First Impressions | the entry experience

Your home’s entry sets the tone for the rest of the space. When designing your entry, we always ask ourselves what kind of feeling we want an owner and guest to experience as they enter, and how best to capture that.

There are virtually millions of different ways to design an entry. Do you use wood, steel or glass, for instance? Is it a vestibule or does it have overhangs? Is it one large door, or two doors, maybe a pivot door? Are there windows flanking the door or a transom window above? What kind of hardware do you want to decorate the door with and how will that feel in your hand? How should the space be lit? Is there a sitting area or built-in planters to add greenery? Is there a space for package delivery?

So many questions that we ask ourselves and you to consider as we dive into the entry experience. We want to know how you live throughout the year, and how your family might be evolving over time, so that we are forward-thinking in our design. This type of thoughtful study happens throughout your home. We tailor each space to how you live, how you want to feel in your home and how to plan for the future.

Need a little inspiration? Here are some entries we’ve designed over the years…. see more on our Spaces page.

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CCA is Hiring an Interior Designer!

Calling all Interior Designers! Looking to make a change or join an incredible design team? We’d love to hear from you. Send your resume and portfolio to info@cunniffe.com
You may also view our job ad on ASID

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A Home in Highlands we Never Published!

There are some projects that we never publish, for one reason or another. Sneak peak into a really fun home we designed for a couple with eclectic tastes; who wanted to meld mountain architecture with their fun and whimsical interior design aesthetic. Slopeside at Highlands, this ski-in home embraces its mountainside setting and was a blast to design with the family! We hope you enjoy…

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An Off-Season Dive into Aspen’s History

What can we say, we love a little Aspen History! With a week of upcoming snowstorms, and before the busyness of summer ensues, join us a deep-dive into Aspen’s storied past. Aspen may be small, but our history is mighty.

We’ve had the pleasure of sponsoring the Decade by Decade exhibit, on display now at the Aspen Historical Society. Here is a little snippet from AHS and what you’ll find…

Aspen Historical Society presents Decade by Decade: Aspen Revealed, a new exhibit that offers a comprehensive view of Aspen’s fascinating past. The exhibit explores the stories that shaped the community’s distinct identity: from mining boom to dilapidated ranching town to today’s international recreational and cultural resort, Aspen forged a unique path. Featuring photographs and artifacts that represent Aspen’s connection to national events and trends, the exhibition reflects on the community’s place within the larger historical landscape of the nation – sometimes congruent, sometimes divergent – but always exciting. Decade by Decade: Aspen Revealed will appeal to visitors and locals of all ages, showcasing the depth of the AHS Collection.

We are so proud to be continued supporters of the Aspen Historical Society, and hope you’ll stop by for a visit!

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Financial Times Features Elk Peak Ranch

Do you read the Financial Times? You wouldn’t think of it as a design resource, but they highlight some interesting projects and design elements. So while you’re catching up on the latest news, head over to see our project, Elk Peak Ranch highlighted in their Interiors section.

“Walk in the wild side: the world of super-luxury wardrobes” features several design elements we include in our luxury closet designs. From high tech security, storage and seating….more goes into closet design than ever these days!

Thank you to the Financial Times for featuring our work!

Read the article here.

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Happy New Year!

Well that was a crazy year! As we roll into 2021 our team has been reflecting on what was, hopefully, the craziest year we’ve seen in our 40-years designing mountain homes and buildings. When we first shut down the office last spring, we were fortunate that our team was equipped with laptops, we had established project teams in place, and we transitioned quite seamlessly to remote work. We made sure to keep the lines of communication wide open, and kept in good touch with each of our teammates — not only on the work front, but also on their personal well-being. Like every office, we have numerous parents of young children; architects living/working solo at home; designers with higher-risk health concerns, and a new employee who we charged with learning our systems and way of working from their home office. It was not easy. That all said, we were fortunate to all stay healthy and productive throughout 2020.

Our work continued at quite a rigorous pace. We’ve been working with some incredible clients to create homes that reflect their personal style, compliment the way they live, embrace the natural surroundings and are smart and sustainable. Healthy homes have always been a focus for CCA, and throughout 2020 we’ve only increased this focal point. For many years, our team has centered on biophilic design and wellness; receiving several design awards acknowledging these efforts. As the world caught on to designing specifically for health, we were proud of our previous efforts to address the wellness of our buildings’ occupants.

