Coming Home

They say moving is one of the most stressful occasions in life—next to divorce and unemployment. But I would argue that getting settled in a new home and a new neighborhood counters the stress with a sense of comfort and happiness that feels kind of like falling in love. I write this as I sit on a cozy couch in my new-to-me home. Lucky me. But just a few months ago, my boyfriend and I were...

Handcrafted Home: From floor to timber-frame ceiling, this team built a legacy

It’s Colorado throughout—grandiose in height and heft, nurturing with snapping fireplaces and sunlit napping nooks, and comfortable—satiating souls in the way only the smell of fresh pine and a view of snow-capped peaks can. “We tried to bring the outside in and have there be a very comfortable relationship between the house and nature,” architect David Biek said. It took a team...

8 Ways to Make a Statement

1. Embrace Imperfection: Go for a symmetrical layout with mismatched frames. Mix frames of similar shades, juxtapose colors and shapes in long lines, circles, sharp squares, etc. Balance shabby with symmetrical, so if distressed pine tables or ruffled lace dominate the space, clean it up with symmetrical layouts. 2. Tell a Story: Fill a series of frames with photos from one trip, a child’s...

5 Uses for Old Doors

1. Display Case or Project Table: Use one door as the back, and several doors cut up to make shelves, sides or a storage section. 2. Headboard: Paint, finish or upholster an old door and hang it above the bed for a fresh, easy to relocate headboard. 3. Coffee table: Find old table legs, use all or part of a door for the tabletop and cover it with paint or finish. 4. Trellis: Use French...

People in our Hood

Chainsaw artist Jon C. Parker, Sun King Art Philosophy: “I wish I had more time for just doing crazy pieces. I’m just starting now.” YS: What’s your favorite project—your specialty within your specialty? Jon Parker: Dead Fred Nederhead, (which took) a month. That’s the first and only of it. I wish I had more time for just doing crazy pieces. I’m just starting now. That had a...

Out of the Wild: A Manicured Garden

Three years ago, Becky Hammond, landscape architect at LID Landscapes in Boulder, was offered a challenge. Her clients wanted an upper patio in their backyard that would connect to a lower patio that surrounds their new swimming pool, which is flanked by a deep drop into the 100-year flood plain of Blue Bell Creek. A wrong move could damage the natural landscape below or could even bring the...

A Whole New World: A legendary garden

Fifteen years ago, there was no garden here. It was—to be frank—something quite similar to a mudslide. The big backyard set a primeval tone, with overgrown foliage and large, dying trees. When the current owner purchased the home and half acre in Boulder, the first thing she wanted to do was terrace the yard, much like the beautiful terraces she had seen in South America. There was a...

A Rose By Any Other Name: A Victorian Garden

Barb Dowski admits her garden—which is best described by the word “lovely”—has become an obsession. The 19th-century late-Victorian home in downtown Lafayette is surrounded by a decadent arrangement of roses, peonies, columbines, hostas and other lilies, berries, a raised veggie garden out back and countless shrubs and perennials. At least, that’s what it looks like this week. As...

Bloomin’ in the ‘Burbs: A subdivision garden

When Rhonda Grassi and Nancy Welch moved into their Erie home 12 years ago, they could see 13 houses from their front and back yards. That’s life in a subdivision. But the couple had full reign over the landscaping of the new home, and Welch, a Realtor and interior designer, has experience with landscape design. So they set out to bring privacy and intimacy into their large lot in...

In The Family: A heritage garden

To passers-by, this house with a big yard in Old Lafayette is a wonderland of colors and textures—countless blossoms unfolding like jazz hands, green waxy leaves fluttering in the wind, stone walkways, pergolas, trellises, water features and a koi pond. But the owners and operators of the home and garden call it a full-time job. Darren Green and Shawn Roehler have spent countless hours over...

The Kids Are Alright: A community garden

Past the fields of corn stalks and hand-painted farm signs of East County, within the hustle and bustle of Boulder proper, down a suburban street of ’50s-style ranches, Growing Gardens has taken root. Growing Gardens’ urban garden—several acres literally planted in the middle of the city—includes plots for residents, a children’s garden and Cultiva, two acres of organic produce...

Longmont: The best place to live if you’re an artist

Longmont’s history as an ag town is still a major part of the town. There is also a thriving arts, theater and cultural movement that makes Longmont a destination for artists, artisans and culturati. West of Main Street and between 9th and 3rd, the homes are big and old, shaded by giant, old trees. They are in walking distance of the Longmont Theater Company, Muse Gallery, the Old Firehouse Art...

Lyons: The best place to live if you’re an outdoorsman

Lyons is a funky little town in a beautiful valley with an unending amount of beer, live music, art and, of course, outdoorsy offerings. Here, far from the traffic and infill of Boulder and the North Metro area, residents soak in the charm of small mountain-town life with hiking, mountain biking, road cycling, climbing, kayaking and tubing. Hall Ranch and Heil Valley Ranch, meccas for local...

Downtown Boulder: Best place to live if you’re a shopaholic

Living near the Pearl Street Mall is both a blessing and a curse. So much fun, so many distractions, so many shops and restaurants, so many events, shows and bars. How does anyone get any work done around here? Well, the good thing is to live in this hood and to enjoy it, you have to work hard (or have a trust fund). While living here can get expensive, it’s the sheer attraction to shops...

Prospect: Best place to live if you’re a socialite

What once inspired ire from critics and jealousy from outsiders has slowly transformed into a happy community of new urbanites. Prospect, the mod neighborhood-turned-shire just south of Longmont, has developed into exactly what it was created to be: chat-with-your-neighbor, wave-to-the-mailman, know-your-barista-by-name sort of place. Prospect is a social neighborhood—with common areas and...

Lafayette: Best place to live if you’re a history lover

The history of Lafayette is a lot about the gumption of one hell of a lady. Mary Miller was a proverbial one-woman-show: She worked her family farm after her husband Lafayette died, helped bring coal mining to the area, platted the first 150 acres of Lafayette (and named it after her husband), founded the town’s first bank and was elected president of that bank. She was our kind of gal. These...

Erie Village: Best place to life if you’re a family

Erie has gone from raucous mining town to quirky rural community to bona fide suburban wonderland. While there are neighborhoods here that satisfy Boulder County families, Erie Village offers a beautiful setting for families and it’s right in the heart of Erie’s family friendly options. Here, contemporary Victorian-style custom homes in bright blues, yellows and pinks (yes, pink) have bright...

Gunbarrel: Best place to live if you’re a pet lover

Somehow, survival on the outskirts of Boulder bears all of the positives and none of the heavy traffic, Hill hype or leash laws associated with Boulder proper. Even where leash curbing is posted, Gunbarrel is a haven for pet owners who follow a pretty free-spirited, but responsible pet philosophy. Enjoy open space at Gunbarrel Ranch or a peaceful stroll around Walden Ponds with the pooch. Or move...

Peeps: Q&A with Kuvy Ax

When it comes to food and restaurants, Kuvy Ax has her hands in every pot. Ax is a public relations pro specializing in Boulder County’s restaurants, chefs and food-related businesses. She calls Hosea Rosenberg, Mark Monette and Bradford Heap clients, and she started her career while working with one of Boulder’s first celebrity chefs, James Mazzio. Ax may not have started the local foodie...