By Karen Mitchell

	Click for more images Architect: Stephen Sparn & Associates Builder: Fisher Construction Company Interior finisher: White Rock Construction Interior Design

Someone should give Linda and Stephen Sparn a needlepoint cushion that reads, “When one nest empties, go out and build another.” That’s just what they did after their son, Drew, left for the University of Puget Sound. They traded their rambling house and garden in the historic Chautauqua Park district of Boulder, Colorado, for an elegant downtown loft with 10-foot ceilings, spectacular views, and a taste of city life.

“It was a now-or-never urban plunge,” says Stephen, an architect, developer, and avid cyclist whose firm designed the downtown Boulder complex Via Broadway, where he and his wife, a marketing manager for an international law firm, now reside. The mixed-use development, with its eclectic mix of commercial office space and a seven-loft enclave, provided the perfect solution to empty nesting. Stephen reserved the largest of the lofts, a third floor, 2,400-square-foot space with a rear deck and front patio, for the couple’s new home.

“This was the first time I could design a home for us on a clean piece of paper,” he says of the three-bedroom, three-bath loft, which is cinematically close to several thousand acres of Boulder Mountain Parks, a preserve that can never be developed, and a short stroll from cafés and shops. The project also afforded Stephen the opportunity to work with some interesting materials and elements: Durango flowered limestone on floors and a stunning geometric hearth, tinted lacquered maple cabinetry that gives off an inviting warmth, and a master spa with an infinity tub and deep storage cabinets.

It all begins at the gallery-like entry hall with art-filled splayed (angled) walls leading, funnel-like, to the loft’s open living space. “Splaying the walls produced a playful detail, an exposed steel column, which I glorified by grinding it down with an automobile sander, then applying clear lacquer so it reflects the light,” Stephen explains. “I surrounded the column with a wood and granite ledge, an extension of the kitchen cabinetry around the corner, so cabinets evolve into furniture.”

A 90-square-foot library/office off the entry hall is a cozy and functional nook hidden behind contemporary pocket doors, which are usually left open. Eschewing adjustable shelves, Stephen opted for cubby holes to hold books and personal mementos. The deep red of a small-scale leather armchair punctuates the honey tones of the room.

In the heart of the loft are the living, dining, and kitchen areas. The flat-panel tinted lacquered maple cabinetry and bamboo flooring are dramatized by black granite counters. “Spider” stools make the kitchen the perfect place for informal snacking. A whimsical “Medusa” chandelier—one of several types of lighting that includes can lights, pendants, and sconces—hangs over the formal dining table adjacent to the kitchen.

“Lighting a loft is all about layering,” Stephen says. “I like to graze the cabinet fronts with light. Some fixtures are like women’s jewelry, decorative. Indirect lighting isn’t meant to be noticed; it’s just to create a mood, like earrings. Nighttime is my favorite mood here, when there’s this juxtaposition of tight and crisp combined with soft and friendly.”

The open floor plan affords lots of wall space for showing off the couple’s art collection. “We have a lot of contemporary art that we were never able to showcase before,” Linda says. “The loft is so minimalist that you really can see it. You also get to a point in life where you don’t want stuff everywhere. We got down to the essentials; now we can add more.”

With lofts inherently built in high-density settings, privacy can be an issue, but one that is easily controlled with such choices as top-down, bottom-up shades like those in Stephen and Linda’s master bedroom. On the western elevation in the living room, motorized translucent shades with an added exterior sun shade provide privacy and darken the room to heighten the movie-watching experience.

“This is the first time since college dorms that we’ve lived with other people around us. It is also an adjustment from a houseful of teens,” says Linda. “The loft has given us a new, defined, low-maintenance lifestyle in a vivacious neighborhood, and it certainly makes life easier.”

Her architect husband, she says, identified what’s really important. “The loft is upscale but comfortable. We can relax on the sofa with popcorn and a glass of wine, or throw together a grown-up cocktail party. I especially love to sit in Stephen’s office, in his red chair, talking together into the evening. Of course, I had the luxury of being the client.”