Inspiration can spring from many places when it comes to home remodels. In the case of one recent Boulder project undertaken by local Factor Design Build, a unique combination of regional taste, everyday practicality and the homeowners’ inimitable style served as a bountiful foundation.
“This is a family that we had worked with on projects in the past,” says Josh Fiester, co-founder of Factor Design Build. “They had lived in a much larger home but, as empty-nesters, they wanted to downsize and create something more intimate for their family.”
On a beautiful lot in an ideal Boulder location, the team at Factor Design Build—a full-service Colorado design-build firm—set out to create an abode that would be better suited to the homeowners’ day-to-day lives. However, the home also needed to be able to easily scale with enough space for large gatherings of family and friends.
“We were looking for a home that felt simple and airy, beautiful but also casual and comfortable,” says Kelly Daly, one of the homeowners.
“Kelly has a fantastic sense of style and truly understands design,” says Josh. “This was a fun project, a true collaboration.”
The end result is a stunning home in what Robin Bryant, design team lead at Factor Design Build, describes as a Belgian Farmhouse style. The H-shaped building footprint facilitates a gorgeous minimalist façade, which is enhanced by a dramatic yet simplistic roof structure and softened by elements of bleached cedar. The nucleus of the ranch-style home is the main living area, a luminous space made bright by both its overarching palette and the sunlight spilling in from the new windows, which are both energy-efficient and add ample character. The pass-through glider window in the kitchen connects the space to the backyard, another area of emphasis for the homeowners given their fondness for hosting outdoor gatherings.
The home’s interior expertly balances its bright palette with dark, dramatic accents. A mixture of off whites, light grays and light neutral woods permeate throughout and are complemented by the purposeful inclusion of dark blue gray cabinets in select areas. The tiling in the powder room and laundry room are another example of this interplay, as both incorporate black and white cement clé zellige tiling in a star-cross pattern that is simultaneously playful and chic.
The materials used throughout the home were thoughtfully chosen as well, with a special regionality in mind.
“Kelly grew up in the South, and so we wanted to incorporate materials and an overall feel from that region,” says Josh. “We did this with a lot of limestone—such as on the fireplace wall—and natural oak.”
A lauded decorator herself, Kelly relished the opportunity in this project to zoom in on a number of seemingly small, yet highly significant design details.
“I always love a remodel project,” Kelly says, “and I was so happy with this one that I got to really pay attention to all the little details that would make it feel like our home.”
From the pine planks beneath the porch roof to the barn door shutters, cozy primary bedroom window seat and pristine tiling throughout, the home’s design embraces both a farmhouse vernacular and the homeowners’ distinct style. One of Kelly’s favorite elements of the project? The butler’s pantry, a sleek yet welcoming space that allows her to display her many family china heirlooms.
“We use every single room in this house,” says Kelly. “It is perfectly sized to be physically large enough for what our family needs, but also feels intimate.”
“I think that this home is an excellent example of the new approachable elegance in design,” says Robin.