8382Story by Christine Deorio PhotograPhy by Kimberly Gavin

Every entryway needs a place to stash keys and the mail, but what to do when the space is tiny? “Float a shelf,” hugo suggests. this garage-level entryway is so narrow that even a small console table felt too big and clunky, so hugo mounted a custom-made, 12-inch-deep barnwood shelf onto the wall using an L-bracket. “the shelf has a contemporary look that’s a cool contrast to the old barnwood,” she says. to amplify the natural light that filters through the nearby front door, hugo hung a mirror on the wall. “It’s nice to be able to check yourself out before running out the door, too,” she says. the metal artwork visible in the mirror is from Slifer Designs. >>

to make the most of a tight dining area, hugo paired a rectangular teak table with benches rather than chairs, “so you can squeeze more people in,” she explains. one pair of benches is upholstered, while the other pair is cov-ered with cozy sheepskins.

townhome

2,453square foot

getting rugs right: “the dining room is open to the living room and there’s a big

area rug in there,” hugo saYs. “to have a rug in both spaces would feel too cluttered.”

INtErIor DESIgNEr DaNa hUgo tUrNS a DECaDES-oLD hoME’S DarK, DatED rooMS INto a brIght, SPaCE-CoNSCIoUS FLoor PLaN INSPIrED by MIDCENtUry MoDErN StyLE aND thE hoMEoWNErS’ NorWEgIaN rootS. hErE, thE bIg IDEaS bEhIND hEr DESIgN.

BIG IDEA: Lighten upMoooi‘s “heracleum II” chandelier adds a fun take on snowy branches to the dining room. “the ceil-ing was dropped to 8 feet, so we needed a fixture that feels light,” says designer Dana hugo, of avon, Colorado-based J&o Studio.

BIG IDEA: Swap a shelf for a table

BIG IDEA: Pull up a bench

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color considerations: “too manY colors can feel distracting and overpowering,” hugo warns.

“if You keep to similar tones, it feels more calming and open. it kind of simplifies things.”

arChItECtUraL & INtErIor DESIgN by J&o stuDio CoNStrUCtIoN by olson & sons ConstruCtion

appropriately scaled furniture selections help this casual living area adjacent to the kitchen feel larger. “to lighten things up, we stuck with cleaner lines and leggy pieces rather than having every-thing skirted to the ground,” hugo explains. “there are no camel-backs or curly arms that would make the space feel tighter.” a metal-and-wood coffee table from West Elm serves multiple pur-poses: “If someone wants to have toast there in the morning, half pops up to dining table height,” hugo says. a walnut tractor Stool from Design Within reach is eas-ily portable and “actually really comfortable,” the designer notes. “Someone can pull up the stool and join the conversation.”

the master bedroom is long and narrow, “like a bowling alley,” hugo

says. “Matching just made sense here. If there were different furnishings

on each side of the bed, they would feel out of place.” the walnut Mid-

Century Bed from West Elm is flanked by matching side tables; above them

hang a pair of walnut veneer Nut pendants by LZF Lamps. “If we had put lamps on the nightstands, there wouldn’t even be room for a cup of

coffee,” hugo says. a pair of folding Cuba Lounge Chairs from Design

Within reach are “really comfortable, like a beach chair,” hugo notes. and they’re a clever way to incorporate a sitting area into such a small space.

“the key was selecting chairs low enough that they don’t obstruct the

view of the bed,” she explains. >>

the original kitchen was cramped and closed off from the rest of the house, with a ceiling that had been dropped to just 7 feet high. to open up the room, the design team took down walls, raised the ceiling and kept appliances, like a cooktop, off the sleek, white Caesarstone island. “having that clean expanse really adds to the feeling of openness in the space, and it can double as a buffet,” hugo says. the designer feared hanging one large light fixture above the island might hinder views or require people to duck beneath it to have a conversation, so she selected a trio of two-tone glass “Jazz” pendants by Zaneen, which “provide a lot of light for as small and skinny as they are.”

BIG IDEA: Symmetry is key

in a narrow space

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BIG IDEA: Show your legs

BIG IDEA: Create wide open spaces

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“ The owners’ inspiraTion was To feel like They were ‘floaTing in .’” Reid Smith

For a guide to this home’s products and pros, visit mountainliving.com/townhome.more

the homeowners’ goal for the main living room: to incor-porate enough seating to accommodate the entire fam-ily. Simple white slipcovered sofas, a white rug and white walls not only visually expand the space, but also allow the room’s organic elements to take center stage. “the homeowner walked into the Slifer Designs showroom, saw that hide-and-horn armchair and said, ‘that’s the chair,’” hugo recalls. a custom-made live-edge coffee table by Summit Woodworks matches the chair’s “organic vibe,” she notes. accent pillows add pops of mushroom, gray and gold to the white-on-white color scheme. o

BIG IDEA: White really does make a small space feel larger

Half of this second floor space (bottom right) func-tions as a laundry and ski

storage area, while the other half is a casual hangout spot

for the homeowners’ sons and their friends. a pullout

sofa offers seating and sleeping space, and the

metal-and-wood Lily Pad Coffee table from blu Dot

features movable arms that allow the table to expand and contract as needed. Walls are covered with a

Phillip Jeffries grasscloth; the gray-and-white braided rug is from Select Surfaces

in avon, Colorado. a molded chair from home Nature is upholstered with a “really

nubby fabric,” says hugo, and can be moved easily.

the designer chose the drift-wood lamp from arteriors for

its “organic-ness.”

“when You can’t add more furnishings, add texture: in mountain homes,

people want comfortable, not formal,” hugo saYs. “texture is the waY to get there.”

this bedroom is so tiny that even a headboard took up too much space, so hugo let the entire wall take its place. the “mushroomy-brown and gray” hues of the bed’s faux-fur throw inspired her choice of reclaimed barnwood wall paneling. “Whatever catches your eye first, that’s your inspiration,” she says. the woven gabby ottoman from Crate & barrel is illuminated by a space-saving pendant light. a diminutive midcentury-style chair, upholstered in a gray tweed, is from home Nature in Southampton, New york.

BIG IDEA: Make the wall your headboard

BIG IDEA: Choose flexible

furnishings

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