Vertical Arts Architecture has reimagined this lake house in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, that needed new life after being stuck in a hodgepodge of rustic features, mismatched finishes, and separate small spaces. The project team was brought on to create function and flow, and to get creative with the family’s playful style while staying connected to the mountains.
While keeping most of the original exterior flair, the interiors were completely revamped, moving toward a modern aesthetic and setting the mood for a more functional family home for lakeside living. Walking into the house feels like a new kind of summer camp, with a crisp, natural palette and a fresh, modern feel.
It was discovered that the dining room had an incomplete foundation, causing it to sink away from the home and allowing water intrusion. The multidisciplinary team jumped into action to address the issue and enhance the room simultaneously.
Luckily, the expertise of Vertical Arts Architecture enabled them to pair a go-with-the-flow attitude with the uncanny ability to execute their design and their client’s vision. This includes finding eco-conscious, organic, American-made, local, or reclaimed pieces to use throughout the home. The result is a rustic mountain remodel bringing a colorful, modern style to lakeside living. Continue below for the rest of this gorgeous home tour…
To make a first impression in the entryway, the architecture team immediately brightened the space by raising the roof (literally) and adding a skybridge element that brings in abundant natural light. The first floor was completely reimagined, with significant changes to the kitchen, mudroom, laundry room, and pantry to utilize the space better.
The team added a wall of windows in the living room and optimized views of the lake throughout by rotating the kitchen and finishing a screened-in porch, adding to this lakeside home’s square footage.
Above: The dual-sided DaVinci fireplace showcases an attractive limestone surround and charred wood slats. The bridge, made of blackened steel beams, adds an industrial-chic vibe to the room.
The varying-width plank reclaimed oak floors and reclaimed oak interior doors provide tactical texture against the modern white walls.
Each space combines these textures and materials to achieve an earthy modern style, exemplified by the two-sided fireplace in the main living area, with limestone surrounding a steel hearth and a wall of wooden slats that reveal the metal below.
The Twenty1Five team custom-fabricated a 7-foot custom dining table with a resin river in the middle, which serves as an art piece in its own right alongside the light fixture, and is surrounded by plum leather chairs.
In the kitchen, texture is layered with modern materials: stainless-steel appliances, smoky glass, walnut cabinetry and island, handmade terracotta backsplash, and burnished-brass stools. The floors are reclaimed oak.
The redesign juxtaposes clean, simple, high-end finishes with whimsical and playful furniture that doesn’t shy away from patterns and color. Youthful, eclectic elements accessorize the main living spaces.
You’ll notice a 70s, mid-century influence in the design, embodied by the ombre-velvet kitchen booth and a walnut-and-steel table. Above the walnut booth is a topographical map of Lake Catamount, where the family’s home is located.
Smooth leather is paired with funky modern styles and tactile details using woven materials and hammered metal to create a handmade vibe in each space.
Upstairs also received an expanded bathroom and upgraded finishes, making the guest suites even more beautiful. The design team incorporated the same youthful lake house style with woven plaid and leather in various pops of color. They avoided tone-on-tone neutrals, opting for muddy blues and greens and rich orange and carmel. The earthy colors feel cozy yet fun.
Tile elements throughout the home are sure to catch your eye. A herringbone pattern ombre tile covers all four walls in the recreation room bathroom and is paired with a stainless steel vanity.
Above: The owner’s bedroom was designed with a minimalist aesthetic, featuring a bed by Theodora Alexander and windows framing views of the lake.
Above: This light and airy bathroom features a spacious shower and a freestanding Barcelona tub by Victoria + Albert.
What We Love About This Home
This Colorado lake house beautifully balances modern design with relaxed mountain living. Thoughtful details, warm materials, and serene water views create a welcoming retreat that feels both stylish and deeply connected to nature. We are loving so many details in this home, from the main-level owner’s bedroom that soaks in views of the lake to the shimmering blue handmade tile backsplash in the kitchen, paired with blue leather seats, to create a crisp, clean, and modern lake-house aesthetic.
Tell Us: What details in the design of this Colorado lake house do you find most appealing? Let us know in the Comments below!
Note: Be sure to check out a couple of other fabulous home tours that we have showcased here on One Kindesign in the state of Colorado: Colorado mountain home in perfect harmony with nature: Feng Shui Home and An outstanding modernist mountain home in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.
A stunning custom mosaic of a family member wake surfing on Lake Catamount drives home the personalized, mountain-lakeside yet modern style.
The remodel wasn’t without its quirks for the team to maneuver through.
PHOTOGRAPHER David Patterson
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