Elevating Steamboat Style
08/24/2023 09:19AM ● By Sophie Dingle
(Kitchen from the "Cooper House" in Santa Monica, CA - 2006. Interior design by Bespoke Interiors.)
Steamboat Springs, CO - When Randy Weinstein came to Steamboat Springs for a wedding, he fell in love himself - with allure of the town. “I stayed for a week and I loved it,” he says. “When I got back to California, Steamboat became my stand-in place for, ‘if I move out of here, it would be somewhere like Steamboat.’ I realized that I had already found some place that I really love.” The interior designer made the leap last November and then opened his own interior design firm, Bespoke Interiors, in May. We chatted with him about California versus Colorado design, the style he’s bringing to Steamboat and about the time he was on TV.
(Randy Weinstein of Bespoke Interiors.)
SM: And then you started your own practice.
RW: Yes, I moved down to the beach in Santa Monica. This was in 2003. Meier’s office was very corporate architecture – it was a small office with the resources of a big office which was great, but I wanted to do my own thing. I took any job that came across my desk. I worked primarily in the residential field…lots of residential remodels, some new construction, multi-family buildings.
SM: And you were on HGTV!
RW: I did a bunch of shows for WE and HGTV. I did three or four shows for Outer Spaces with Susie Coelho. I was the episode designer so I would remodel someone’s home or outdoor space for the day. It was super fun because it got me a portfolio immediately. I had just started and I didn’t have a ton of completed work yet. But on TV, these things are built and shot in a weekend so it was more instantaneous. I did a show called Mix It Up on WE; that was Courtney Cox and David Arquette’s show. While I was doing it, I was approached by HGTV execs to produce my own show. But I ended up walking away from it all. No one believes me when I say that! They think I’m hiding something, but honestly, it just wasn’t for me. It was a fun experience but I’m a designer and this was the opposite of what I do in some ways.
SM: How did your time in California influence your style?
RW: In Southern California, the big thing is indoor/outdoor. If you’re designing a patio, it’s an extension of the inside. People spend so much time outside.
SM: You ended up moving to Steamboat and launching Bespoke Interiors. What do you think that your style will bring to town?
RW: There’s an aging condo market here – there are a lot of older homes and condos that are coming time for a remodel. I’m really good at that and I thought it would be a good opportunity and a good way to break in here. I really enjoy home specifying - for a new home or a new rental on the market, we can come in and do everything: furniture, lighting, decorations, dishes, artwork, knick knacks, alarm clock – everything.
SM: Do you think Steamboat has a style that’s unique to this specific place?
RW: I love downtown – not all ski towns have a developed downtown like we do. I like older buildings mixed in with newer things. There’s definitely a “mountain modern” thing going on in many areas of the Yampa Valley but it’s not all that as far as the eye can see. Elements of mountain modern are cool – but I think I can bring a classical touch too. I love local and love using vintage pieces in a modern design. I like mixing that together.
Get to know Randy as he answers five rapid questions:
Favorite design trend?
Smart Tech - they worked out earlier kinks and now I love where it is so I can control the color of my lights in my house. It’s starting to inform the design world, not just be gadgety.
Trend you hate?
DIY. It’s gone too far!
Favorite thing in your own house?
I found the people who make the sofas for a line that I like at Restoration Hardware. I found the one I wanted and ordered it directly, getting half price on top of my designer discount. It’s a deep leather couch that can fit me and my dogs.
Neutrals or colors?
Neutrals for anything permanent or built in; colors for artwork, paint and rugs.
Best entertaining tip?
Hire a caterer.
To see more of Randy’s work online or contact him, visit www.bespokesteamboat.com
Steamboat Springs, CO - When Randy Weinstein came to Steamboat Springs for a wedding, he fell in love himself - with allure of the town. “I stayed for a week and I loved it,” he says. “When I got back to California, Steamboat became my stand-in place for, ‘if I move out of here, it would be somewhere like Steamboat.’ I realized that I had already found some place that I really love.” The interior designer made the leap last November and then opened his own interior design firm, Bespoke Interiors, in May. We chatted with him about California versus Colorado design, the style he’s bringing to Steamboat and about the time he was on TV.
(Randy Weinstein of Bespoke Interiors.)Steamboat Magazine: To start with, tell us about your background back in California.
