Innholdsfortegnelse for April/May 2020 i 5280 Home

There’s a reason so many people choose to uproot their lives and move to Colorado. Our sunny state offers endless opportunities to escape the daily grind and snag a front-row seat to nature’s splendor—whether that be by zipping down a ski run on a powder day, dancing into the wee hours of the night at Red Rocks, or, my personal favorite, hiking into the woods for an unplugged summer weekend. But, as the homes featured in this issue suggest, enjoying the outdoors doesn’t have to come at the cost of enduring standstill traffic on I-70. On the following pages, we peek inside a number of creatively designed urban spaces with seamless indoor-outdoor connections, including an open-air pavilion in Cherry Hills Village (page 28), a charming backyard oasis in Littleton (page…

Who among us hasn’t dreamed of soaking up Colorado’s glorious sunny days in a secluded outdoor room? (Vistas! Fresh air! No dirty dishes in sight!) With help from Boss Architecture’s co-founder and principal Chris Davis, a couple living on a three-acre lot in Cherry Hills Village made that fantasy a happy reality by adding a handsome pavilion to their property. “From here, you can look back at the house, or out toward the property’s landscape,” Davis says of the 15-by-35-foot outdoor room positioned on a manicured lawn to the east of the couple’s low-slung, modern home. It’s a middle ground—“a place to reflect,” he says—which the homeowners and their guests access by walking alongside an 80-foot-long koi pond, then crossing a small pedestrian bridge that leads over the water and…

Don’t want to get your hands dirty? Choose from one of Tagawa’s 175-some ready-made inserts and pots at its Centennial garden center, or have its planting and design team come to your home and craft containers custom-made for your space (schedule now for late-May or early-June deliveries). Plus, plan ahead to take advantage of the in-store planting program next year: Drop off your vessels from January through March, and Tagawa will fill them with your choice of plants, ready for pickup after Mother’s Day. tagawagardens.com…

ADD EYE CANDY An ornamental Eastern redbud tree lends vibrancy to the outdoor space in the spring with its pink-purple flowers. Ruppert selected the variety for its fairly thin canopy because the patio was already heavily shaded by mature trees. LET IT FLOW Ruppert took care to include proper drainage when installing raised beds with retaining walls—and you should too, to prevent water from collecting and sitting inside. TURN DOWN THE VOLUME The trickle of water from a fountain helps mask traffic noise; a 6-foot-tall masonry wall, constructed with bricks sourced to match the original Craftsman home, also addresses the noise—and blocks the view of its source. GO GREEN Evergreen boxwoods flank the fountain and create a verdant feel year-round, while elegant, shade-tolerant Endless Summer hydrangeas line the wall. PICK…

This recipe, a favorite at the Belks’ home in the warm months, is best made one day ahead so the flavors can mix well. LITHUANIAN COLD BEET SOUP (ŠALTIBARŠČIAI) Serves 8 3 hard-boiled eggs 1 cup scallion greens, finely chopped 2 cucumbers, peeled, quartered, and finely chopped 6 tablespoons whole-milk Greek yogurt 1 quart unsweetened kefir 1 cup water 3 medium red beets, cooked, peeled, and coarsely grated 1 cup beet greens, finely chopped 1 cup sorrel leaves, tightly packed 1 bunch fresh dill (or more to taste), finely chopped Edible small garden flowers or petals (such as pansies or nasturtiums), optional Salt to taste…

Jessica Sparzak doesn’t do weddings. It’s not that the founder and designer behind Pickletown Flower Co., a mobile floral studio, isn’t a fan of The Big Day (she’s been happily married for almost 19 years). Rather, she thinks blossoms should be a quotidian joy. As she puts it: “I may not be the florist for your one special day, but I’m the florist for your every day after.” Sparzak fell root over stem for flowers while living in New York City, where one of her regular walks took her through the Flower District. “The city changes: There are flowers and plants and shrubs spilling out onto the sidewalks,” she says of the area. The scene inspired her to start crafting bouquets for her nonprofit employer’s events—and she quickly found her…

