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!
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!
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!
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.
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!
Our team, along with DG&A Interior Design are elated to announce that Aspen Park won the coveted 2020 Luxe Red Award for Best Kitchen in Colorado! An incredible honor, given the immense amount of entries.
Its all in the details….
Passing through the automatic closing wood doors from the home’s great room and dining room, you enter the kitchen and family area. Truly the heart of the home, the owners’ wished for a comfortable and less-formal, yet contemporary and warm space. Custom wood cabinetry and Quartzite Taj Mahal slabs from The Stone Collection form the double island kitchen. The Wolf range, oven and hood offset the wood and marble with stainless steel. Caste bar stools with Edelman Leather are fondly used by the owners each morning to enjoy breakfast before skiing. The custom light fixture by Wired Lighting and dg+a interiors softly lights the space. Off of the kitchen is the family room with a hidden cabinet television, linear stone fireplace and seating area.
The family dining table is surrounded by a window wall and clerestory windows – beckoning the outside in. A David Sutherland/Caste dining table with George Cameron/Therien chairs, and a Hubbardton Forge light fixture complete the space.
The butler’s pantry, with custom cabinetry, a Porcelain backsplash and Taj Mahal slabs is as luxurious as the kitchen, at a smaller scale and designed for the ultimate in efficiency. Just outside, the Owners enjoy the outdoor kitchen and living area with mountain views.
Proud to celebrate Erica Delak – named one of Mountain Living‘s Top Women in Architecture! A much-deserved accolade, Erica has been with CCA for over a decade and is one of the most sought-after project managers. Story link in profile Scroll to see a few of Erica’s top projects
Erica was introduced to the precision and symmetry of line drawing in a high school geometry class. During summer breaks from college, she worked on a framing crew, which helped her understand the connection between architectural drawings and actual buildings. Today, as senior project manager at Charles Cunniffe Architects, Delak enjoys meeting contractors and craftspeople on the building sites to address challenges and discuss solutions. “There are many different people on a successful team, and my goal is to understand everyone’s strengths and use them to benefit the project,” she says.
“One of the most important attributes of an architect is the ability to listen … to form a connection and really get to know the people we are designing for.”
In terms of new materials and technology freshly applied to architecture, Delak is very interested in the wellness initiative—going beyond sustainable materials and “looking at the interior environment of each home we design and how they affect our clients’ well-being.” To read the article click here.
Senior Project Architect, Chad Molliconi and Principal, Charles Cunniffe sat down with Mountain Living magazine to explore how Covid-19 may change the way we approach design. An interesting discussion about how our team’s approach to thoughtful and healthy designs instinctively benefit our clients, and what is to come. From mudrooms, to offices and maker-spaces, to bathrooms, they covered a lot of great territory. To read the article click here.
We are fortunate to work with a select group of craftsman who team with us to create masterfully designed custom homes. True artists in their field. One of those incredible artisans is Michael Merritt of Merritt Woodwork, based in Ohio.
Together, Merritt, CCA and interior designer Donna Guerra created a 15,000 square foot, Art Deco inspired mountain home incorporating 36-species of wood. Aspen Park highlights Merritt’s woodworking expertise in the custom kitchen cabinetry, Art Deco-style inlay doors, and acoustical ceiling panels. Michael and his brother Keith, head up the family’s 53-year old woodworking business. A great story on an inspiring business!
When joint homeowners enlisted CCA to renovate their outdated condominium in Snowmass Village, Colorado, we were happy to retrofit it for the two fun-loving families. Purchased 15 prior, every inch of the outdated space was well worn, and in need of a refresh. The two families totaling 10 people (four adults and six children), enjoy the condo throughout winter and summer, with lots of gear and lots of love — so it was time for some clever space-saving design!
The team re-imagined the dark quarters, carefully selecting light-reflecting materials and a new lighting system to bolster the natural and ambient light. Previously stationed in a tiny corner of the home, the kitchen was reconfigured around an island and opens to the family room and dining room. As an extension of the kitchen and uniting the family room, we created a bar wall with ample counter space, a wine fridge, refrigerator and freezer drawers.
On the ground floor are two master suites, with minimalist interiors and hotel style bathrooms. Up the space-saving spiral stair, is the ‘family suite’ which includes a master bedroom w/an extra bed and vanity; and the bunk room of all bunk rooms! Frosted glass was utilized in the bathroom to fill the spaces with light, yet preserve privacy. Clever storage for the family’s recreational gear was a fun challenge we enjoyed pursuing!
The ski getaway was featured in Mountain Living magazine last year, in an article called “A Pocket Sized Condo That Packs a Punch.”
