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Mountain Modern

Regional Award Winner KDC 2008-09

Beneath the gondolas of Aspen Mountain, beautiful natural materials honor and complement the mountainscape outside.

When guests walk into this family lodge designed by architect Charles Kenneth and built on spec, the first thing they notice is the kitchen. Well, not the kitchen exactly—their eye can't help but be drawn to the mountains through the floor-to-ceiling windows first. But next, as the stately expanses of granite, wood and fieldstone embrace with their ancient heartbeats, they breathe a sigh of deep relaxation. To protect the view there are no stools at the 47-inch tall bar counter which keeps the eye traveling to the mountains, not stopping at the seating. Yet the bar definitely invites guests to stand and lean their elbows on it, like the old saloon days. Calling more prominence to each material, the grains of the horizons of wood and granite run perpendicular to each other. Two Integrated Sub-Zeros with carbon doors echo the colorization of the granite, range hood and cabinet pulls that also match the Wolf ovens and warming drawer. "I know if I'm selling Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove I don't have to worry," says Guerra, who designed the kitchen with her colleagues at DGA Interiors Kathrine Bukovitz and Tara Cooper. "Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove are top of the line and they've been around for a long time. It's what everyone aspires to."


Aspen's zoning regulations presented challenges for this spec house, in particular, limits on the size of the aboveground footprint. Putting the wine cellar and library, exercise and media room below ground allowed this exhibition kitchen to realize its full potential. "The working triangle is the first part of the puzzle, from there you can do

whatever you want," Guerra advises.”This kitchen has an extreme amount of storage. Don't feel like you have to have upper cabinets. There is no wasted space on that island—the cabinetmakers knew that was the goal."


In this kitchen

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