Houzz Tour: An Exotic Escape in Denver’s Hip Washington Park
Whimsical decor culled from world travels and a jewel-tone color palette turn a 1920s bungalow into a vibrant home
After their kids left the nest, this Denver couple realized it was time to downsize. So they found a bungalow with great bones in the city’s hip Washington Park neighborhood, then gutted it to start from scratch. With the help of friend and architect John Hindlemann, they reconfigured the interior layout and dug out the basement to create more space. Since the homeowners love to travel, they wanted the home’s interiors to mirror their creative and global aesthetic. “We added a lot of cultural elements, which mixes it up and makes it a fun and eclectic home,” designer Katie Schroder says.
The bungalow’s front porch is the perfect perch for lounging with comfortable Crate & Barrel furniture and Sunbrella cushions. The black iron lantern from Reborn Antiques adds mood lighting, while Art Deco-inspired address numbers are a nod to the home’s roots.
In the entryway, a regal rug the homeowners purchased on a trip to Morocco grounds the space, while a geometric metal chandelier by Reborn Antiques gives the room a modern edge. In the stairwell, intricate custom pendant lighting from Noor adds a sophisticated touch. The lighting company, based in Denver and Cairo, imports from Egypt.
Off the entry, hand-carved Spanish doors create a dramatic entrance to the master bedroom. “What sparked the inspiration for that room was the headboard fabric,” Schroder says of the navy, aubergine, teal and fuchsia patterned print. “We wanted the bedroom to be a serene place where you could relax, but the headboard was a great spot to get a little crazy.”
The homeowners infused the room with plenty of personal touches, from the Moroccan rug to an array of unique pillows collected during their travels.
The homeowners infused the room with plenty of personal touches, from the Moroccan rug to an array of unique pillows collected during their travels.
In the master bathroom, navy cabinets and pops of fuchsia are carried over from the bedroom’s color palette.
To the left of the entryway is the wife’s office. Flanking the door are two built-in bookcases showcasing an assortment of Mexican folk art. “We wanted a place to display her collection without it taking over the home,” Schroder says. “If you have a nice dedicated space, it makes you appreciate everything more, and it gives it the highlight it deserves.
“I’m a big believer in painting your ceilings in color,” says Schroder, who added a tomato-red hue to the “fifth wall” to introduce more color and warm up the space without detracting from the collection of artwork. The wood-burning fireplace, the only architectural detail left from the original house, was gussied up with terra-cotta tiles.
“I’m a big believer in painting your ceilings in color,” says Schroder, who added a tomato-red hue to the “fifth wall” to introduce more color and warm up the space without detracting from the collection of artwork. The wood-burning fireplace, the only architectural detail left from the original house, was gussied up with terra-cotta tiles.
The husband plays the drums, so a jam session room along with an office is tucked away in the basement. Hand-carved doors purchased from Denver’s Eron Johnson Antiques were cut down to size and placed on casters so they can easily close for privacy.
The dining room was brought to life with custom stained-glass door panes, draperies made from Gastón y Daniela fabric and the homeowners’ art. To personalize the midcentury dining set, the chairs were upholstered in an orange-and-red patterned fabric that complements the geometric rug. An artisan in Sante Fe, New Mexico, fabricated the sculptural chandelier.
The kitchen was strategically placed at the back of the house, so people can flow between it and the back patio. Teal woodgrain cabinets have an earthy look and are topped with sandstone counters. A skylight showcases a wood and blue granite island made by kitchen designer William Ohs.
Brass pulls and a hammered copper farm sink and oven hood add warmth to the space, while a tile mosaic created by KJ Patterson offers a focal point.
Brass pulls and a hammered copper farm sink and oven hood add warmth to the space, while a tile mosaic created by KJ Patterson offers a focal point.
A refrigerator and storage are camouflaged behind the wall of cabinetry.
A free-standing banquette upholstered in Schumacher fabric and a mushroom table by Blackman Cruz create a cozy dining nook off the kitchen. Colors in the banquette fabric inspired the home’s jewel tone palette of aubergine, teal, gold, rust and olive green.
The living room, next to the kitchen and back patio, is well-suited to entertaining. A clean, contemporary mantel-less limestone fireplace offers a “quiet moment” among the various patterns, colors and textures in the room, Schroder says. The ceiling is covered in a marbled wallpaper by Élitis, which highlights the raised roofline.
To maximize seating in the living room, a bench was installed next to the fireplace. A Moroccan light fixture and an eclectic array of textiles and artwork give the corner a global look.
“Powder rooms offer a great moment to use color,” says Schroder, who infused this one with warmth by usng a textured metallic raffia paper by Donghia on the walls and vibrant cement tiles on the floor. The room was jazzed up with glamorous accessories like a Mexican mirror, a Chinese cabinet transformed into a vanity and a trio of gold pendant lights.
Since the couple were downsizing, storage was a concern. To create more of it, several walls of melamine cabinets were installed in the mudroom.
A wooden deck and stone terrace provide plenty of space for outdoor entertaining. Lanterns from Reborn Antiques were installed on the back of the house and garage.
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Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple of empty nesters
Location: Denver’s Washington Park neighborhood
Size: 3,000 square feet (279 square meters)
Designers: Katie Schroder of Atelier Interior Design and Hindlemann Architecture
Located just a block from Washington Park, the 1920s Craftsman bungalow is a stone’s throw from activity while being tucked away on a quiet street.