A Home in Greeley Juxtaposes Fun and Sophistication
With serene spaces and playful amenities, an edge-of-the-prairie home is designed to welcome family and friends
Exterior The multilevel home opens onto a western-facing field of fun, with outdoor furniture including Kannoa Maui leisure chairs and ottomans, Ratana Park Lane adjustable loungers, a custom luxury outdoor Tortola daybed, custom outdoor Medusa swing chair, and Tuuci Ocean Master Classic umbrellas. | Photo: Susie Brenner
First impressions can be misleading. When you first approach this Greeley-area home, it’s low-slung and stony-serious—echoing the horizontal lines of the Western prairie. But step inside and everything changes, because the house expands into a multi-level family residence that cascades down a hillside as the centerpiece of an eight-acre property that includes a saltwater swimming pool, axe-throwing lane, horseshoe pit, archery range, zipline and labyrinth. Oh, and there’s also a climbing wall with an auto-belay system integrated into the stone chimney. “We wanted to create a space where the kids were hanging out at our house all the time instead of hanging out at other places,” the homeowner explains. “We wanted to make it fun.” Mission accomplished.
The home was designed by David Barrett, of Boulder-based Barrett Studio Architects, for a family with a lot of friends and relatives who come over to play. “It’s a two-sided house,” Barrett says. “It looks very much like a small house on one side, and then, on the lower side, it is a much more grand house.” Barrett put a modern Colorado spin on the Prairie style, taking a terraced approach to the home’s design that’s scaled to the site and follows the contours of the land. The exteriors emphasize limestone, glass and steel, with broad overhanging eaves and wood soffits. Barrett defined the interior spaces by varying ceiling heights and exposing wooden structural beams in the open kitchen/dining/living space. Large windows and sliding glass doors showcase panoramic Front Range views, while higher clerestory windows welcome natural light. “To me, that’s part of the magic of Prairie style,” Barrett says.
Entryway A Visual Comfort Interlace Expandable chandelier lights the entry hall, with a hand-knotted wooland- silk rug from Authentic Rugs and a Bellaire Dynamik custom chevron hide rug. | Photo: Susie Brenner
“What we’ve learned from Frank Lloyd Wright over the years is the ways to manipulate space and light.” Interior designer Kim Linin, owner of Denver-based Green Butterfly Design, helped create spaces the family could enjoy—alone or while entertaining guests. The homeowners practice yoga and meditation, and they hoped for a home with a spa-like feel, avoiding features that might be too trendy, jarring or loud. “They wanted their home to be modern but inviting, and they wanted it to be calm, quiet and organic,” Linin says. “Nature was the driving force in selecting the interior materials and all of the textiles.
The color palette is quiet, and it pulls directly from nature seen in the breathtaking views from their home—the blue sky, the mountains, the sandy earth.” Denver’s Exquisite Kitchen Design helped with the layout of the kitchen, where two islands accommodate cooking and socializing in the heart of the home. And the main floor’s seamless indoor-outdoor flow includes a covered deck off the living area that offers additional dining space and a fire pit for sunset gatherings. Cleverly designed to balance contemplative and active living, the home manages to be both peaceful and playful; it’s a bright, welcoming place for celebrating family and friends. “Our home gets a lot of use from a lot of different people,” the homeowner says. “And that’s exactly what we had intended.”
Living Room In the living room’s lounge area, four swiveling American Leather Cloud chairs in dolce cream leather are accompanied by an agate side table, Palecek clover tables, and a Saloom Martin cocktail table, with a Miyan rug from Delos. | Photo: Susie Brenner
Kitchen With walnut cabinets and a curved Grothouse Butcher Block added onto Cristallo quartzite countertops, the kitchen is a warm and welcoming space. A secondary island is matched with H Studio Malibu counter stools, and lighting is provided by Murray Feiss Fiona pendants and Hubbardton Forge Mason outdoor lanterns. | Photo: Susie Brenner
Dining Room A Hammerton Studio Gem Bezel Ring chandelier glimmers above a Planum Furniture Topaze extension dining table and Constantini Pietro Concept chairs, with Porcelanosa Park wall tiles beside a Village + House Elaine mirror. The Calligaris Sottosopra table is paired with Bernhardt Linea round stools. | Photo: Susie Brenner
Stairway A custom Shakuff light fixture by Green Butterfly Design illuminates the stairway to the family room, where the bar features a handy pass-through window and a Brizo Litze pulldown faucet in matte black with textured luxe gold. | Photo: Susie Brenner
Primary Bedroom High windows welcome the daylight above a Nathan Anthony Divano bed, customized Kolkka bedside tables by Green Butterfly Design, and WAC Stretch LED Swing Arm reading lights. Linin added metal bands to adorn the wall surface. | Photo: Susie Brenner
Bedroom Lounge Chair A Lee Industries chaise in angora snow mohair provides sumptuous seating beside the fireplace and windows, with a glass-topped, white quartz-crystal table nearby. | Photo: Susie Brenner
Upper Deck Vondom Ulm lounge chairs from Hoff Miller surround a fire feature for cozy evening seating, with a Ratana Genval table and GAR Dune armchairs for stylish alfresco dining. | Photo: Susie Brenner
Architecture: Barrett Studio Architects
Interior Design: Green Butterfly Design
Construction: Ad-Jac Construction
Landscape Design: Mill Brothers Landscape Group
Kitchen: Exquisite Kitchen Design
