Design Meets Desire With This Aspen Family Home by Interior Visionary Kristin Dittmar

By Linda Hayes By Linda Hayes | February 9, 2024 | Home & Real Estate, Home & Real Estate, Home & Real Estate Feature,

Setting the tone for the interiors, the primarily white kitchen is accented with Calacatta marble, a Caeserstone island and Canyon Charcoal detailing. Counter stools are by Four Hands.

Kristin Dittmar reimagines an older home as a modern family sanctuary.

“Design should be beautiful and clean but comfortable at the same time,” says Aspen interior designer Kristin Dittmar of Kristin Dittmar Design. And so it is with the 5,000 square foot, 5-bedroom home she transformed in Aspen’s serene Cemetery Lane neighborhood for a young family of four.

The dining space, below, is subliminally separated from the kitchen. At right, a custom bunkbed area is a highlight of the son’s bedroom.

An older house serenely nestled in the trees but in dire need of a refresh, Dittmar and her team contemporized the exterior, subtly darkening it and adding beam details while retaining what she calls a ‘mountain feel’ appropriate to the environment.

Inside, Dittmar emphasized comfort, addressing how the family wanted to live in the house before moving on to selecting finishes and sourcing furnishings. All the while, she was mindful of budget, pairing pieces that would withstand the kids’ (not to mention their two dogs) shenanigans with more expensive custom-made pieces that were beautiful yet designed to last.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY BROOKE CASILLAS

For instance, she selected Calacatta and Caeserstone for wall and kitchen surfaces for its durability and to ‘add a little bit of drama to the space,’ Verellen furnishings (bed, sofa, coffee tables, chairs) for the primary bedroom, and a freestanding Fleurco bathtub, Matthew Studios sconces and a Bristol mirror in the all-white, spalike en suite bathroom to instill a more luxurious feel.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY BROOKE CASILLAS

Conversely, couches and carpets in the ample family room, where the kids like to play and work on hobbies, were selected with durability in mind, and their son’s bedroom was outfitted with a custom white oak bunkbed and fun mountain-scape wallpaper. A formal living room for entertaining and memorable occasion gatherings is decidedly upscale with Verellen lounge chairs that “add a little pop to the room,” an Arhaus coffee table and a rug from the Harcourt Collection.

The interior designer’s attention to details is evident in everything from the selection of accent pieces to cabinets finishes.

All said and done, Dittmar notes an extreme sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. “Remodels are a lot. You work through these projects, and there are ups and downs,” she says. “Here, the owners really trusted us, and I’m now good friends with them. Participating that way, seeing what the house was and what it is now and how people are enjoying it—that’s what we want out of a job, to create a true home for people.”

“Here, the owners really trusted us, and I’m now good friends with them. Participating that way, seeing what the house was and what it is now and how people are enjoying it—that’s what we want out of a job, to create a true home for people.” –KRISTIN DITTMAR

PHOTOGRAPHED BY BROOKE CASILLAS