Name: Diane Gordon, along with her husband Tim, daughter Ellie and son Teddy
Location: Rollinsville, Colorado
Size: 825 square foot cabin + 128 square foot artist's studio
Years lived in: weekend getaway, owned since February 2011
Ever wonder how a professional interior designer kicks back on the weekend? Well, in style, of course! You may remember the recent peek inside Diane's weekend retreat cabin which overlooks the Continental Divide high in the Colorado Rockies. Well, she was kind enough to take some more photos and give us the full tour…
Diane shared some notes on this special place that she and her family has already come to love:
When you search two years for the perfect Colorado mountain retreat, all you want to do when you find it is relax. Our cabin overlooking the Continental Divide is the perfect place to enjoy time with our two middle-school aged children on the weekends - to make a fire and s'mores, hike a nearby trail, or just read a book. Indoors, I wanted to create a relaxed European feel, yet refreshed and updated. Pine floors that were were painstakingly sanded and white-washed contrast crisp white trim and cabinets.
Clever small space solutions make this small one-bedroom house work for our family of four. For instance, the undercounter refrigerator lives in the mud room, thus opening up the kitchen for counter space and storage. Built-in bunk beds allow the bedroom to be used as a TV room as well; the chairs slide out of the way and an inflatable queen bed appears for guests. This home away from home is just right.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
Our Style: European-Inspired. My mother is German, and this part of Colorado reminds me of the mountains of Germany and Austria and the old European mountain towns I have visited (with a mining twist). I wanted the cabin to feel refreshed, but also have some of that old-world warmth.
Inspiration: The white-capped mountains of the Continental Divide and beautiful forested scenery that we see out the living room windows inspired me to keep the walls light and bright and let the view really come through. Normally, as in my main house in Denver, it's color color color everywhere.
Favorite Element: When looking for a getaway in the mountains, I just knew that we had to find one with a fireplace, and finding a 1930s structure with the original stone fireplace was a huge plus.
Biggest Challenge: The previous owner had painted the pine floors, but I was determined to have them sanded and white-washed. Our flooring person discovered that white-washing stains don't work on pine because of the type of knots, but I quickly researched other options and we used a diluted paint technique instead. It turned out amazing, worth every ounce of effort!
What Friends Say: Now I know why you are never home on the weekend anymore!
Biggest Embarrassment: We had a pitiful 19 gallon water heater and a larger one wouldn't fit, but witha family of four, we knew that we had to do something for more hot water. I ordered a gas tankless hot water heater, had my plumber come up from Denver to install it, only to figure out that it was too tall once all the venting was in place. Oops! On to plan B, electric tankless water heater, much smaller, which thank goodness fits just perfectly.
Proudest DIY: In the artist's studio, I wanted to install a wall-to-wall desk top on one end of the room, but it had to be old and rustic. I found a solid walnut exterior door at a salvage yard, trimmed off the end, installed cleats, and ordered quarter-inch thick plexi-glass to create a flat writing surface for it. A couple of antique corbels finishes the look of the funky floating desk top.
Biggest Indulgence: The solid hickory cabinets in the bedroom that were installed in lieu of a regular closet were the biggest splurge, and besides much-needed storage, they give the room a lot of added warmth that a simple drywalled closet would not have.
Best Advice: In a one-bedroom space this small that needs to fit four people, think of things a little differently. The kitchen has more counter space and storage because the undercounter refrigerator lives with the washer and dryer in the adjacent mud room. The bedroom, with it's vaulted ceiling, has built-in bunk beds, so that the room is open enough for comfortable chairs, serving double duty as a TV room. Don't be afraid of the dreaded sofa bed; there are companies out there that offer very comfortable sofa beds today. Use built-ins and cabinetry wherever you can, they not only look great but can provide clever storage solutions throughout a small home.
Dream Sources: Arhaus Furniture, At West End, Woodharbor Cabinetry, Anthropologie, Sweet William Market (Denver, CO), Clutter Consignment (Boulder), 5 Green Boxes (Denver, CO), Lee Industries, Garnet Hill.
Resources of Note:
PAINT & COLORS
Living/Dining/Kitchen/Artist's Studio - Benjamin Moore French Canvas OC-41
Bedroom - Benjamin Moore Lancaster Whitewash HC-174
Bathroom - Benjamin Moore Wickham Grey HC-171
Interior trim - Benjamin Moore White Dove OC-17
Exterior Doors and Windows - Benjamin Moore Nimbus Gray 2131-50
ENTRY/MUD ROOM
Bench Cabinet - Woodharbor Cabinetry
Bench cushion fabric - Ballard Designs
Montauk Black guaged slate floor tile - Design Materials, Denver CO
Undercounter Washer & Dryer - Kenmore
LIVING ROOM
Queen Sleeper Sofa, foot stool, and X-back chairs - Arhaus Furniture, Boulder CO
Oversized ottoman - Lee Industries (with COM fabric from Kravet)
Original pastel artwork of European town c. 1912 - eBay
Nickel lamps with burlap shades - Target
Antique custom painted game table - 5 Green Boxes, Denver CO
Gently used off-white down-filled side chairs - Clutter Consignment, Boulder CO
Caged Rock Rabbit - At West End
DINING ROOM
Pendant light - At West End
Radiator Lamp - Found object item from Anthropologie
Chairs - Arhaus Furniture (reupholstered in fabric from Lee Industries)
KITCHEN
Metropolitan Shag Wool Rug - Garnet Hill
Appliances - Kitchenaid
Stand Mixer - Kitchenaid
Wall Clock - Wisteria
BEDROOM
Green Swivel Chairs - Arhaus Furniture, Boulder CO
Hickory Cabinets - Woodharbor Cabinetry
Bedding - Garnet Hill
Artwork (vintage prints/photos of old Rollinsville)- Wild West Mercantile, Rollinsville CO
Drapes - Anthropologie
BATHROOM
Vintage make-up train case - Sweet William Market, Denver CO
Bathroom wall sconce - Restoration Hardware
Rug, towels, and shower curtain - Anthropologie
ARTIST'S STUDIO
Pink Chaise - Mitchell Gold
Cabinetry hardware- De Weldaad, purchased in Amsterdam, Holland
Chalk board paint - Home Depot
Area Rug - Pottery Barn
JUST FOR FUN
Fun Ride Super Z Zip Line - Amazon.com
DESIGN/UPHOLSTERY
Design by Diane Gordon Design, Denver, CO
Custom Upholstery by Vince Cox, House of Blessings, Denver CO
Thanks to Diane, Tim and the kids!
