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LOOKING OVER THE TOPS OF ASPEN
trees on the way up Highway 82, one’s eye naturally
follows the visual trajectory toward
Independence Pass and the gentle open slope
of Sunshine Peak. It’s a timeless image specific
to Aspen—the very vista that motivates
mountaineers to summit the peak for a single
alpenglow descent.
It’s also the view that inspired Mimi and
Andy Miller to buy their house, which is only a
mile from town yet enveloped by nature. “We
must have visited this house 20, 30 times,”
Mimi says. “We were mesmerized by the
views,” Andy adds. “It stood out among the
traditional mountain houses as more Zen,
modern, and eclectic. We thought, One day
we’re going to live here.”
Beyond the stainless steel front door is a
vast living and dining area with 14-foot windows
that amplify the mountain views and
showcase the mercurial nature of light.
Soaring Yet Intimate
“When you first walk into the house it’s so
simple, yet so grand,” says Bill Pollock, partner
with Dylan Johns of Zone 4 Architects
and senior associate at Bill Poss Architecture
+ Planning. “Our clients wanted to do something
more contemporary,” says Johns. “They
wanted to create a feel of openness yet make it
intimate.” Pollock adds, “The weather and the
materials really drive the overall aesthetic.
Usually when you’re going modern, it’s
easy to go ‘cold.’ What’s great about melding
mountain architecture and modern is
that you can create a warm, intimate setting
that still says Aspen.”
The stone fireplace acts as the “nave” of
the living room, and dark oak floors absorb
the richness of the day’s shifting light. The
overall effect is that of a comfortable room
that encourages conversation and connectedness.
“The clarity of design comes when
you understand the context of the site,”
says Johns. “That’s the base point of creating
a style, and then we incorporate it into
the building.”
Cementing the overall aesthetic are the
interior details and finishings, conceptualized
by Chris Powell of Carbondale-based
Studio 133. “I get involved early with the
architects,” Powell says. “I do everything
from choosing the wood for the floors to the
custom lighting and millwork. Even the
bathroom and kitchen fixtures.” In addition,
Mimi worked with Cathers Home to
finalize the interior design and furnishings.
The result is a home that plays as well as it
entertains, striking the perfect balance for a
family.
The custom gourmet kitchen gleams
with CaesarStone countertops, and every
high-end interior detail has been beautifully
designed. There’s a cohesive concept to the
décor, from the glow of the cove lighting
that wraps the ceilings in both powder
rooms to the air-jet tub in the master bathroom
that required all pipes to be concealed
within the floor, leaving a vision of a perfect
oval in the middle of the room. (In the
Miller household, taking a bath is akin to
the rituals of a Japanese tea ceremony.)
Throughout the house Powell strategically
placed recessed lighting to create
some “flexibility by breaking up the
ceiling,” he says. The softly illuminated
plaster walls, which have an adobe look,
are the perfect backdrop for art.
Adding Art, Taking Flight
Andy, an executive in the technology industry
for the past 25 years, brought original
Robert Motherwells and Jim Dines with him
to the new house. “We’re bringing out our
Picasso next,” he says. At the top of the staircase
that leads to the lower level hangs a large
painting by Hamilton Aguiar, an artist Mimi
discovered at the E.S. Lawrence Gallery, of a
single tree shimmering silver against a jetblack
background. Aguiar applies silver leaf
on wood, then etches the image, which resembles
photogravure.
Welcoming guests to the lower level is a
glass-encased wine cellar with rows of stainless
steel racks in a pattern suggesting an art installation.
The rest of the floor plan comprises the
children’s bedrooms, a “media-hangout”
room, and a kids’ playroom that looks like a
mini arcade. “The key to the house is the flow,”
says Johns. “The challenge was the idea of
working with less—there’s no ornamentation or
embellishment. But what we did have was the
environment to lead us—we have a great
palette to work with.”
“We use every inch of this house,” says Mimi,
a soft-spoken mother of two whose gentle
nature belies her former life as a military pilot.
As we walk through the living room with its barrel
roofs to the deck overlooking the backyard
with its fire pit, pond, waterfall, patio, and
Jacuzzi, I’m reminded again of the driving
architectural theme—nature—and the ability to
either showcase it or access it year-round.
“We like to spend our time hiking, fishing,
skiing,” says Andy. “Mimi comes from a very
small town in Florida, so she likes the smalltown
feel. I like that sensibility as well, but I
also love the ability to do my work outside of
Aspen,” he says, adding that his job requires
frequent travel.
Mimi leads me to several model planes on
display in the main vestibule of the house. She
carefully picks up a sleek fighter-jet model. “I
started flying when I was very young. I just
knew… it was my passion,” she says.
“I wanted to fly fighters, but they didn’t let
women do it then,” she continues. “But I got to
fly in combat. The C-130 was my ‘weapons system.’
We were flying tactical airlift missions in
Bosnia in hostile territory taking supplies or
doing airdrops. I went seven years without flying,
then we bought this little Cirrus, and now
I’m going up again and I just have the biggest
smile on my face.”
| The complete article appears on page 186 in the Summer/Fall 2008 issue of Aspen Peak. SUBSCRIBE NOW and get Aspen Peak delivered direct. |
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