CoBu house
It’s Sunday night and I’ve been pondering for several days now what to blog about today. At first I thought maybe I’d tell you about a planning project we did for the Denver Housing Authority, but then I said to myself. . . “Hey, Brandy, it’s the weekend and you are writing a blog post while sitting on your back deck with the party lights on, so why not write about something fun? Like a new project you’ve been obsessing over.”
So now I get to kill two birds with one stone. I get to #1) create a virtual Mood Board to help crystalize my concept for CoBu House and #2) write my obligatory blog post.
what is CoBu house?
Joseph and I built our house 13 years ago and then rehabbed the Candy Shop about 8 years ago, so it seems to be about time for us to do another project. Since Winter Park is such a fun playground, we figured, why not do a project there?
CoBu House is short-hand for “Contemporary Bunk House”. (And, coincidentally, it is also the name of a really cool Taiko group based in NYC). The concept behind CoBu House is to create a comfortable, modern retreat that acts more like a hostel than a house. A place where Joseph, Carmen and I can get away with up to 13 of our closest friends! I’m a social creature and love the opportunity to hang out with my peeps in a beautiful setting.
about winter park
First off, this new obsession is all Kris and Amy’s fault. We’ve known them for 15 years, our kids go to the same high school, and they own a condo in Winter Park. Because we are fun to have around, sometimes we get invited to join them at their place and we’ve discovered that Winter Park and the surrounding areas have a lot to offer: horseback riding, mountain biking, hiking, skiing, boating, restaurants, snowshoeing, concerts in the park, alpine slide, bowling, zip lining, hay rides, tubing, sledding, river sports, ballooning, etc. And, bonus, it takes less than 2 hours to get there. It’s not Aspen, but it has a ton to offer.
CoBu mood board
I want our retreat to have a contemporary, zen, modern, appeal.
historic reference
If you don’t know this about WORKSHOP8, we LOVE mid-century mod! Here are some cool vintage images of vacation cottages to set the mood.
Check out these links for more mid-century nostalgia:
Apartment Therapy
Smithsonian
Modernica
architecturally distinctive
What’s the point of building a new structure if it isn’t worthy of being published? Architectural design is not done in a vacuum and we often derive inspiration from outside sources. Here is a little modern cabin porn:
shou sugi ban
I have been trying to work this ancient Japanese technique of wood burning into a project for YEARS. CoBu seems like the appropriate project.
Learn more about Shou Sugi Ban at these links:
Wood Workerz
YouTube
CaraGreen
Material Strategies
inspirational interiors
Just as important is as the exterior architecture, the interior needs to live well. We have a lot of color (and clutter) in our home and studio, so I hope to make CoBu a very serene place, by limiting the palette to black, white, gray, and natural wood.
hostel style sleeping
The concept is to provide room for friends of friends.
camp inspired bathing
I never actually got to go to a camp as a kid, so CoBu is an opportunity to create a grown-up version of sleep-away camp.
details, details, details
For me it’s as much fun to select furniture, lamps, and accessories as it is to be involved with the architecture.
in my wildest dreams
An awesome hot tub and fire pit.
what’s the status?
Well, we made a below-asking price offer on a piece of property we like, but it was rejected by the seller. Now we are keeping our eyes peeled for a new piece of property or hoping the seller will come back to us with an acceptable counter.
THANKS FOR READING
Brandy LeMae, Creative Director & CEO
18 September 2016