Tour a Colorado New Build With the Feeling of a Century-Old Home

Kristen Flanagan

March 31, 2025 at 8:00 a.m.·10 min read

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“The story of this house is a long and winding one,” Heidi Caillier says, as she begins describing her latest project. In fact, it almost didn’t happen. In 2020, when the Seattle-based AD100 and AD PRO Directory designer first met the clients, a young couple putting down roots in southwest Colorado, she asked them which other designers they were interviewing to reimagine the ’70s farmhouse on their 13-acre ranch. “I remember thinking I’m not going to get this job because we’re not aligned aesthetically,” says Caillier, who is known for her colorful, layered approach. “I’m not going to do a ton of beige everywhere.”

Fast forward four years and there’s hardly a lick of beige in sight. Ultimately, the designer’s and clients’ visions merged into a home that feels both deeply personal and enduring. “I think the nice part about a project that has a life cycle that’s this long is that it gives the clients a chance to understand who they are in their design aesthetic,” Caillier reflects. “We really grew together in that way.”

Building materials with patina, like the reclaimed limestone floors in the entry, were used to give the new build character. The hallway and stairs are swathed in wallpaper by Michael Smith and painted with Farrow & Ball’s Pigeon. The chair, table, rug, and pendant light are all antique, while the stairwell sconces are from Besselink & Jones.

Farrow & Ball’s Wimborne White casts a soft glow in the living room. A floral Howe sofa upholstered in Rose Macclesfield fabric pairs seamlessly with George Smith armchairs in a C&C Milano textile, while a Nickey Kehoe sofa in a deep blue Zak+Fox fabric adds contrast. Layered lighting includes vintage sconces with Rose Tarlow shades and a Besselink & Jones floor lamp.

But getting there wasn’t simple. The project began as a renovation, but architectural challenges—plus the news that their toddler daughter would soon be joined by twin sisters—pushed the clients to scrap the original structure and start fresh. Still, they wanted something that felt like it had been there for generations, rather than a brand-new build dropped onto the landscape. “That’s always the challenge with new builds,” Caillier says. “How do you make them look, well, not new?”

To ensure the house had a sense of history, Caillier leaned on a familiar collaborator, architect Lauren Crocco, and a design scheme that embraced the imperfect. Rough-hewn reclaimed wood beams, varying door heights, and intentionally mismatched vintage hardware create an authenticity often lacking in new construction. “We were getting calls from the contractor every week, saying, ‘Are you sure this measurement is right?’ Or ‘This has been used, and it looks old,’” Caillier laughs.

Shop out the look of the house ⤵

Bathed in the earthy green of Farrow & Ball’s Lichen, this sun-drenched sitting room layers vintage finds with patterned textiles. A custom ottoman in a Guy Goodfellow stripe pairs with an Anthropologie sofa draped in a floral throw, while a vintage rattan chair, reupholstered in Pierre Frey fabric, adds a relaxed touch. The floral armchair, clad in Clarence House’s Dahlia Handblock, lends a painterly flourish beside a vintage side table.

The kitchen features a moody palette—Farrow & Ball’s Brinjal on the cabinetry and Pantalon on the island. Caillier layered textures by mixing marble and walnut countertops with brass fixtures from Waterworks. The oversized pendant lights, sourced from Jamb, add a touch of old-world charm, complementing the rustic wood beams overhead.

An antique dining table and well-worn farm chairs from 1stDibs lend the kitchen’s breakfast nook a sense of history. A midcentury Italian pendant adds a bold pop of red overhead, juxtaposing the room’s timeworn elements. The built-in banquette is upholstered in a Decors Barbares fabric. The antique cabinet is from Arcadia. The walls are painted in Portola Paints’ Blondie.

Pattern and patina define the dining room, where Morris & Co. wallpaper serves as a backdrop. A custom St. Frank textile drapes the windows. The antique hutch brims with collected ceramics. At the center, a Shoppe Amber Interiors dining table is surrounded by classic Windsor chairs from Shaker Shoppe. Overhead, a rope-wrapped chandelier from Hollywood at Home adds a touch of rustic charm.

The living areas draw inspiration from a mix of eras and styles. In the kitchen’s breakfast alcove, a midcentury Italian light fixture hangs near a rustic country cabinet. While in the dining room, deep red checkered upholstery meets Delft tile and a blue scalloped trim. Every corner brims with custom details. There’s even a hidden passage from the sitting room to the dining room via a jib door, a feature the kids have already claimed as their own secret hideaway.

Upstairs, a long hallway with built-in storage separates the girls’ rooms from the primary suite. “We pictured this as their little hangout area,” Caillier says of the landing. In the eldest daughter’s room, a cozy nook is nestled beneath the sloped ceilings swathed in a Robert Kime wallpaper. “It’s where she reads and the cats curl up.” An adventurous mix of fabrics brings warmth to the primary suite, without overwhelming the space. Reclaimed terra-cotta floors ground the adjoining bath, where a vintage dresser became a vanity and a Calacatta Viola shower is framed in a glass and brass enclosure.

In the primary bedroom, a custom bed upholstered in Michael Smith fabric is dressed in a Hollywood at Home coverlet, while vintage floral sconces frame the headboard. Matching vintage Paolo Buffa armchairs in a C&C Milano textile create a cozy seating area beside a Westenholz side table, all anchored by a patterned rug from Tibetano. Custom Robert Kime drapery softens the large windows, while the built-in armoire, designed by Caillier, adds storage and a historic feel. The walls, ceiling, and millwork are all painted Farrow & Ball’s Dead Salmon.

A Water Monopoly tub, fitted with Drummonds brass fixtures, anchors the primary bath. A vintage pendant from Obsolete hangs above the tub, while Rose Uniacke sconces flank the vanity. Vintage terra-cotta hex tiles from Clé Tile ground the room in rustic texture, while Heather Taylor Home café curtains add a touch of homespun charm to the sunlit window. Caillier had an antique English chest of drawers topped with a slab of Calacatta Viola marble to create the vanity. The woodwork is painted in Farrow & Ball’s Vert de Terre, while Portola Paints’ Blondie limewash coats the walls.

The cabinetry in the airy sunroom is painted in Breakfast Room Green by Farrow & Ball. The floor is composed of reclaimed limstone, and the rug is a vintage find.

Both practical and polished, the mudroom is designed to handle muddy boots and overflowing garden clippings in style. The cabinetry, painted Benjamin Moore’s Dark Olive, contrasts with the warmth of a walnut countertop. Reclaimed limestone flooring and an exposed stone wall offer patina. The brass plumbing fixtures are by Devol. The café curtains feature Pindler’s Danville Natural fabric.

A late-stage addition turned into one of the wife’s favorite spaces: a greenhouse room tacked onto the primary bedroom, via yet another camouflage door. With its sun-drenched windows and organic connection to the outdoors, the space feels like it was always meant to be there.

Now the house is exactly what the clients hoped it would be: a forever home. “It’s timeless,” says the wife. “In 10 years, I’m not going to want to redo my kitchen.” Her husband agrees: “Every room feels special.” Each space within the home is designed to evolve with their family, aging gracefully rather than feeling stuck in any particular period. “We always envisioned passing this house on to our kids and grandkids,” the husband says. Thanks to Caillier’s deft hand, that dream feels possible.