APRIL 2019 | denverlifemagazine.com 81
Black and blue (and green too)
THIS BOULDER KITCHEN HAS GLORIOUS FLATIRON VIEWS—AND IT’S ENERGY EFFICIENT, TOO.
BY AMANDA BONNERT
he term “passive home”
can seem like such a
misnomer. Take, for
example, this house in
Boulder. It may be passive (mean-
ing it is ultra-low-energy), but it
is also very active, harnessing the
sun’s heat for warmth in the win-
ter and using its own shadiness to
keep things cool in the summer.
When the original 900-square-
foot ranch house on the prop-
erty was scraped, the owners,
Adrian Harris and Madeleine
Fairchild, hired natural architect
Brian Fuentes to design a new
2,300-square-foot, two-story
house. Fairchild, a Swedish native,
says, “We wanted something very simple, very open, and very
minimalistic, without a whole lot of clutter.”
Also wanting a look that was monochromatic, they chose
Kabi to do the cabinetry not only in the kitchen but through-
out the house. “I wanted something very dark but not black
in the kitchen,” says Fairchild. “The charcoal gray is lovely
and turned out very nicely with the custom-paneled Thermi-
dor full-size freezer and refrigerator. It also goes well with the
distressed concrete floor, the white Caesarstone countertops,
and all of the hickory wood.”
Behind the Thermador “Freedom” induction cooktop, they
added a wall of vibrant azure. “I couldn’t figure out what I want-
ed,” says Fairchild. “I definitely didn’t want traditional tile be-
cause it is so hard to keep clean. So we came up with the idea of
glass—two panes, which we painted on the back side. It’s so easy
to clean—one swipe and we’re done.”
The eight-foot-plus island has nine huge pullout drawers that
are large enough to hold the couple’s kitchen gear; they allowed
the couple to avoid heavy overhead wall cabinets. Instead, they
opted for floating hickory shelves that create visual impact
against the blue wall, with a small but usable desk area on the
same wall as well as a custom wine rack, designed and built by a
local artisan.
Ultimately, the kitchen has the serene vibe the couple were
after. “It’s extremely quiet and very comfortable, a happy,
vibrant space with amazing views from those south-facing
windows,” says Fairchild. “I have friends who have come over
and initially said, ‘Oh, this place is too modern for me,’ and
then over time, they’ll say, ‘Oh, my god, I feel so calm in your
house.’ ” DLM