Randy Weinstein: I took four years of drafting in high school, which is very rare – I’m the only person I’ve met who has ever done that! I realized that architecture is something that I really love. So, I applied to architecture school at USC and I was accepted which was a big coup for me; my grades weren’t amazing but I had a lot of experience. I started in urban and regional planning because not many people were applying to that school, but one year in, I hated it - there was no design! After a year, I switched over to architecture. As I was doing my thesis, I was approached by Richard Meier’s office in LA. Meier had gotten the commission for the Getty Center and his small satellite LA office turned into a large office. I was building models in the office while finishing up my thesis. The Getty Center opened right when I graduated and I got the call that they wanted me to stay on. I was there for five years.
Randy Weinstein: I took four years of drafting in high school, which is very rare – I’m the only person I’ve met who has ever done that! I realized that architecture is something that I really love. So, I applied to architecture school at USC and I was accepted which was a big coup for me; my grades weren’t amazing but I had a lot of experience. I started in urban and regional planning because not many people were applying to that school, but one year in, I hated it - there was no design! After a year, I switched over to architecture. As I was doing my thesis, I was approached by Richard Meier’s office in LA. Meier had gotten the commission for the Getty Center and his small satellite LA office turned into a large office. I was building models in the office while finishing up my thesis. The Getty Center opened right when I graduated and I got the call that they wanted me to stay on. I was there for five years.
SM: And then you started your own practice.
RW: Yes, I moved down to the beach in Santa Monica. This was in 2003. Meier’s office was very corporate architecture – it was a small office with the resources of a big office which was great, but I wanted to do my own thing. I took any job that came across my desk. I worked primarily in the residential field…lots of residential remodels, some new construction, multi-family buildings.
SM: And you were on HGTV!
RW: I did a bunch of shows for WE and HGTV. I did three or four shows for Outer Spaces with Susie Coelho. I was the episode designer so I would remodel someone’s home or outdoor space for the day. It was super fun because it got me a portfolio immediately. I had just started and I didn’t have a ton of completed work yet. But on TV, these things are built and shot in a weekend so it was more instantaneous. I did a show called Mix It Up on WE; that was Courtney Cox and David Arquette’s show. While I was doing it, I was approached by HGTV execs to produce my own show. But I ended up walking away from it all. No one believes me when I say that! They think I’m hiding something, but honestly, it just wasn’t for me. It was a fun experience but I’m a designer and this was the opposite of what I do in some ways.
SM: How did your time in California influence your style?
RW: In Southern California, the big thing is indoor/outdoor. If you’re designing a patio, it’s an extension of the inside. People spend so much time outside.
SM: You ended up moving to Steamboat and launching Bespoke Interiors. What do you think that your style will bring to town?
RW: There’s an aging condo market here – there are a lot of older homes and condos that are coming time for a remodel. I’m really good at that and I thought it would be a good opportunity and a good way to break in here. I really enjoy home specifying - for a new home or a new rental on the market, we can come in and do everything: furniture, lighting, decorations, dishes, artwork, knick knacks, alarm clock – everything.
SM: Do you think Steamboat has a style that’s unique to this specific place?
RW: I love downtown – not all ski towns have a developed downtown like we do. I like older buildings mixed in with newer things. There’s definitely a “mountain modern” thing going on in many areas of the Yampa Valley but it’s not all that as far as the eye can see. Elements of mountain modern are cool – but I think I can bring a classical touch too. I love local and love using vintage pieces in a modern design. I like mixing that together.
Get to know Randy as he answers five rapid questions:
Favorite design trend?
Smart Tech - they worked out earlier kinks and now I love where it is so I can control the color of my lights in my house. It’s starting to inform the design world, not just be gadgety.
Trend you hate?
DIY. It’s gone too far!
Favorite thing in your own house?
I found the people who make the sofas for a line that I like at Restoration Hardware. I found the one I wanted and ordered it directly, getting half price on top of my designer discount. It’s a deep leather couch that can fit me and my dogs.
Neutrals or colors?
Neutrals for anything permanent or built in; colors for artwork, paint and rugs.
Best entertaining tip?
Hire a caterer.
To see more of Randy’s work online or contact him, visit www.bespokesteamboat.com