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I’ve been spending more & more time in the mountains this year – taking on a few projects in Colorado, and also splitting time between San Diego & Crested Butte. Of the 12 projects I’m working on right now, only *one* of them is in San Diego – the rest are spread across the US, which means the aesthetic I bring to each home always has to be a little bit malleable and take a few cues from its surroundings… I’m not saying I’d ever go all vacation rental and pop a cheesy sign in the kitchen in Ohio that says “Farm Fresh Eggs, This Way!” or put a heart-shaped bed that vibrates in my Vegas project or use dining chairs made with skis in a Denver dining room. But it is only natural that ya give a little hat tip to what’s around… or at least give it a nod. Ye know – the kind of nod the elusive hot guy in high school used to give you when he passed you in the hall that was SO subtle yet full of charisma that your stomach probably still flips when you think about it, 20-some odd years later.
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ANYHOOSIT. Every time I walk into a store, or cyberstalk the local designers in Colorado (yeah, I said it), I feel like it’s more of a head bang than a nod… Antler chandeliers galore (hey… they’re not all bad buuuuuuut still), all wood EVERYTHING, that way-overplayed industrial metal piping for legs on all furniture pieces and “ELK CROSSING” signs, etc etc. I actually had a local designer who heard I was a visiting designer tell me with a scowl on her face the other day that she “hated it when young girls who have great taste waltz into town and pretend to be designers“… and then she lifted her leg and peed on the town of Crested Butte… okay just kidding on the last part. But I just wanted to give her a hug and invite her over for coffee and be like, “oh sugar put the gloves down! I’m not the Fox Books to your Shop Around the Corner – there’s enough biz for all of us, always,” but instead I just smiled and pulled a T-Swift and let it roll on off my shoulders. Moving along – this imposter of a floozy (that’s yours truly) has been stockpiling images I love that (I think) give a subtle Jake Ryan-esque nod to the Mountain vibe:
{antique shop counter as an island}
{mini shades up the ante on the antler chandelier)
{love this cozy nook in the same house}
{reclaimed nightstands with rusty copper pulls}
{pretty please come to my living room and never leave}
{loveliest exterior inspo I ever did see with that exterior coating, you can find information about Coolwall here}
{this one’s a pretty palette too}
{that marble farmhouse sink makes me weak at the knees}
{flank my front door whydontcha}
{love how cozy the exposed brick is… and the X-door detail}
{I’ve been sweating this antique French nightstand‘s nuts for about a year now. Maybe I should do something about that.}
{Current favorite tile for a kitchen backsplash… updated, subtly iridescent and not even a little bit boring}
{Here she is installed. From Clé tile.}
{Ralph, bring on the plaid}
{I put this in a kitchen mock-up years ago. I love it still.}
{Look at how the backsplash becomes a wee ledge}
{favorite side table ever. for any climate, anywhere. adjustable height.}
{exposed brick for the win}
{one of my favorite kitchens ever. totally translates to the cozy rustic mountains.}
{live edge is about 10 seconds from being overplayed, but I love this application}
{favorite dining table in the galaxy}
{those uppers… I’m dangerously close to wanting to do them in my own kitchen.}
{what I would do in a heartbeat is that outdoor shower}
{DYING to paint any room that color. Like my dining room.}
{on that note.. benjamin moore’s salamander is an amazing color}
{while we’re at it, I might wanna hang this bad boy in there too}
{this room is cozy… love the lamps, love the ceilings}
{ditto}
{nomnomnom}
{small but mighty kitchen}
{legit obsessed with this limestone lamp}
{THESE CHAIRS….}
{I can make this, right?}
{julianne hough’s bedroom… so lucious & so cozy. it’s in so cal, but it translates.}
{you better believe I’ve just commissioned a new version of this table from my favorite trusty carpenter, Chris}
{be still my heart… down a long hallway? I can’t take it.}
{you’ve seen me post this stair runner before – and it’s in a beach house – but I feel like the mountain vibe is sometimes a lateral move from the beach vibe… there’s a common denominator of comfort and of using materials with feel worn-in}
{more of the kitchen from the 1st pic… love the slate floors, the bistro chandelier, the ceilings, the fur on the chairs}
{the stone, the doors, the lanterns, the palette – it’s perfection}
{needs a duvet for that comforter, but like the layers and LOVE the sconce}
{from gregorius pine0… love how substantial these are}
{love this island that looks like it was repurposed, or handmade out back}
{I’d give Gus’ first born for this thing. Ok that’s a lie but isn’t it rad?}
{posted these awhile ago in a beach house post… they translate}
{perfect finish, perfect texture on the shade}
{mercury glass + rough hewn beams = heaven on the ceiling}
{more exposed brick}
{I could linger table side for hours in these dining chairs… on casters to boot}
{perfectly imperfect}
{love how the ornate chandelier and casually dressy roman offsets the rusticity of this kitchen}
{those faded green chaises from Patrick Dempsey’s Malibu beach house = to die}
{I need these nightstands}
{tiled hood and chesterfield sofa on point}
{I’d change out the pendants, but love the woven barstools and shades of greige}
{steel & glass upper doors – sigh}
{brownstone upholstery kills it every time}
{urban electric is another company that can do no wrong… those pendants are killer}
{look}
{#fave – from country floors… more imperfect than its Walker Zanger cousin, which I love}
{Side table that stands on its own like a boss}
{Baddest wet bar I ever did see – complete with Paul Bunyan-esque pulls}
{the metal + glass lantern gets a modern update when it’s done in a round shape}
Last but not least… if I had my druthers and had to design a kitchen in the mountains – or anywhere, for that matter – this is what I’d do… favorite Ann Morris antiques pendants, gold hood, exposed brick backsplash (or that stunning Cle tile one at the beginning of the post), steel + glass uppers, grey/green lowers (this is Farrow & Ball’s Down Pipe, which looks more grey in real life), antique shop counter as an island, brass bridge faucet, and a leathered white macaubus countertop. BOOM.
Actually I lie like a rug – one more thing… a good friend of mine and her family JYEST moved to the mountains last week, and I’m about to help a sister out and help her get her new (and STUNNING) mountain pad outfitted… so stay tuned for updates on that project! Congrats, Nik!
Happy Saturday!
xoxo,
NOTE: Image credits all available via this Pinboard.
