The Dream Catcher Trail residence just outside Steamboat Springs, Colorado is a timber-frame mountain lodge with a unique twist that responds to its owners’ eclectic tastes. Vertical Arts was tasked with mastering the position of the home to incorporate the site’s numerous natural elements.

The two existing ponds on the property are connected by a small stream that defines the siting of the 17,000 square-foot home. Vertical Arts designed the site so that a portion of the home bridges the body of water and allows a stream to pass through. The design also takes advantage of the water by submerging geothermal tubes in the ponds for heating and cooling throughout the house.

Blending the owner’s two styles and viewpoints resulted in a sprawling, two-story home that has a definite ranch feeling on the exterior, but an Old World European character once you step inside.

The exterior of the home features a blend of timber and park architecture stone elements, arched copper windows and reclaimed siding. The timber frame nestled into the lay of the land and positioned to highlight the views and light exposure.

For the landscape design, Vertical Arts played on a simple, natural look. The generous lawns ease into the water’s edge with carefully placed flowers, plantings and boulders, keeping a natural feel around the site. The hardscape is equally special, creating plenty of nooks and crannies to encourage outdoor living with views of the surrounding valley and ponds. A few grass expanses stretch from patios to the water’s edge and large boulders and carefully placed plantings emphasize the views. A few flowers and grasses line the creek that passes under the interior bridge of the home. Patios thoughtfully placed around the house create private and public areas with views of the ponds and mountains.

Step through the impressive front doors and the design feels like an Old World European lodge, if only in spirit. Douglas fir beams and truss work with metal straps lend unity to the house. The moss rock, used used generously on both the exterior and interior, adds texture, dimension and color, and restates the lodge look throughout the house. Multiple living areas, a workout room, a bar and sitting rooms that take advantage of the different views account for most of the square footage along with five bedrooms.

In the great room, a beamed vaulted ceiling, along with a wall of windows and doors frames the view of the mountains and meadows. In the upstairs sitting room, Vertical Arts achieved a more formal look using a cut stone fireplace and groin vault, along with plaster walls, for a more traditional retreat.

What started as a challenge to site a large home on a property with so many water elements turned into an achievement in both sustainability and design that Vertical Arts continues to be proud of. The home was recently featured on the cover of Denver Life Home+Design Summer 2019 issue.