Communication center - Last Detail

Custom Home, Jan-Feb, 2004 by Shelley D. Hutchins

"We're in a mountain setting, and we get really extreme weather," says owner Clark Stevens of his Boulder, Colo., home. "It's fun to get down in the pit and hide out from the howling wind." Stevens hired architect J. Matthew McMullen of Boulder-based Architectural Manoeuvres to design his mountain home.

"We gave [McMullen] descriptions about the spaces we wanted, and he devised a great layout," praises Stevens. The pit shares its double-sided fireplace with a combined dining/living area and a sun filled kitchen just beyond. McMullen wanted the clients to feel connected to the elements from which they sought refuge, so he brought the outdoors in. A simulated mountain stream runs through the entryway culminating in a petite pool next to the fireplace. Slate tile and a concrete wall finished to resemble rough stone add rustic touches. Inverted roof trusses dip to their lowest point just above the conversation pit, bringing the cedar-clad ceiling down to a snug scale. Built-in benches are inviting for one or two yet roomy enough to seat the Stevenses plus their three grown kids.