Between their many edible and therapeutic uses, herbs just might be urbanites’ best use of soil space. “A windowsill is fine as long as it doesn’t get scorching light all day long,” says Shae Whitney, who grows some of the herbs found in the bitters and sparkling sodas she crafts for her Salida-based Dram Apothecary line. Here, a few of Whitney’s goto potted herbs (which prefer well-draining soil and weekly watering)—plus how to put them to good use. Grow: MINT Because: This drought-tolerant mojito essential should always be grown in a pot; otherwise, it will take over gardens like a weed. Use It Up: Freeze leaves with water in ice cube trays to make pretty additions to summertime beverages, or make mint sugar for tea by blending about ¹/3 cup…

Yes, we said “houseplant consultants”—and are you really surprised? (See: the fiddle-leaf figs, elephant ear plants, and succulents all over your Instagram feed.) With backgrounds in set styling as well as environmental science and horticulture, respectively, Sierra Voss and Molly O’Connell saw a niche and decided to fill it with all things leafy and green by founding Incrementum in 2019. The duo’s services range from in-home or in-office consults—during which they’ll evaluate your space and tell you which plants might thrive where—to custom installations, such as their recent collaboration with local muralist Adam Vicarel on a wall inside the dressing room of RiNo clothing shop Foreign Form. No matter where they’re working, “placement is a big issue, and also variety,” O’Connell says. “People see a really pretty plant in the…

Step 1: CHOOSE YOUR LOCATION AND POT “Decide where you need that pop of color,” says Deborah King, Tagawa’s annuals supervisor. “The backyard? On a patio? By the front door?” Whatever you choose to plant in—a basket, a window box, a traditional ceramic pot—make sure it has drainage. If necessary, elevate the holes using planter feet or, to save your walkway or deck from stains, get a plastic or ceramic saucer to go underneath. King says neutral containers are increasingly trendy and keep the emphasis on the plants. Step 2: FILL YOUR CONTAINER Annuals only need about 18 inches of soil, so if you have a huge, heavy pot, save money—and your back—by filling the bottom with lightweight plastic milk jugs or Styrofoam. If you have a lightweight container in…

Put your herbs to work with this “oxymel” (a digestive-system tonic) recipe from Catharine McCord of the Denver Botanic Gardens. McCord oversees the DBG's Herbalism Certificate Program, now kicking off its second year. 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary 1 tablespoon thyme leaves, separated from the stems 1 tablespoon chopped garlic 2 tablespoons chopped or grated turmeric 2 tablespoons chopped or grated ginger \ 1½ cups organic apple cider vinegar ½–1 cup raw local honey Pinch of pepper 1. Place the first five ingredients in a 16-ounce canning jar and cover with three to four inches of organic apple cider vinegar. Place a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper over the top before covering with the lid and shaking the jar. 2. Let sit for three to four weeks, shaking the…

In the late 1800s, an enterprising couple bought 720 acres of land on the east side of Littleton and developed it into a subdivision designed for city dwellers who also wanted “country homes.” These entrepreneurs carved out a home for themselves there and planted 75 acres of orchards, plus a nursery of peonies, roses, and grapevines. It seems only fitting that more than 130 years later, the original farmhouse (remodeled on the inside but still showcasing its 19th-century charm) has a backyard oasis that pays tribute to a bygone era and the patina of time. Owners Ona and Craig Belk, who have lived in the farmhouse for more than 20 years, love to cook and entertain, and several years ago, they turned their attention to the half-acre of land outside…

What’s the local secret ingredient for a restaurant with design as appealing as its fare? Lately, it’s David Schaich, founder of Denver’s Shike Design and the creative mind behind Root Down’s mid-mod funk and the convivial vibe at Ash’Kara. So when Señor Bear’s chef and co-owner Blake Edmunds decided to launch another eatery, Mister Oso, he knew exactly who to call. Underlining the bold Latin flavors served at the bistro, which debuted in RiNo in November, is one of Schaich’s hallmarks: colorful wallpaper in a playful pattern, this one with birds of paradise perched among tropical plants. “Foliage is big in international design right now, and brings in that celebratory Cuban-Miami element,” Schaich says. But the greenery-filled tableau is just one of the ways Schaich ushered in the outdoors. Audubon…