MIDSUMMER 2008ASPEN | SNOWMASS VAIL | BEAVER CREEK TELLURIDE

RiversideLivingON THEWATERIN OLD SNOWMASS

ANTIQUE ROADTRIPFROM AS PEN TO TELLURIDE

CONDOMANIATHREE TOWNS, THREE STYLES

TOWNIE BIKESHOW WE ROLL

MH_MS08_cover-final:MH cover home midsummer final 7/8/08 5:40 PM Page 1

M H 46 M O U N T A I N H O M E S T Y L E

A River (Almost) Runs Through ItIt doesn’t get much more riversidethan this Old Snowmass home.

Story by Alison Berkley | Photos by Aspen Architectural Photography

w o wF A C T O R

An outdoor seating area centered around a firepit—one

of several design elements meant to maximize rivertime.

wow_ms08:asm hl07 template 7/9/08 2:29 PM Page 46

M H 48 M O U N T A I N H O M E S T Y L E

w o wF A C T O R

G ary and Amy Feldmandon’t take sides, especiallywhen it comes to deciding

who gets to sleep facing the window in themaster bedroom of their riverfront home.Instead, they take turns. “It’s like waking upon a boat,” Amy Feldman says of sleeping

window-side. “Sometimes it’s hard to tell ifit’s the river that’s moving or the house.”

It’s not just in the master bedroom,though. Situated on a steep, wooded bank(the lot slants up to 30 degrees) a mere 10feet from the Roaring Fork River onLower River Road in Old Snowmass, the

three-level design is virtually suspendedabove the water among the branches, likea modern interpretation of a treehouse.

“In this house you can see and hear theriver from every room,” Gary says. “Youcould say a river runs through it.” That’s par-ticularly true of the second level, where the

wow_ms08:asm hl07 template 7/11/08 5:17 PM Page 48

M H 50 M O U N T A I N H O M E S T Y L E

Decorative materialsinternational limited

Aspen Vail Denver

kitchen, living room and dining room are locat-ed. Features like floor-to-ceiling window walls,tilted windows and a cantilevered third story loftbring the river into the elevated space.

Kayaks and river rafts cruise by all summerlong; fish take up residence in the eddies alongthe shore. Two rainbow trout in particular havebeen affectionately dubbed Ben and Jerry. Thelast two Christmases, a bald eagle has found itsperch in the tree in the Feldmans’ riparian back-yard and herds of elk can’t be missed as they fordthe river. During spring runoff, the river churnsby with such dizzying power and ferocity it feelslike the house could almost get swept away in itschocolate-colored waters.

But it was the Feldmans who were swept awaywhen they found the property in the spring of2003. It was one of the few home sites lower thanthe highway, so noise was not an issue. The1960s-era home sat right next to the river,although, Gary says, “when we first came to seeit, it was a shoebox.” And so they set their sightson building a new home on the lot.

w o wF A C T O R

This page: The architects’ use of unusual angles—such asthe custom slanted windows seen here—were inspiredby the home’s steep lot. Previous page: Brazilian Palladiocountertops and slate floors add references to nature to the interior’s modern design.

> 52

wow_ms08:asm hl07 template 7/9/08 3:21 PM Page 50

But there was a catch, and it hadnothing to do with fish. In 2006, thecounty began requiring that new homesbe pushed back 50-100 feet from theriver—unless they’re built on an exist-ing foundation. As a real estate brokerwho has lived in the valley for 25 years,Gary had the educated foresight to rec-ognize the hidden value of the originalhouse, despite its condition, sittingwhere it did.

“Of all the premium real estate inAspen, riverfront is in shortest supply,”he says, “especially riverfront that’s thisclose to the river.”

Gary posed the challenge of design-ing a new home to fit the original foun-

dation to architects David Johnston andJohn Hufker of David JohnstonArchitects. The tight building envelopeposed a unique quandary, but it alsoresulted in a category-defying design.

“Had David and John not come upwith this really cool design, we might nothave done it,” Feldman says. “When wesaw what they came up with, we wereblown away.”

The architects used cantileveredmasses throughout the second story toexpand the size of the house without vio-lating codes. The result was a kitchenthat extends eight feet from the originalfootprint and a dramatic entryway bridgesuspended in the trees.

M H 52 M O U N T A I N H O M E S T Y L E

w o wF A C T O R

Because it was built on the foundation of a preexisting structure, the home was exempt fromrules requiring that new homes be pushed back 50-100 feet from the river.

Fish take up residence in the eddies alongthe shore. A bald eagle found its perch inthe tree in the Feldmans’ riparian backyard.

> 54

wow_ms08:asm hl07 template 7/9/08 3:22 PM Page 52

“The design was largely dictated bythe constraints we were faced with,”Hufker says. “Angled cantilevers wereput where they are because it was liter-ally the only place we could go beyondthe foundation. That’s also why we havea bridge to the entry rather than a retain-ing wall. The resulting design wasunique because it was created from thesite rather than on it.”

Hufker says the steep lot also inspiredother angles throughout the design, likethe custom slanted windows and off-camber rooflines. The wood, glass and

stone exterior allowed the space to bemodern without clashing with its naturalsurroundings. That’s carried through theinterior with slate floors, Brazilian Palladiogranite countertops (a unique cut con-sisting of large multi-colored stones thatmirror the river bottom), and, of course,some fish-themed art. Amy Feldmanworked with interior designer RobynScott to come up with some of the moredetailed touches, like a railing for the stair-way and loft that is the same as the oneon the bridge entryway, creating a seam-lessness between indoors and out.

M H 54 M O U N T A I N H O M E S T Y L E

w o wF A C T O R

Cantilevered above the rushing water, the dining room and its abundance of window spacebring the river into the home most dramatically.

> 56

wow_ms08:asm hl07 template 7/9/08 3:25 PM Page 54

M H 56 M O U N T A I N H O M E S T Y L E

CULTURALLY INSPIRED WORKS OF ART IN WOOD AND METAL.

www.andrealewinwendel.com I alwdesigns@gmail.com I T: 970.963.9193 I 9 Deer Path, Carbondale, CO 81623

Corner writing desk.44 X 29 1/2 inches,Basswood and Iron

408 Aspen Business Center, Suite 202 Aspen, CO 970/544-4650 www.rasmussenconst.com

OVER A QUARTER CENTURY’S EXPERIENCECAREFULLY CRAFTING FINE HOMES

AND LASTING RELATIONSHIPS

NEW CONSTRUCTION • RENOVATIONS • CUSTOM MODULAR

The third floor is used as a media and fami-ly room and features yet another double-cantilevered loft that looms over the river with-out any sense of its surrounding banks and givesthe feel of the observation deck of a boat. Thelowest level features the master bedroom andFeldman’s beloved tequila bar and an ample slateterrace furnished with a fire pit and plush out-door furniture for comfortable river viewing.

Every year, the couple throws a “Tequila onFork-th” party on the Fourth of July with a liveband that opened up last year with—surprise—”Proud Mary” (“rolling, rolling, rolling on theriver”). There is one drawback, though. SaysAmy, “You don’t want to wake up with a hang-over. That’s the closest you’re ever going to feelto being sea sick on land.”

w o wF A C T O R

Bridges and decks allow for movement in—and occasionally above—the trees, further connecting the home to its natural surroundings.

wow_ms08:asm hl07 template 7/9/08 3:30 PM Page 56