In Deer Valley, designer Beth Ann Shepherd transforms her clients’ Deer Valley resort residence into a haven of high style and family-friendly, five-star flair.
Twas 90 days before Christmas when all through the house…So begins the tale when Traci and Troy Arnsten, founders of Voluspa, a luxe home-décor and premium fragrances and candles business, built a new vacation home near Park City. While structurally gorgeous, the home lacked the glamour that these sophisticated world travelers needed. For that, they hired designer Beth Ann Shepherd, owner of the L.A.- and Park City-based design firm Dressed Design, to add some sparkle to their vacation home. “We had fallen in love with Beth Ann’s work at the Montage Deer Valley residences,” says Traci Arnsten. “Her work is flawless.”
Tight deadline notwithstanding, the design project posed some challenges. For starters—how to please an entire family. The Arnstens are a dynamic, business-savvy couple and parents of three young daughters. “Troy wanted a gentleman’s space, Traci wanted a space to entertain friends, and the girls needed their own space with a creative area,” says Shepherd. They had clear criteria. “We wanted it to feel like a mountain resort home while accommodating our family’s laid-back lifestyle,” adds Traci. “A sleek, modern look accented with warm, touchable-not-precious accents.”
Another challenge was the floor plan of the 4,000-square-foot home. “It’s long and narrow,” explains Shepherd. “Think San Francisco. So I needed to delineate areas without blocking the flow of overall zones.” The solution: Channel Alice in Wonderland. “I wanted to keep it open and energetic to accentuate views of the mountains,” she says. Upstairs features a great room with unhindered access to the kitchen, dining room and living room. “It’s a rectangular room and I didn’t want to have anyone with their backs to another person,” says Shepherd. So she custom designed open-ended chaises that indicate areas without alienating anyone. The dining area serves as entertainment as well. “When you’re sitting playing cards, you don’t have to send people to another room,” she explains. “They can sit on the sofa.”
Shepherd repeated circular elements—bespoke wall art made of tree trunks, a chandelier with bones, and a round, diamond-tufted ottoman in the living room—to add warmth to the highly angular environment. “I love the upstairs kitchen and open living space,” says Traci. “Beth Ann designed the furniture to maximize the functionality of seating and entertaining by making it all movable and transitional. Low backs on the sofas and beautifully crafted oversized ottomans keep the space open and versatile. You can enjoy the beautiful view and easily entertain a large number of guests. It’s simply masterful design.”
The downstairs followed the same floor plan but this time, Shepherd wanted the spaces more defined. She began by separating the No Name Saloon-themed gentlemen’s area with a craft beer table, mirror and copper mule cups. Then, she created a line to the girls’ room using white bookcases on rollers filled with toys, and children’s books. “When you walk through that area, you can see the bunk room,” explains Shepherd. “But if you pass that on the left side, you see the ladies’ area for Traci and her friends with a killer sectional. It’s very modular so it can be switched out easily. This defines the three spaces very clearly without cutting off any energy.”
Bold pops of color add playful accents to the neutral-base color palette. “It’s a holiday home,” she says. “They don’t have to live with it, so the accents are out of the box. It’s easy to change the pillows and artwork for each season.” The children inspired the colors. “I asked each little girl what her favorite color was,” says Shepherd. “Purple, pink and periwinkle. The home was a Christmas surprise for them—so I really wanted to dazzle them.”
To amp up the luxe factor, Shepherd adorned the space with lush tactile finishes such as ultra-soft chenille, velvet, fur and Italian leather. “I wanted to bring some California glitz to the mountains,” she says. The girls, who saw the home for the first time on Christmas Eve, were overjoyed. “They flipped out,” gushes Traci. “Every detail completely wowed them.” So much so that the Arnstens hired Shepherd to recreate the same magic in their California home.
written by: Natalie Taylor
photographed by: Scot Zimmerman
Sources:
Interior designer: Beth Ann Shepherd, Dressed, Inc., Park City
