By Suzi Mitchell

Architects are accustomed to tailoring their style to suit their clients’ tastes and budgets. When it comes to creating their own place to call home, these creative souls are unbound. 

Steamboat Magazine stepped inside the homes of two locally renowned architects: Tim Stone, co-owner of Kelly and Stone Architects, and Brandt Vanderbosch, owner of Vertical Arts. Both dwellings were recently built in the downtown Steamboat Springs neighborhood of Brooklyn. 

The Stone Residence

Tim Stone has a penchant for traditional timber-frame homes, and relishes any opportunity to include exposed structure in his designs. “So much of designing a house depends on the site, neighborhood and regionalism,” he says. Stone’s own home radiates his passion for wood and his sensitivity to the local vernacular. 

He and wife, Alethea, had just completed building a garage with a small apartment on their site in Brooklyn when they found out the family of three was to become five with the arrival of twins. 

Stone set to work fine-tuning plans for an adjacent 1,950 square-foot home. The couple wanted to maximize views of Mount Werner and Howelsen Hill, which cannot be seen from street level. He flipped the living space upstairs to leave three bedrooms on the ground floor. 

Convivial to life with a young family, a combined laundry room and mudroom are located on the lower floor with access to a contained yard. 

Leading to the upper floor, wood stairs with steel and glass railings are flanked by walls displaying Stone’s landscape photography. A vaulted ceiling adds drama to the exposed mortise and tenon Douglas fir structure. The upstairs floor is a mixed hardwood compilation of red oak, Brazilian cherry, hickory, maple and walnut. 

Dramatic large glass panels are interspersed with small picture windows that drench the living space in light. The area blends relaxation with a sizeable kitchen that is equipped with modern embellishments suited to a hobby chef and wine aficionado.

In his residence, Stone has masterminded mixing high-end luxury with the rhythms and lifestyle of a young family.

The Vanderbosch Residence

Brandt Vanderbosch’s designs are mostly an ever-evolving play on mountain modern and industrial styles. His own home blends a cutting-edge contemporary look with the practical comforts of family life. “I wanted my own home to represent the high-end custom designs and level of detail we do at Vertical Arts, but on a smaller scale,” he says. 

In 2001, Vanderbosch and wife, Kelly, bought a small dwelling on River Road, but waited until 2008 to do the addition. “I tinkered with the drawings for six or seven years and never stopped thinking about what we wanted,” he says. “I knew I wanted a place that connected with the backyard and the Yampa River, which runs by the bottom of the property.” 

The three-bedroom home is buffered from the road by a two-car garage with a second-floor apartment. The entryway is offset to afford cliff-face views of Emerald Mountain.

From the entryway, the house unfolds into a shared kitchen, dining and living space with floor-to-ceiling glass doors that open onto the patio and garden. A dramatic steel railing embellishes the wood staircase and provides an ornate backdrop to the dining table. “I like the timeless quality of mixing wood and steel, but still giving a space an industrial feel,” Vanderbosch says. 

Family life centers around the kitchen’s custom-made island, which was designed by Vanderbosch and his interior design team at Vertical Arts, and Stēl House and Home. Trendy and traditional styles mingle in the living room, where art pieces and furnishings are test-driven.

In summer months, a second-floor roof deck becomes the relaxation hub for morning coffees and evening happy hours. Sumptuous seating, a gas fireplace and hot tub provide an enticing invitation to linger beneath the stars. 

A self-professed perfectionist, Vanderbosch continues to finesse and fine-tune the home. “I am not sure it will ever be finished,” he says, laughing.