Colorado Dream House

Bonjour y’all! Today we are finally making it to Pagosa Springs, Colorado. It has been a slow trip, in part because I took a tropical detour to Isla Mujeres, Mexico since we last met.  It is still breathtakingly beautiful, in case you were wondering.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But we are not here to talk about Mexico. Today I will share with you my friend Martha’s brand spankin’ new house, located on the edge of the San Juan National Forest and just a few miles outside of Pagosa Springs, Colorado. It’s a stunner!

The building on the left is Leigh’s (Martha’s husband) barn/workshop/overflow sleeping area, which is still under construction and not yet roofed in this photo. The middle structure is the garage, and the house is on the right.

The best thing about the house is the porch that wraps around the back, providing amazing views of the mountains and the surrounding countryside. We spent some time out there in these chairs (buried under blankets), trying to identify stars in the sparkling night sky.

The house is designed to look as though it had evolved over generations. The master bedroom, seen at the top of the above photo, has its own little porch and is joined to the main house by this weathered red exterior wood.

My other favorite feature of this house (I could never choose just one favorite) is the abundance of uncovered windows, allowing the views to be seen from any place you might choose to pause in the house. I felt as though I were in a theater watching day-long features of ever-changing landscape reveal new mysteries and delights with each viewing.

The hallway connecting the master to the living area is lined with windows on both sides, and is frequently bathed in warm light.

Yes, that IS a sliding barn door on the left, hiding the utility room.

If Leigh is getting his dream come true workshop, Martha has surely gotten her fantasy kitchen.

The star of the kitchen is undoubtedly the fabulous antique workbench Martha found at Back Row Antiques in Houston. Leigh added the zinc piece on one side, allowing the necessary depth for a bar. The other side of the island has wonderful drawers and cupboards for utensils and other kitchen treasures.

The other diva of the kitchen is this very sexy French La Cornue range. Oh la la!

Actually, there is a competing star I almost forgot about. Leigh made this gorgeous pantry in his Houston workshop and they brought it up in a trailer.

Is that not the most stunning pantry you have ever seen? It doesn’t yet have its hardware in this photo, and it still looks simply amazing. The counter is zinc (Martha and I would both be all zinc all the time if we had the choice).

This precious powder room flaunts a playful tile floor and will be decorated with black and white photos of Paris. If anyone knows a source for old French faucets with “c” and “f” on them, Martha would be delighted. She and I may need to return to the Paris flea markets for those.

The house sits on a quiet piece of property surrounded primarily by trees and mountains. There are not many neighbors, but two of Martha’s closest neighbors are her mother and her sister! How cool is that? Family and forest would pretty much be my dream neighbors.

I couldn’t be happier for my good friends and their fabulous new home in such a special place. I foresee many years of joy and lasting memories for them there, and I hope we are fortunate enough to be a part of both!

I just realized that Martha was with me in France exactly a year ago. We went to the giant flea market in Paris, where we definitely could have picked up some faucets.

Oh well. We remember how to get there!

See you back here soon!