Shelter

A Design Duo Brings New Life to a Golf Course Condo

A Northwoods condo from the 1970s gets a dreamlike postmodern facelift.

By Kirsten Dobroth June 12, 2017 Published in the Summer/Fall 2017 issue of Vail-Beaver Creek Magazine

A sleek living area makeover is the focal point of the condo.

A contemporary kitchen is part of the condo’s modern facelift.

A redesigned staircase is a vision in glass.

Textured tile is an intriguing motif throughout the renovation.

A new fireplace in the master suite complements Golf Course and Gore Range views.

When the Northwoods homeowners association announced that it would be doing a major exterior renovation, the owners of Unit A-9, a couple from Boulder, commissioned Beth Levine and Jim Powell to update their vacation home to reflect the hip, urban lifestyle they enjoyed on the Front Range.

Tackling structural changes to the unit—a two-bedroom, three-bathroom, 1,400-square-foot version of the 1970s condo owned by Dick and Ginny Michaux—Levine drew upon 30 years of experience as a Vail-based engineer and architect (“Nothing surprises me anymore,” she laughs of some of her more notorious encounters with projects from the era). To add airiness to the main floor, Levine removed a beam that cut through the kitchen ceiling, then flooded the space with light from south-facing windows and glass doors. Similarly, she expanded an alcove occupied by a spiral staircase and added a set of stairs that pivots 180 degrees and is divided by glass.

For the finishing touches, interior designer Jim Powell ditched some of the more Tyrolean-inspired designs of yore in favor of a more in-vogue mountain contemporary aesthetic. The kitchen and living area were given a modern facelift with wood built-ins to maximize space, new stainless steel appliances and accents, while the existing fireplace was upgraded with a sleek charcoal-colored mantle. Textured tile was added as a subtle statement throughout the bathrooms, and soft white was used throughout. “We can’t do the same whites they use in contemporary designs elsewhere because our sky is so blue here,” Powell explains.

Best captured, along with the view of the Grand Traverse, from a once-dated and now timeless master bedroom perch.