligned to the clients’ life path and values, we can create a space that really supports what we call deep wellness.” For this design, Tenzin started outside. “We wanted to tune in to the sensory, physical, energetic and spiritual aspects of the land to feel more inspired by it—the plants, herbs, flowers, grasses, trees and rocks above their home. We lay there doing guided visioning, and two hawks started circling above.

Exterior The front of the 1971 ranch remained mostly unchanged, with the mustard-color brick restacked and stained a bone color. The huge front window wall, which overlooks downtown Boulder, was part of the original design. | Photo: Kimberly Gavin

It was this vision of harmony and flow that (Ippoliti and Smith) were really craving, as well as a connectedness to nature. They also tuned in to the colors surrounding the home, which led to the soft color palette we used, the earth tones, sages, terra cottas and blues.” Next, they focused on balancing energies in the house. “In every home, there might be a heaviness in one room, and a light, joyful feeling in another,” says Tenzin. “In an energy-balancing process, we walk through spaces and notice how they feel, filling the spaces with positive emotions.

It’s about focus and intention, about feeling the light within ourselves.” After that, they moved into the actual design process, looking at meaningful, sacred elements to bring into the design. “The art was a big factor for Taro and Amy; a lot of it includes imagery of bicycles, which are big for Taro, who is an avid cyclist,” says Tenzin. “And they also were interested in pieces that were handmade, more natural or sustainable.” Says Ippoliti, “When you walk in the front door, you walk into the see-through staircase that looks out onto the whole back wall of glass. It’s kind of a see-through house. “It’s like a reimagined Midcentury Modern home. All of the glass brings nature close by, so you almost feel like you’re floating outdoors.”

Kitchen The kitchen, with custom acrylic cab­­­­­­­­inetry, was moved to the back of the house, facing large windows—perfect for watching the parade of wildlife outside. “We wanted to bring in a lot of light and to maximize the views,” says Ippoliti. “Because we do a lot of informative nutritional videos, we also wanted a kitchen we could use for filming, with ample counter space.” | Photo: Kimberly Gavin

Dining Room The home­owners were interested in furniture that was sus­tainably sourced, like this dining table. “It’s by a maker called Ethnicraft that does natural finishes like a low-VOC finish and uses sustainable oak,” says Tenzin. | Photo: Kimberly Gavin

Living Room The new back windows are 70 feet long and 20 feet high. The Sengu sectional, from Denver’s Studio Como, is made of recycled materials, and the rug is from a Moroccan women’s rug weaving collective and is all-natural wool. | Photo: Kimberly Gavin

Yoga Space Architect Brad Burch was able to design a loft yoga studio for Ippoliti, elevated above the kitchen. “It’s in the back of the house, against the hillside, so the field is almost a canvas on that wall,” says Burch. “We were able to get real openness without privacy concerns.” | Photo: Kimberly Gavin

Bedroom View A vintage 1940s Swedish lounge chair, reupholstered in shearling, sits next to a ceramic-and-wood Natan Moss side table; the rug is by Loloi. | Photo: Kimberly Gavin

Main Bedroom The homeowners’ bedroom is also elevated to create the feeling of a sleeping pod. The EQ3 upholstered bed is surrounded by BDDW night­stands, with Victoria Morris table lamps. | Photo: Kimberly Gavin

Interior Design: Joe Mcguire Design
Architect: Index Ad
Construction: Field West Construction
Landscape Architect: R Design Studios
Artwork: Multiple artists including Darryl Pottorf, in collaboration with homeowner taro smith, with separate pieces by robert rauschenberg

As featured in CH&L’s November/December 2024 Issue