A Rossi Hill home in Park City is bright, cheerful, and refreshed by a thoughtful remodel
Before photos courtesy of Big River Builders
Photos by Scot Zimmerman
Freshened and Reinvigorated
It’s one of the truisms that the best locations in a city develop first, and the homes where you would most like to live are older. As one of Park City’s old timers (I arrived in 1968 when the resort first opened and the mines were still active), it’s tough to acknowledge that some of the homes near Main Street are aging and becoming dated. Why, the extension of that chain of thought is that I and my group of long-haired friends may also be showing some age!
A homeowner recently decided that a quarter of a century old, three-level condominium on Rossi Hill with incredible views, near the bus line, and a short walk to Main Street’s attractions could benefit by being renewed and perked up. They hired Big River Builders, a firm of familiar veteran local faces led by Scott Johnson, Todd Hunter, and Eric Miller, and commissioned Cori Richards Design. The team worked closely with the homeowner, and I will show you the results through before and after photos. The before photos are courtesy of Big River Builders, and the after are, of course, my photographs.
The before photo of the great room shows a space representative of many of the homes of the time: river rock fireplaces, ample wood of a variety that show its knots and striations for a woodsy feel, and large heavy posts and beams typical of mountain cabins.
The reinvigorated redo retained some of the supporting beams but strived to remove obstructions to open up the spaces and to create a more natural flow. The redesign modernizes through consistent horizontal lines and paying close attention to scale and weighting. Cori Richards selected furnishings with thin legs in the dining and kitchen areas to float and lift the design.
In the before, you will note a thick rectangular post that crosses through the island and breaks up the space that Big River Builders removed. For its time, the kitchen was well-equipped and functional with ample storage.
Now, the kitchen is barely recognizable. It has become a convivial gathering spot and feels like a natural extension of the open plan. You will note the clean consistent lines created by the forms and materials. I positioned the height of the camera to capture that.
To orient you a little, the great room with living, dining and kitchen areas are on the second level. The door you see on the left of the kitchen is the main entry. Also on this floor are two bedrooms, which I will skip showing you, but I will feature a bath on this level next.
As we move away from mountain rustic toward a more modern mountain approach, bathrooms seem to be the areas that most show their age. The new glass-enclosed shower has vertical glossy black subway tiles. The clean minimalism of the vanity is achieved by its linear design, hardware selection, tightly grained wood, slight mirror frames, and a cabinet top with narrow backsplash in the same hue as the walls.
The primary bedroom and bath are the sole rooms on the third level. The bedroom remodel retained the stone of the fireplace but simplified it by removing the log mantle and stone hearth. The dark stain brings consistency to the woodwork. Here again, the narrow legs and profile of the furnishings add lift and lightness, as does the color selection.
Like the previous bathroom, the primary bath redo is quite dramatic through clean lines and simplicity. The new design retains the shower and soaking tub surrounded by windows. I am showing you a separate shot of the glass enclosed shower with its fabulous slab stone.
Now, downstairs on the lowest level is the bunkroom. The remodel transforms a neglected space into what I imagine to be a magnet fun space for kids with its four bunks. Lacking windows, Cori Richards retained a sense of place with mountains in the wallpaper. The bunkroom has an updated bath ensuite. On this same floor is a new laundry and powder room and access to the garage.
This home is now the ultimate in updated style and comfort and has the advantage of a wonderful close in Park City location—combining the best of the old and new.
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