Hybrid ranch home in Old Snowmass wins Architect's Choice Award

At the Lazy O Ranch, modern forms make hay of tradition

By Kate Bailey, Special to the Rocky

Published October 10, 2008 at 3 p.m.

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Photo by Paul Warchol, Special to the Rocky

Steven Brammell's Old Snowmass Village home, made of limestone, steel and weathered barn wood, sits on the edge of a large working cattle ranch.

Photo by Paul Warchol, Special to the Rocky

A double-sided limestone fireplace separates the dining room from the living area. Interior finishes complement the home's exterior materials.

Photo by Paul Warchol, Special to the Rocky

Expansive windows open the home to the breathtaking landscape. Intimate seating areas invite guests to sit back and relax near the fireplace.

Photo by Paul Warchol, Special to the Rocky

Soft gold hues unite the kitchen and living and dining areas. A Droog milk- bottle light over the table adds whimsy.

Photo by Paul Warchol, Special to the Rocky

The 9,000-square-foot home, with its three component parts, reinterprets the old vernacular into modern forms that blend into the Western landscape.

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The materials, textures and colors are familiar - but the hallmarks of traditional mountain architecture are subtle. Instead of thick logs, wooden shingles and hefty wooden beams, visitors to Steven Brammell's home on the Lazy O Ranch in Old Snowmass Village will find materials such as rusted steel, slick metal siding, weathered barn wood and textured limestone.

Architect Scott Lindenau, principal of Studio B Architects in Aspen, decided not to recreate the past; instead, he reinterpreted the old vernacular into modern forms that blend into the landscape.

His efforts paid off; the home - one of 32 residential buildings at the 18,000-acre ranch - recently won an Architect's Choice Award from the Denver Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

This home isn't a typical "rectangular box," says Lindenau, as he drives up the winding dirt road to the structure, a collection of connected contemporary buildings.

"It took a little maneuvering to get the design approved by the review board," he says. "But in the end, the home appeals to everyone because it is a successful hybrid of traditional materials and modern architecture."

Homeowner Brammell combed the Roaring Fork Valley in his search for a home. He settled on a site that offered privacy, open space and plenty of recreation.

"After we purchased the land, we interviewed several architectural firms and ultimately chose Studio B because we knew that he could adapt his edgy, contemporary style to our needs and to the site," Brammell said.

Brammell offered Lindenau and his team a relatively blank slate, with a few key requirements.

"We had to capture as much of the view as possible," said Brammell, a retired attorney. "The home had to provide a seamless transition between the indoors and outdoors, and we wanted to separate the public and private spaces."

With those constructs in mind, Lindenau crafted the five-bedroom, 9,000-square-foot home with three components, each designed to look like a separate building. The effect is that of a modern ranch house, with each pod providing a different function.

The central component contains the kitchen, dining and living rooms, with an entertainment/media center downstairs (a favorite haunt of Brammell's 12-year-old son, Harrison). A wing off the living room houses two bedrooms and a yoga studio. The dining area is flanked by Brammell's office, and a separate garage is topped with a guest suite/bunkhouse for friends and family. "It is constructed to reference the way old ranch houses were built," Lindenau said.

Each pod reveals a different asymmetrical roofline and distinguishing exterior materials. Expansive window spaces reflect the landscape, while corrugated metal and zinc roofing follows the topography. The house was designed to take advantage of its surroundings.

"Looking out over the Elk Mountain range to Mount Sopris, it was evident that nothing could get in the way of the views," Lindenau said.

He pushed the building as far up the hillside as possible and then surrounded it with hardscape, maximizing the family's ability to seamlessly move between the interior and exterior.

"It was important to us to have an informal gathering place," Brammell said. "We didn't want it to feel too contemporary; no hard edges, and nothing too outrageous."

The result is a successful transition between the architecture and interiors, crafted by Aspen-based interior designers Linda Niven and Susan Okie of Linda Niven Design Studio.

Remaining true to the mountain vernacular, the interiors are a sophisticated blend of organic materials and modern lines.

Clean lines, soft textures, neutral colors and natural fibers create a warm interior. Exterior elements are echoed throughout.

"We left the structure exposed inside to keep it honest," says Lindenau, gesturing to the vertical panels repeated and joined by exposed, painted steel beams, dark-stained cedar panels and a double-sided limestone fireplace that separates the dining room from the living area.

Okie, Niven's project manager, notes the importance of collaborating with Lindenau and his team to ensure a cohesive feeling. "We wanted to keep the modern ranch feeling and make certain that the interiors maintained a conversation with the materials Scott selected."

One notable example is the use of a soft gold plaster that wraps through the kitchen and living and dining rooms.

"The color was culled directly from the Kansas limestone used on the exterior and on the fireplace," Okie said.

A kitchen was created with specific requirements. Brammell wanted a free-standing range with open cabinets on both sides. A few final touches add a sense of whimsy. Faceted lights float above the island, and a contemporary Droog milk-bottle light fixture rests over the breakfast table.

The kitchen opens to an expansive patio.

"It's a haven in the summertime around 6 or 7 o'clock in the evening when the sun is setting behind the mountains," Brammell says.

The outdoor living space, surrounded by a sage field, is furnished with weatherproof outdoor sofas, and features a full barbecue, fire pit and water feature. A pathway leads to a viewing platform that overlooks the ranch.

In the autumn sunshine, the home's rusted metal roof glows a fiery orange-red that reflects the changing colors of the scrub oak.

Golden light reveals sage brush, grasses and, in the distance, the peaks of the Elk Mountain range.

"This home is truly about the outdoors," Lindenau said. "We responded to it in a way that honors and respects the land."

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