Images: Diane Gordon
• HOUSE TOUR ARCHIVE Check out past house tours here
• Interested in sharing your home with Apartment Therapy? Contact the editors through our House Tour Submission Form.
• Are you a designer/architect/decorator interested in sharing a residential project with Apartment Therapy readers? Contact the editors through our Professional Submission Form.
10 No-Fail Decor Tricks & Tips for Small Spaces
Beth's Romantic & Retro Residence
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Shaw's Original Fir...
How to Make Easy 3-Ingredient Energy Bars at Home
How To Cook Tender, Chewy Wheat Berries on the Stovetop
Lovely timeless design. Scale of furniture works well with space. Luv the studio space!
Forget weekends - I would love this to be my house! Looks like a wonderful place to spend time with family. My grandmother had those same bingo cards!
I'd love to know about the lamp over the other dining table in the living room.
It is lovely, but with the light trim and beautiful views, I wish they would have been more adventurous with the interior color (but I'm bias - my cabin is dark) - it helps draw the eye outside.
Wow! I am not a nature girl, but I could "rough it" here! Beautiful.
unlike a lot of cabins it is so bright and airy. I love the fire place, the choice of granite for the counter tops and wood floors. Also the exterior paint job is very cheery.
I want to live there..so charming and lovely. cheery ^^ is a good word to describe.
:sigh: My husband's parents' cabin is a 1970s double-wide trailer. It's a beautiful view and I'm thankful they let us use it. But THIS is what I dream of every time I'm there
What did you use to wrap the pendant lamp cord in picture #7; is something pre-made I can buy or was it a DIY? Thanks.
HA! I lived here for about 4 years. What a funny thing to find this on a website. So great to see the place resurrected! Can I come visit?!
Beautiful home. It looks so spacious. My 878 sq ft condo looks much smaller than this space. Perhaps it's the high ceilings.
Elizabeth, the pendant cord cover can be purchased at Lamp's Plus.
- Diane
Here is a Floor Plan of the cabin:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/71375531@N00/6152147866/
What a lucky family! Very special.
Diane: Thanks for the info!
Lovely place. I spent two summers working in Steamboat Springs and thought, "Colorado gives good Colorado" -- it's as beautiful as hoped!
ElectricKatie has a good eye. A slightly darker neutral or use of color on some walls could pull this interior together. For example, the awesome stone fireplace is in stark contrast to the wall. For the walls, darken or add a hue, so the stone work still stands out, but the starkness disappears. It will give even more of that european feeling. The drapes will feel more connected as well.
You did so much with a smallspace. Bravo!
Nicely done - very cozy retreat with all the comforts of home!
I love this place, the curtains, and the fire place. It is so cozy! It must be awesome to sit there during a snowstorm and be warmed by the fireplace.
Love your cabin. The fabric on the family room windows is wonderful. I feel the German. It coordinates with the fireplace stone so nicely. I just wish you would have brought the color you painted the bathroom walls into this room too. I think it would bump up the fireplace and window treatments one more notch. If you are afraid of too much color, just accent the fireplace wall in the darker shade.
Love love love your home. If you need me to, I will move in. :)
Hi all. Thank you for the comments! We love our cabin. In response to those who would have liked to see more color on the walls, normally I would agree. The original log cabin (living room, kitchen section) was built in the 30s and has settled so that it is quite sloping and uneven in parts - adds to the charm, of course, but painting the walls anything too contrasting with the ceiling and trim would only accentuate its quirks. Thus the cream on white scheme. I do feel it adds to the spacious feeling of the cabin too. I'm ready for a happy cabin weekend! :)
Simply LOVE everything about this cabin - inside and out, furnishings to cat. If envy and jealousy are sins, I will be on bended knee for a LONG time. Well done, Diane, have fun with family and friends in this wonderful cabin.
arualis,
I believe the twig pendant was purchased from Lamp's Plus online. Hard to find a pendant light that is cabiny and not hard-wired, this plugs into the wall.
-Diane
I am having trouble getting past all the drapes and curtains. To me it seems so jarring and out-of-sync with the rest of the cabin's style. If this were my place and I needed something over the windows I would choose interior shutters. Otherwise I like the clean lines and simple furnishings.
Diane - Lovely home! I'm hoping you can tell me where you purchased the drapes/fabric. My home came with custom drapes made by the previous owner and it is that exact pattern, except the background color is wheat. I've looked everywhere and have been unable to locate. Any information you have is appreciated! Also, I think the drapes are PERFECT for that space!
To be clear......I am referring to the living room curtains. :-)
Susan, I bought that fabric from Smith + Noble. I had the drapes custom made with lining as it cost less than having S+N make them. The fabric is called "Bird in Paradise." Search fabric #12692, that one has a wheat background... maybe that's yours? -Diane
Thanks sooooo much, Diane! I'll check it out!