The exterior of the Hartford Residence may look simple, yet this luxury home was intentionally designed with an unassuming facade. This two-winged home features a main level and a lower level built into the natural sloping downhill landscape, but, you would never be able to tell from the street view of the home. Beyond the grand 9-foot tall, Walnut wood front door, an exciting multi-level contemporary oasis awaits you. 

The Color Palette

The Hartford residence exterior colors are a mix of natural hues and textures. We chose browns, greens, tans, and subtle pops of blues for a classic look that won’t go out of style. You won’t see any high contrast between blacks and whites typically seen in other contemporary homes of today. This achieves a simple, soothing look that makes the home understated, giving the future homeowners the ability to personalize with color as they see fit. Starting with a neutral palette offers endless customizability.

Materials

Metal

We used various metals throughout the exterior of the home, from the iron balcony railings to the custom steel roof. We partnered with local craftsman Otto Iron on the railings, both exterior, and interior, as well as the massive floating interior staircase connecting the two levels, seen through the window wall.

The roof was a special challenge, due to the flat design, as we wanted to ensure no rippling would be seen as part of the overall aesthetic. This metal standing seam roof was created using a technique to hide the seams, and appear flat to the eye. Each was piece was cut to a custom width to ensure no rippling.

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Glass

The two wings of the home are connected by a gorgeous glass ‘wall’ comprised of 10 individual window panes. This creates a beautiful hallway of light at any time of day. These window panes by Kolbe are all Low E, or “low emissivity” glass, which means they have been coated in an invisible layer of metallic oxide. This coating allows natural light to enter the home while deflecting UV rays and infrared light back out into the environment.

Off the main living space, a small glass and steel deck was installed, giving viewers a glimpse of the yard and pool below.

Wood

One of the signature features of the exterior home includes the massive front door, which is a gigantic 9 feet tall by 4 feet wide and made of Walnut. This custom piece was created for us by The Pivot Door Company in Colorado and can be seen from the road as a main focal point of the front of the home.

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If you look closely, White Oak trim can also be seen around each exterior window. This feature, called a window buck, softens the look of the home where the stone, siding, and window meet.

Finally, Ipe wood decking was installed throughout the exterior of the home. Ipe wood is sometimes referred to as Brazilian Walnut or Iron Wood and is known to be one of the strongest decking materials on the market today. 

Limestone

The main exterior smooth limestone was laid in a unique pattern, alternating 12” X 36” and 12” X 24” pieces. This creates a more random bond line (where the pieces connect) to give it a more organic, less constructed look. 

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Tile

The tile flooring on the lower level is a grey terrazzo from sustainable vendor Concrete Collaborative. The Venice tile is a shale color with granite chip, and carried throughout the lower level to the outdoor kitchen and also around the pool.

Landscaping

To maintain consistency with the natural vibe of the home, we chose plants, grasses, gravel, and stone to create a calming outdoor ambiance. In the backyard, bamboo was constructed along the back property line. This bamboo will grow into a dense wall, providing both sun and sound barriers, as well as a privacy wall.

Uplighting was installed in both the front and back yards, casting a gentle glow on the residence from dusk until dawn. The lights along the path through the grasses and against the exterior make for a gorgeous evening setting.