Time to head to the condo and ski that powder-perfect Utah snow.
The ski areas are bursting with anticipation as people are preparing for their ski vacations. I caught some of that excitement last week when I photographed a ski condo at the Canyons in Park City.
Connie Wittich, Metropolitan Design, had just completed the final interior touches on a third-floor unit in time for the homeowners’ arrival. Welcome, warmth, light, durability, practicality, and sociability combine in the casual contemporary mountain design.
A ski condo is a combination of residential and hospitality design. By that I mean that residential design anticipates the rhythm to people’s lives like the bar for the first cup in the morning, an easy breakfast, or a glass of refreshment while conversing with the one preparing dinner. By hospitality, I mean anticipating the recreational activities and providing an easy flow, like placing the bench by the door for taking boots on and off and for lining up the gear and supplies needed for a day outside.
Another aspect of hospitality design is flexibility, as exemplified by the bench seating at the dining table. It allows for extra people to squeeze in.
Adapting to many or just a few with adequate tableware is another need.
The key questions in hospitality are often: Where am I going to sleep? Will I be warm and comfortable? Attention to soft bed linens and nooks for luggage and gear make bedrooms extra comfortable. In this unit’s design, there are two primary bedrooms with fireplaces, balconies, and attached baths.
The two primary bedrooms are not identical, but they are equivalent. The art pieces are by the same artists but are slightly different. This makes it simpler for sharing a unit; there isn’t a better room.
In that balance of residential and hospitality design, there must be adequate storage for a week or more like that provided in the closets and bathroom cabinets, but there isn’t the need for year-round seasonal storage.
There is nothing like a proper hot shower after a day exercising in the snow. The extra attention to comfort and convenience in the bathroom is appreciated.
What is a vacation home without a bunkroom? In this unit there is a loft with an attached bath. Again, flexibility is an issue for extra guests that can vary between small children, teens, adults, or adults with children. The design anticipates this range of need.
This is my last post before the Christmas holiday. I send you my warmest wishes that the upcoming days of celebration are filled with cheer and conviviality, and that in the new year we all find our world filled with greater hope, love, peace, and harmony.
Happy holidays!