Genuine, easy-going, bold. This is how Anna summarizes the style of her Denver home she independently designed for her family of five. Anna is the brilliance behind the design firm Studio Lambiotte where she conceptualizes spaces for homeowners as well as real estate and commercial developers in both urban and mountain locales across Colorado.
As the daughter of a real estate developer and an artist, she was seemingly cut from their design-savvy cloth, leading her to build her own design firm, which she developed 15 years ago. Originally from Aspen, this die-hard mountain girl chose to raise her own family in Lake Tahoe before making their way to Denver. Anna never thought she would live in a big city, but Denver has proven to be a wonderful place to build a business and raise her kids.
When speaking to Anna, her passion for design is infectious, and it’s clear she is meant to be here.
“I am an entrepreneur at heart and have my MBA, so I approach things from a business perspective,” Anna says. “I love spreadsheets, schedules and project management, but I also love the creative side as well."
The flip side to being in this industry is that “everyone thinks I’m swimming in fabrics and looking at furniture all day, but the business is 90% administrative and management of people while the other 10% is creative,” expresses the designer.
Not formally trained in interior design and having never worked for a firm, Anna relies on her natural instincts and ability to listen to the clients’ needs and vision.
“I run my business as a collaborative effort between the architect, builder, owner/client. This approach builds the best projects. I always want my clients to know that I see you, I understand you and I hear you,” Anna says.
Her design aesthetic is based around one true and timeless pillar— balance. By looking closely at proportion, color and scale, she can create an entire room, or house, like one would piece together a puzzle.
“A space should feel comfortable and grounded, and then you can add a pop of color here or a crazy lamp over here,” Anna says. “I just really want you to walk into your home and feel good.”
Anna’s family home here in the Mile High City was built around the fact that she's is a nester, meaning her home is her safe space. She leaned towards natural materials for a grounded presence in the home, including stone and a variety of woods all layered throughout. She is unafraid of mixing genres and price points. She designed a glass and wood-framed coffee table in collaboration with Ethann Hutchinson, has a few gorgeous leather swivel chairs, and for that pop of unexpected, peep the wallpaper in the powder room featuring a textile from famed LA designer Kelly Wearstler.
A few non-negotiables for Anna’s home was having a highly functioning kitchen (she loves to cook and entertain), a big backyard and an abundance of natural light throughout the interiors. The result is a space that she refers to as "cozy with swagger and casual with a punch of glam," which sums up both her home and herself (check out the disco ball in the living room).
The bedrooms feature Benjamin Moore’s paint colors Pebble Beach and Paper White, a mix of blue and gray on the ceilings. There are no TVs in these intimate spaces, always ceiling fans, and finished off with sumptuous linen sheets from the Denver storefront Modern Nomad.
“A home that is all matching and uniform is flat to me,” shares Anna. “If a home is leaning towards modern, all the more reason to incorporate vintage finds and if the space is white and gray, find some saturated blues and greens to add depth.”
Anna encourages others to find their own design sweet spot amongst the wide range of styles and trends available, and to never be afraid to have a point of view. Stay bold!
StudioLambiotte.com