Tour a Magical Aspen Guest Home Inspired by Classical Music

Called the Music Box, this Colorado guest house serves as a music recital space, while the owners live next door in a restored Victorian.

May 06, 2021

By: Meredith Rosenberg

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Photo By: Draper White

Perfect Harmony

When a music-loving family in Aspen, Colorado, decided to add a modern guest house to their Victorian home, they turned to CCY Architects to design the Music Box, a space where they could hold music recitals and host overnight guests. The addition was designed to coexist with the original 1880s Victorian on the left; combined, the homeowners dub this the Victorian Music Box.

Ode to Chopin

Since Frederic Chopin’s "Nocturne in E-Flat Major, Op.9, No.2" is one of the homeowners' favorite pieces of music, the team, helmed by CCY Principal John Cottle and CCY Architect Evan Barrett, decided to translate it onto the guest home's exterior. They did so by breaking down the composition into notes and chords, then superimposed the pattern onto recycled, perforated aluminum to create an unexpected sheet music effect.

Serene Retreat

The guest home's main bedroom features minimal, simple design. Wraparound windows and a skylight add literal and stylistic warmth to the small space. Custom millwork and minimalist storage options complete the clean look. What the room lacks in a musical theme it compensates for by providing a serene retreat. "Restrained and thoughtful would also be another good way to describe the Music Box, as each and every element in the project was chosen and refined to meet the vision of the team and each and every detail thoughtfully considered and mocked-up during design," John explains.

Let Me Entertain You

The compact living area's focus in the Music Box guest house is kept on the baby grand piano. The homeowner is a classically trained pianist, but the couple also enjoys inviting musicians from the Aspen Music School to perform for small groups of people. To that end, the design team chose an acoustic plaster ceiling to optimize reverberation times during performances.

Diverse Experiences

The design team also wanted to create diverse spatial experiences, and they accomplished this by using translucent panels, glass windows and long sightlines in addition to the perforated façade.

Musical Focus

While the recital area decor remains neutral, with the exception of contemporary art, the perforated aluminum siding casts changing light patterns that also enliven the space.

More Than Meets the Eye

"We designed this cozy sitting area for curling up with a book and a cup of coffee, equipped with a ledge at the window sill to rest your beverage," says John. The picture frame window takes full advantage of Aspen Mountain views, so it makes sense that designers kept the rest of the area neutral. Not seen everyday in homes: The ability to make the window translucent for added privacy by flipping a switch, a feature more commonly found in trendy hotel and restaurant bathrooms. For homeowners considering this option, look for electrochromic glass, also called switch glass.

Disappearing Act

The team designed the powder room to blend into the small space, and one way they achieved this effect is by using tectus door hinges, which allow for flush doors with concealed hinges. "Tectus door hinges are a great way to make a door a non-event," says John.

Privacy Please

Heading upstairs provides a clearer view of the sheet music design, while the staircase showcases a perforated steel sheet plate that maximizes light. John advises using semi-transparent materials as a way to add light to spaces that are below ground level while still maintaining privacy.

Full Transparency

Looking down at the staircase from this angle emphasizes the materials' transparency and its ability to create a sense of openness. "The natural light comes through the building’s skin, creating an ever-changing melody of light as it bounces off the wood-clad wall, almost as though the sun is performing its own moving melody in constant fluctuation," says John. Not only that, but, "Translucent stairs that allow light to bleed through the treads and risers can help a small, tight space feel open and large," he adds.

Modern Victorian

The homeowners also restored the 19th century Victorian home next to the Music Box guest house. Although it's not music-themed like the guest house, it does include state-of-the-art audiovisual and speaker systems throughout. Plus, the design team designed the floors, walls and even ceiling finishes to enhance sound.

Otherwise, the main renovations focused on expanding small spaces and connecting communal areas to the outdoors. Like the Music Box, the decor remains neutral, modern and simple, and feels more Scandinavian than Victorian.

Faithful Restoration

In an impressive feat, no new building materials were used for the Victorian renovation. Instead, the designers restored the original materials and features, as seen in the dining room. Though not pictured here, that also included restoring double hung windows with their original weighted pulley system.

Simple Start

This custom built-in breakfast nook makes the most of its original features, and its quiet and soothing simplicity helps to start the day in a peaceful frame of mind.

Paying Homage

Though the Victorian home's staircase looks like a replica of the one in the Music Box, it's actually more in line with the home's original staircase design. The compact winder stairs curve around three floors, and maintain cohesiveness with the guest house by employing the same steel and perforated metal. But pulling it off wasn't so easy. "The winder staircase in the Victorian proved to be a challenge to get a functional, code-compliant stair through three levels within the footprint of the existing stair," says architect Evan Barrett.

Working Within Limits

Speaking of restrictions, the design team also made the Victorian's main bathroom feel larger without expanding the footprint, as it's located within a dormer roof. Instead, the team worked with the limitations by finding a properly sized bathtub for the space, carving away part of the dormer structure to accommodate matching vanities and mirrors, and tucking storage solutions behind streamlined wood paneling. Want to translate this to your small bathroom? "In compact bathrooms that want a bathtub, expand the deck of the tub to provide extra set-down space," John suggests.

Playing With Scale

Viewing the bathroom from this angle, "This room demonstrates how to optimize spatial possibilities on a variety of scales," says John.

Home Sweet Home

The owners originally intended for the Victorian Music Box to serve as their second home, but have enjoyed it so much that they sold their primary home to live here full time. The homeowners especially appreciate all of the natural light in the Victorian and the ability to unwind and listen to music in the Music Box.

Worthwhile Challenge

"The perforated cladding of the music box was a challenge, but a very fun challenge, more of a research and development project since it is completely custom and a one-of-a-kind design feature," says Evan.

To learn more about this project, the book Connection: CCY Architects will be available starting June 29.