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Steamboat Magazine

Full Circle

06/14/2018 11:29AM ● By Alesha Damerville

Images from Gibeon Photography

By Suzi Mitchell

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS- A ski trip first brought Rex and Charene Jones to Steamboat Springs 42 years ago. He was a freshman in college and she was a senior in high school. Little did the Kansas-raised duo know they would one day return to the Yampa Valley to make it their home. 

Over the last four decades, the Joneses have traveled all over the world and lived in Asia and London for extended periods. During that time, they amassed a collection of artifacts. 

After moving back to Colorado from London, the couple bought a plot of land in Steamboat and went in search of an architect. “When we started the planning stages, we did things the old-fashioned way and cut images out of magazines,” Rex says. “Ironically, so many of the things we liked were done by Vertical Arts, so they were the obvious choice.”

They began with three goals: an integrated kitchen and dining area with a sense of separation, places to incorporate artifacts and an outdoor space protected from the wind. 

“A house should be the backdrop to showcase the special things in people’s lives,” says Brandt Vanderbosch, architect and owner of Vertical Arts. 

A 20-foot, 1960s London bus panel is positioned prominently in the entryway. “It’s probably the most complicated part of the house,” Rex says, laughing. “It was gifted to us by our big-spirited, Italian landlady in London, who we got to know really well. We never knew how we’d use it.” Building in the panel was a major achievement for the building crew at Shively Construction. 

“We worked extremely well together to make their vision a reality and build a house that reflects who the Joneses are,” John Shively says. 

The three-story home is perched above Elkins Meadow with dramatic views of Mount Werner. The main level houses a master suite, an office for Rex, and living, kitchen and dining rooms. A sense of separation between the kitchen and dining room was achieved by installing an oversized hood. 

A dual-purpose partition between the staircase to the lower level and the kitchen showcases artwork and provides storage. The glass-fronted design, chosen to accommodate an extensive wine collection, adds a talking point to the hallway. 

Two en-suite bedrooms and a den occupy the lower level walk-out. An alcove with wallpaper chosen to complement the grain of wood accommodates a card table and chairs. Bespoke shelving to display sentimental objects flanks the stone fireplace. A fire door, salvaged from an antique store in Denver and refurbished, separates the den from a small mudroom and doorway to the hot tub. 

An extension of the indoor space, a two-tier yard was planned with entertaining in mind. An elongated stone water feature doubles as an aesthetic addition and a safety wall between upper and lower levels. The fire-pit and crushed-gravel bocce ball court add further reason to be outdoors.

“We had a huge push to get the outside finished because we were hosting 150 people for our son and daughter-in-law’s rehearsal dinner,” Charene says. “Not long after, we hosted a Strings Music Festival musicians’ picnic.” 

Charene, a member of the Strings Guild, has an open-plan office next to a workout room on the upper level. “It’s a place for her to keep an eye on things,” Rex says, with a smile. Looking down, Charene can watch the comings and goings in her Steamboat home. On a shelf sits a framed photograph that serves as a reminder of where their journey to Steamboat began.

Architecture: Vertical Arts

Builder: Shively Construction, Inc.

Interior Design: Vertical Arts

Landscape Design: Vertical Arts

Roofing: High Point Roofing, LLC


Photography by David Patterson

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