friends – Page 11 – Karla's Cottage

A Cabin visit in Crested Butte with the Billings

By Karla Nathan / August 6, 2015

Long time best buds of ours have taken a place in CO. They go back and forth from there and Lawrence, but recently, they have been in the mountains more than the plains and we have been missing them.

Oh, and did I mention that David is a GREAT cook, and these two are some of the best hosts you could ever visit? Crested Butte is such a funky, interesting town, with unique restaurants, that we just had to explore some local dining, but the best meal in town was David's special chicken tortilla soup served with a view on the porch.

The view from the hot tub wasn't bad either. A soak with a glass of wine is just what I needed after white water rafting, too.

We were there for the blue moon, and had some peek-a-boo cloud formations to watch the moon rise through. I found that in CO the weather changes from one extreme to another during the course of a day, but I managed to get a lot of deck time in, chilly, damp, sunny, or whatever temps were thrown my way.

And I agreed with my pal, Dixie, that the view from the easy chair by the window wasn't bad when we couldn't be outside. I spent a lot of time there, watching the hummingbirds flit about. And trying to snap a photo of all of that high speed flitting. I ended up with thirty pictures of a flower, not a single one of the little hummer hovering above it. Those guys are too quick for me.

But then again, unless I'm trying to get a photo of a creature that I can say "stay" to, I don't have much luck. There were mountain bluebirds galore, and I was never quick enough to get a snapshop of one of those beauties either, even though they aren't a fraction as fast as the 4 or 5 hummingbirds hanging out on the patio.

These guys were much more cooperative than the birds.

Dave and Judy have little bears in every room of their home. It's a whimsical touch, and every time I came across one of the stuffed bears about the house, I could imagine how much fun David had as he was tucking them in here and there for his guests to find.

Hand carved bears….

A giant bear looking over the railing to greet guests…

And of course, a cuddly bear on each bed.

The cabin sleeps twelve, I don't know what you call a bunch of bears. Not a pack, or a herd, definitely not a flock. But it is a LOT of cute little bears.

There is plenty of attention to detail, and the place is true to its Colorado vibe from the antler lamps and log tables to the wall hangings above them. (made by David)

They have added a mural to the dining room to go with the antler chandelier and wooden candle holder in there.

The kitchen has all been updated with natural stone counter tops, new appliances, and cabinets. When they aren't here, they rent the place out, (minimum three night stay) and they are generous with the kitchen goods. I've rented places that lack a can opener, and supply barely enough plates to serve a meal. But this kitchen is better equipped than my own at home. Right down to the pasta maker.

David is a gourmet cook and didn't skimp on the necessities.

My room was upstairs and I didn't get pics of it because I had too much strewn about. And I didn't go in the master suite at all. There is also a den, laundry room, three garages, and 4 bathrooms. All in the same western lodge motif.

There are big screens available, but why turn on a TV when you have that window to look out of, or that deck to relax on?

It really can't be easy to furnish a house both for yourself and for vacationers. They have done an excellent job of adding personal touches, but still leaving open spaces for guests to relax and spread out their own things in.

I highly recommend the place if you need a vacation rental in CO. Most of it was revamped when they bought it, with the kitchen gutted. It has nice showers, new carpets, comfy beds, a hot tub, it is clean, well equipped, and….

THAT VIEW!!!!!!!!!!

Visiting Lori’s House

My friend, Lori's husband, a KU professor of illustration, was teaching in Italy for a few weeks and her son was away at camp. She decided to use this break from menfolk in the house to do a redecorating project to surprise her husband when he got back. She called our friend, Jen Unekis, an artist who also dabbles in design, to help her update, brighten and lighten, but still keep the arty feel of her old home.

Jen is an expert in arty-ness with a touch of funky, all done with the eye of a talented abstract painter.

Lori and Jen not only chose new wall colors, had the drywall and the ceiling patched, they took lots of shopping trips to pick out all new curtains, pillows and accessories, as well as repurposing furniture pieces that were already in the house and giving them all a shuffling around, or a coat of paint.

The kitchen went from a deep, brick red, to this centering shade of gray, and the color continues into the entry hall, which had been kind of a dark olive before this. The woodwork in the hall was painted to match the kitchen too. Matching up the two connecting areas, opened up the space visually and made it feel larger.

All of the rooms open into each other, so the colors had to flow, and Jen really found a good balance with the warm woods and the sunny gold with the soft grays.

The twig style chandy fits well with the eclectic art collection.

And Jen turned a storage problem into art, by hanging the instruments on the wall.

This room hasn't been painted yet, it is currently khaki, and the color is a bit washed out when compared with all the fresh tones around the house. Lori was asking for our advice on color when she invited us over for coffee.

Mine was to use the same gray that was used on the kitchen and entryway walls throughout the room, then use the sunny golden dining room color behind the chest and up the stairs. The room is small (I know what that is like, my house is of the same era) and my thinking was that continuity would make the space look bigger, while the gold color as an accent would brighten it up.

I've noticed that with my small rooms, an accent wall seems to give the illusion of more space, maybe because it takes away the boxy feeling of four walls the same color? And a darker shade for the accent wall tends to make the wall "step back" from the lighter walls.

I'm also big on using the same color from room to room, but choosing a shade lighter or darker, from the same swatch. I wondered if one shade of gray lighter than the kitchen might be nice.

What do you think?

This is another angle of the living room. All is redone and ready to go, but the walls are waiting for a color choice. The khaki changes with the light, and here it even looks greenish-gold, doesn't it? In the previous photo it is creamier, but that is just an illusion of the light. I think a warm gray is a good choice, that is what Lori has in the kitchen, a gray with a mushroom undertone.

Kind of like Sammy, here. All Lori needs to do is take the kitty to Home Depot and match up the paint chip colors to the cat's fur.

Here is the view from the dining room into the kitchen and living room. You would see the stairway wall from there. I doubt if a shade lighter would work with the gold, it would turn buttery. A shade darker for the accent wall in the living room could work, though.

If not the exact same color…

Or she should just listen to Jen, because whatever she decides is going to be done with a lot of thought and care. Plus, Jen really knows what she is doing.

I love what she has done with the rest of the downstairs.