Tucked away on three verdant acres in Cherry Hills, an English Tudor-style estate caught the eye of interior designer Jackie Johnson and her husband Erik in 2022. The couple lived in it for a year before Jackie, who designs luxurious modern interiors for her clients, opted to do the same with a full renovation of her own home.
“The interior of the main house was dated and needed a little facelift,” she says. “The kitchen was traditional French country, which is not particularly my style, and it was pretty dark.”
To bring in natural light, she added a sunroom with bifold doors off the kitchen. A wool rug atop antique stone tile provides a layered base for custom furniture crafted with John Brooks performance fabric—the perfect indoor-outdoor lounging area for morning coffee with the couple’s dogs. Inside, floor-to-ceiling windows were incorporated in living areas; in the kitchen, taller windows above the kitchen sink maximize sunlight while giving the illusion of height.
Jackie relied on tonal shades in a neutral color palette to infuse the home with a sense of serenity. In the kitchen, Thomas Hayes Studio leather and shearling stools surround a massive slab of Dolomite Odyssey stone. In the adjacent living room, a fireplace by Denver-based Cast Limestone Creations is bordered by tree landscape Papier mural wallpaper sourced from Denver boutique WallTawk.
“My design style is clean and sophisticated,” Jackie says. “I don't do much color, and I didn't want too much going on for the eye to be distracted.”
One room with a distinctly different vibe than the rest of the house is the dining room and martini lounge. Dark Roman clay on the walls and ceiling warmly embraces guests whether seated at the Calacatta Viola marble dining table or cozied up on the nearby alpaca wool and mohair sofa. Sconces from 1stDibs and a sculptural brass and alabaster chandelier by Randy Zieber provide ambient lighting throughout the space, while a cigarette photograph by local artist Jack Ludlam adds a pop of contemporary character.
Perhaps the room’s coolest features are the wood paneling and built-ins from a 15th-century English church, carved with the crest of King Henry VI and Queen Consort Margaret of Anjou. The home’s previous owner scored them at auction.
“It’s all of this beautiful hand-carved scrolling, but it was a light orange color before,” Jackie says. “Everyone was telling me to rip them out, but I said no, I love it. I think it’s so cool.” There were also doors, which a carpenter then cut and adhered together to form the base of the dining table. Every piece was expertly stained a darker hue by Denver restoration firm Kin Furniture Co. “They did an incredible job,” Jackie says. “This is one of our favorite rooms, a fun gathering space.”
Separate master bathrooms reflect feminine and masculine aesthetics, with Phillip Jeffries bouclé wallpaper and fluted terrazzo tile for her, and Ann Sacks shower tile, marble, and dark gray terrazzo tile for him. In the master sitting room, a Slim Aarons photograph depicting a fun winter scene is suspended above a blue custom sectional where the Johnsons’ pups often relax.
During the home’s transformation, Jackie never lost sight of her goal: to create luxurious yet durable spaces that made indoor-outdoor living effortless and felt like a sanctuary, especially for Erik, a former Colorado Avalanche player who still travels as an ESPN analyst.
“He really wanted the house to be this place of refuge away from hotels,” Jackie says. “A space where he felt like he never had to leave. We just love being at our house.”
Design Details
Interior Design: Jackie Johnson Design
Architect: Alvarez Morris
Builder: Jones Custom Builders
Art Procurement: Kate Finds Art
JackieJohnsonDesign.com