March 3, 2024What do you get when you pair an interior designer celebrated for her crisp, comfortable interiors with an architectural firm lauded for its reverence for the land? One Colorado couple found out, tapping Manhattan-based, Texas-born Sara Story to work with them on the residence they’d commissioned from San Antonio–based architecture firm Lake|Flato, the winner of more than 300 design awards, many for their sustainable practices. Their answer to the question: the very type of home they’d hoped for.
The couple, who have lived all over the world with their two children, had decided to put down roots in the foothills of the Rockies, in a setting that catered to their love of the outdoors. “The house is nestled in a valley on a nature preserve with the most stunning views. All you see from every window is nature,” Story says of the residence, which is featured in her new book, The Art of Home (Rizzoli).
The ebullient designer had partnered with Lake|Flato on her own house, in Texas Hill Country, and when the clients spotted it on her firm’s website, they liked what they saw. “They gravitated to the materials and finishes I used and no doubt to how the architects worked so beautifully with the landscape,” Story says. “In our first meeting, we repeatedly referred to certain words: grounded, comfortable, timeless, authentic.”
Story, whose work is as varied as the art that she is known to curate for her clients, has a talent for sensing exactly when to turn the volume up or down. The house’s 6,000-square-foot envelope is composed of limestone, poured concrete, ebonized wood, steel and glass, and the interiors play along respectfully. “I chose muted materials throughout, in deference to the house itself and, of course, to those views,” says Story. She opted for tonal colors and a variety of textures to give the rooms depth, warmth and nuance.
The result is a seamless transition from the exterior to the interior, which is swathed in walnut, oak, leather, soapstone and marble. The materials elegantly knit together each space in the open floor plan, making any one of them a soothing place to be.
“Privacy was a key factor in the design of the home, and long stone walls were nestled into the hillside to underscore a strong connection with the lake and a feeling of immersion with the land,” explains Vicki Yuan, an associate partner at Lake|Flato who oversaw the project. “While the living room at the center anchors the home, our long and skinny site allowed us to stretch the house to give each room a direct relationship with the outdoors.”
And, from every vantage point, nature makes an appearance. In the entry, a floor-to-ceiling single-paned window frames both a view of the courtyard and a bulbous vessel by ceramist Kazunori Hamana, inspired by tsubo, traditional Japanese storage jars. A sculptural wall piece by Texas artist Otis Jones hangs opposite a hand-carved bench by South African artist Adam Birch. A graphic neutral rug underfoot softens the effect of the rugged limestone walls and all that glass. The whole serves as a sign of what’s to come.
In every room, Story has channeled the family’s sensibility. “They are very thoughtful people who wanted the rooms to really function,” she notes. “They let me bring in some whimsy with the artwork and were always open to my adding sculptural elements if there was thought behind them.”
In the serene living room, an abstract painting by Australian artist Jordy Kerwick immediately demands attention, but then the biomorphic Jean-Pierre Viot ceramic coffee table invites the eye, along with the ceramic side tables by Maarten Stuer, creating a play between heavy and light. This is Story’s modus operandi: The art draws you in, and the textures and materials keep you there. That is certainly the case in the dining room, where a vibrant abstract painting by L.A.-based artist Tomory Dodge fills a floating wall. Story breaks with the plentiful 90-degree angles here — the pendant is a custom fixture by Workstead — by plunking amid them an elliptical wooden table trimmed in lacquer, adding a pair of René Gabriel lacquer armchairs for good measure. “Sculptural elements bring dynamism to a room, and can do so subtly or not so subtly,” says Story. That would be subtly in the rectangular library, where she designed the split barrel-backed chairs and the refectory-style marble table around which they sit.
This is a family that cooks, so Story focused on storage and functionality in the minimalist kitchen, swathed in oak right up to the 20-foot-high ceilings. A linear travertine and steel pendant by AlexAllen Studio is the only flourish, and an intentionally reserved one at that — the better to spotlight the glorious pond that fills the view from the kitchen window. Its man-made counterpart, a pool deftly tucked into the hillside, blends seamlessly with the landscape.
“It’s all very respectful of the surroundings. A tiny cabana and a few minimalist but comfortable chairs and chaises, plus the cantilevered concrete bench — it all feels just right here,” Story says. “Everything feels very natural, very pure.” Indeed, the designer could call this her Goldilocks project. Because everything is just right.
