For Boulder architect and real estate broker Cheri Belz, contemporary aesthetic and environmental consciousness are more than just ideals to strive for in modern architectural design. They are practices that marry in complete harmony in her “modern organic” style, which is put on stunning display in one recent Boulder County custom home project.
Seeking to create a truly unique home that maximized the property’s panoramic mountain views, the homeowner enlisted Belz to design a structure that felt embedded in its natural surroundings, but that also boasted a highly distinct look.
“The client for this project wanted a piece of art to live in,” says Cheri Belz, who often just goes by Belz. “My design mantra since I became an architect has been that one’s home is the merging of the spirit of the place with the spirit of the person, and that was very apparent in this project.”
For Belz, the first order of business was to undertake some of the technical challenges brought about by the site. This included designing a simultaneously aesthetically pleasing and extremely durable bridge over Left Hand Ditch to facilitate access to the site’s prime area for mountain views. Belz likewise worked with a utility boring company to ensure that all of the home’s utilities could be delivered beneath the ditch to accomplish its functionality. Then came the design of the home itself, for which the homeowner was seeking an open concept, loft-like design that allowed the beauty of its surroundings within, from the distant mountains to the flora of the property itself. As part of its desired distinct look, the goal for the home was for it to also incorporate unique design elements, such as an intriguing roof and ceiling and the use of natural materials throughout.
The result is a 3,720 square foot splendor, complete with a 646 square foot attached garage, that simultaneously stands out as a practice in sterling modernity and that is rooted in its surroundings. The home is canted on a southwest axis to optimize its mountain views, and the floorplan is voluminous and bright. Environmentally responsible design alternatives were utilized throughout whenever possible, including peak solar orientation for the building, which Belz works to incorporate into all of her designs.
The focal point of the home is the great room, comprised of the connected main living, dining and kitchen areas. Curved steel beams frame the room’s hemlock ceiling, which imbues a sloping embrace synonymous with the Front Range outside. This rooms leads to the outdoor living area complete with a courtyard, firepit and pizza oven, making for a true indoor/outdoor living experience.
Stunning views are present throughout the home, from the main level primary suite with its pristine bathroom to the study with its gorgeous built-ins and the continuation of the great room’s arched ceiling. A glass-enclosed stairway leads to the second-story yoga balcony—one of Belz’s personal favorite features of the home—that looks out on the picturesque natural setting.
The home incorporates its natural surroundings not just in its overall form, but also in its details. Belz notes that she and the homeowner worked together closely to select the materials, colors and finishes within the home to ensure that they functioned as artful design touches while also tying the space explicitly to the nature surrounding it. Some of these details include green stucco that pays homage to the natural grasses of the site as well as stone that contrasts this hue while “planting” the home into the ground.
A number of additional amenities add further luxury to the home, including a radiant in-floor heating system as well as a large shower with a rain head and wall shower system in the primary bathroom. At one with nature within and throughout, it is a sustainably modern home that represents an effortless, environmentally conscious Boulder County living experience.
BelzArch.com