By Linda Hayes

	Click for more images Architect: Gibson Architects Builder: Wodehouse Builders Landscape designer: Interior design: Studio 133

"When an architect listens, you get the best possible results," explains the owner of the serene 5,700–square–foot home he and his wife built, with the help of Aspen architect Dave Gibson, along the Roaring Fork River in Woody Creek, Colorado. Gibson listened from the start. He learned about the owners″ desire for a house that, unlike the Chicago apartments they″d occupied for the previous 17 years, was open and airy, with exposure to the rushing river and mountain views.

"The homeowners were specific about certain requirements, including a sense of spaciousness and light," the architect explains. "They″d collected photos of homes with details they liked—high, beamed ceilings and clean white finishes, for example—and had an idea for a three–section design with individual living spaces." He also noted his client″s aversion to the log construction typical of the area, and their need for privacy.

All of these desires and concerns would be addressed in turn. But before beginning the design process, Gibson conducted "space experiments," aligning the house on the site in different configurations to determine which might suit it best. "We played with staggering the three sections—one housing the main living areas and kitchen, one with guest quarters and garage, and another with a master suite—as well as placing them in a straight line, and in a crescent shape," he says. "We ended up with an inverted crescent that embraces an auto court on one side and the view panorama on the other."

For the exteriors, Gibson strove for simplicity. Like with traditional saltbox structures prevalent on the eastern seaboard, there″s no trim or detailing around windows and doors. Siding is 1–by–6–foot vertical cedar painted six shades of green inspired by the landscape. Gabled roofs are rusty corrugated steel. For privacy″s sake, the entry features a false front stepped away from the house, and roadside windows are small and high. An island of trees and shrubs acts as an additional buffer.

Among the noteworthy architectural elements are a pair of glass breezeways that link the sections of the home together. Constructed of double–glazed, energy–efficient glass within steel frames, the breezeways are part of what Gibson calls a "circulation spine" set along the auto court wall. "They″re transparent enclosures," he says. "When you pass from one structure to another, there″s a sense of going outside, then reentering." The non–glass sections of the spine function as a gallery for the homeowners″ art collection.

Throughout, interiors feature 3–, 5–, and 7–inch pine board walls, painted off–white and topped by bleached white pine gabled ceilings that soar as high as 22 feet. Reclaimed maple floors finished with a simple sealer look natural yet take the wear and tear doled out by the owners″ dogs, while old timber chestnut and oak ceiling beams add a touch of antiquity. Expansive French windows and doors frame views. At night, programmable wall sconces and spot lighting add drama.

Considerable time was spent planning the country–style kitchen, featuring an oversized butcher block–topped island with a stainless prep sink and shelves for cookbooks as the intended focal point. A stainless–steel rack with nickel fittings designed to house a collection of antique copper cookware is suspended from the ceiling. Stainless–steel countertops and appliances offset custom alder cabinetry, painted green to match the exteriors.

Beyond an 8–foot–wide pocket door that slides closed, the dining room was designed around an antique English table brought from Chicago. It opens to a spacious living room, complete with a sandstone fireplace and a grouping of chenille–covered chairs that swivel toward the fire, the view, or a flat–screen TV tucked into a built–in entertainment center.

After 20 years of visiting the Aspen area, the homeowners felt strongly about making the house they would live in uniquely theirs. Renting nearby, they were on–site nearly every day of the 18–month construction period, consulting with architects, builders, and contractors about progress and details. "It was a mixed blessing; even the dog became territorial," they laugh. "But we accomplished what we wanted—space, openness, light—with hardly a change to the original plans."