Puttin on the Ritz

Kylie Fitts

• Interior Architects

The brief was to design a residence that could move seamlessly between an intimate daily life for two and large-scale entertaining for extended family, friends, and the philanthropic causes the owners support, merging high-end residential comfort with the operational polish of a world-class hotel. Every detail, from the ceremonial arrival sequence to the discreet service circulation behind it, needed to support both beauty and function without either one compromising the other.

The central challenge was scale without loss of intimacy. At nearly 25,000 square feet, a home built primarily for two people had to avoid feeling institutional or impersonal, while remaining genuinely operational for gatherings of a hundred or more guests. Compounding that, the design was conceived roughly five years ahead of completion, requiring choices forward-thinking enough to stay current at delivery yet restrained enough to age as classics rather than passing trends. Maintaining warmth and cohesion across so many distinct entertainment zones, while preserving privacy for daily life, demanded a level of architectural rhythm and material discipline most residential projects never require.

The solution was a materials strategy built on repetition, not variety. Walnut, layered stone, and liquid metal recur across the great room, staircase, primary suite, and lower level, giving each space its own identity while tying the entire footprint into a single, legible story. That repetition, rather than square footage alone, is what makes the home feel cohesive instead of sprawling.

Material selection was equally deliberate about performance. In high-traffic entertaining zones, marble-look porcelain replaced natural stone for its durability under heavy daily use, without sacrificing the dramatic veining and waterfall detailing the design called for. Porcelain's larger slab format also meant surfaces could be clad in far fewer pieces than natural stone would require, reducing seams across the expansive countertops and walls in the home's busiest rooms. Liquid metal finishes, hand-applied by specialist artisans, introduced glamour through reflection and texture rather than color, a choice made so the palette would read as timeless rather than tied to a moment.

That same logic shaped the color story: soft whites, warm creams, and layered taupe form a neutral foundation that lets Colorado's shifting seasonal light do the work a bolder palette would otherwise need to do, ensuring the interiors won't feel dated as the five-year gap between design and completion closes, or in the years well beyond it.

Sculptural walnut columns, repeated from the entry through the entertainment level, solve the operational half of the brief directly: they establish a rhythm that carries guests from ceremonial arrival through the great room, past the primary suite, and down to the lower-level bar and catering kitchen, without the transition ever feeling like a change in the home's character.

The result meets the brief on both fronts. Disciplined material choices, selected as much for performance and longevity as for visual impact, allow a home built at hospitality scale to still function, and feel, like a private residence built first for two, and second for everyone they choose to welcome into it.