As we dive into 2021, we know that there are challenges ahead. We are not out of the weeds yet, but we are hopeful.

We are hopeful for what is to come!

We are grateful. Grateful for all of our wonderful clients – new and old!

We are dedicated. Dedicated to our projects and our community!

We are inspired. Inspired by our beautiful natural surroundings, our wonderful clients and all they do in the world, our families supporting us, and our team.

We are humbled. Humbled by the recognition we’ve received for our work.

Thank you for following our work, supporting our business and entrusting us with designing the next generation of homes and buildings. Bring on the new year, the new decade and what is to be – a very bright future.

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PROJECT SPOTLIGHT – OURAY COUNTY COURTHOUSE

CCA has worked for decades with Ouray County to meticulously, efficiently and respectfully restore the Ouray County Courthouse, built and occupied since 1888. The courtroom where John Wayne once famously held forth as U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn in the 1968 movie classic “True Grit” was in desperate need of repair, expansion and updating to carry forward in the modern age. The goal of the project was to bring back the look and feel of the historic era of both the interior and exterior of the building, enhancing and celebrating the building’s strengths while quietly shoring up its deficits and providing modern, efficient upgrades. Not only did CCA provide all programming, architectural and construction administration duties for this historic restoration and addition, our team also aided the County in securing funding through various grants.

The transformation was incredible! We look forward to sharing more of the story and photos with you. Thank you to our dedicated team and the County of Ouray for entrusting us with this important historic building. It was an honor!

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OUTSIDE Magazine Names CCA on their ’50 Best Places to Work in 2020′ list

Seven years ago, we made the Outside Magazine list of ‘Best Places to Work in the US’ for the very first time. Proud we were! The list is comprised of the top companies in the United States who emphasize a strong work/life balance and a dedication to outdoor pursuits.

CCA has always held a belief that we do our best work, and serve our communities most, when we balance work and life. With an office two blocks from the Aspen gondola, skiing has always been a part of CCA’s ethos. We love the mountains and each want to get out in them as much as possible. You will often find our team members taking a design break and gaining inspiration from the outdoors. We bike, we climb, we ski, we golf, we raft, we fish, we hike. We take that inspiration and infuse it into our designs. You can see it everywhere.

Fast forward to 2020….what a year it has been. Our team has worked harder than ever to maintain the quality we expect, collaborate together while being apart…and the mountains have remained a place of solace.

We are honored to make the list for the 7th consecutive year. Thank you to Charles for providing a tremendous benefits package that supports the team and our families. Between the health and financial attributes within our company benefits, we are able to be fiscally responsible, spend time with our families, pursue our personal goals, and volunteer in our communities.

Thank you to Outside for including us. We are in some great company!

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How to Elevate your Basement

Homes & Gardens just featured our Owl Creek project, which included a major basement renovation! When we first met the homeowners who were looking to purchase the property, we helped them envision how the entire home could be transformed. It was a great house to start with, but it needed updating and the floor plan needing some tweaking. The existing basement was only large enough for storage, a small guest room and a workout area — but the opportunities were endless!

Now, the tricky part. To engineer the basement, while remodeling the main level took extreme care. By partnering closely with the builder and engineer, the main level floors were also lowered to maximize the views, and the basement floors had to be lowered to make livable space. This was no easy feat, but we did it….and we are so proud of the results.

Click here for the article. Click here for the project photos.

Basement area before the renovation

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CCA wins Firm of the Year!

CCA caps off our 40th anniversary as winner of the AIA Western Mountain Region Firm of the Year! Competing against firms from Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico, this prestigious award is presented to a firm that has been a significant and leading force in consistently producing distinguished architecture for over ten years. Throughout the 6 states, we are surrounded by firms whose design work, culture, and record of excellence are inspiring. The strength of our peer set makes this recognition humbling and reinforces our commitment to how we practice: collaboratively, rooted in our values, and continually striving to improve.
We are beyond honored!

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