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The Guide: Aspen

Georgia Benjou & Emili Vesilind

March 1, 2006

Celebrated for its pristine beauty and legendary for its on- and off-slope glamour, Aspen’s initial claim to fame was actually in mining. In 1879, prospectors there discovered one of the largest silver lodes in history. However, with the government’s return to the gold standard in 1893, the town eventually became the rural county seat and a popular ranching center. It was not until the mid-1940s that visionary Chicago industrialist Walter Paepcke and his wife, Elizabeth, transformed Aspen into the international cultural center and European-style ski resort it is today.

Handcrafted bedroom furniture by Aspen Design Works. Photograph by Brian Porter. (Click image to enlarge)

Even with talk of the real estate market slowing down, the numbers in Aspen’s Pitkin County continue to soar. In fact, home prices produced record-breaking sales in 2005. With only 7 percent of Pitkin County available for sale to the public (it is surrounded by the White River National Forest), Aspen will likely continue its reign as the nation’s preeminent luxury ski resort. So whether you are looking to buy a classic ski chalet, a modernist shelter in the woods, or the finest in frontier furnishings or metalwork, we present to you a guide to all things home in the capital of winter chic.

Vintage decorative canoes at McHugh Antiques. Photograph by Jason Dewey. (Click image to enlarge)

TALKING SHOP
For luxe home accents, Amen Wardy Home stocks everything from hard-to-find candles to exquisite tableware. Henry Beguelin crafts eye-catching handmade leather furniture, as well as home accessories like woven baskets and trays. Shop the Isberian Rug Co. for antique Oriental rugs, kilims and Navajo weavings, and Daniels Antiques for rare Black Forest carvings. If your taste is more Louis XVI than Louis L’Amour, McHugh Antiques carries French furniture, paintings and art objects from the 17th and 18th centuries (but periodically mixes in great finds from other eras, such as a lacquered 1940s desk). Galerie Maximillian houses one of the world’s largest collections of 19th- and 20th-­century posters and prints, while at the Baldwin Gallery the focus is on paintings, drawings, photography and sculpture by contemporary American artists. And for stunning fine art glass, visit sister galleries Pismo and Sardella Fine Art. Both display works by internationally renowned artists such as Lino Tagliapietra, Christopher Ries and Dale Chihuly. If you are looking for something a little more organic, By Nature Gallery carries a vast collection of home and art objects–stocking everything from authentic petrified woods and fossils to skulls, exotic earth-inspired jewelry and sculptured quartz for display.

Custom glass doors by Spiro Lyon Glass. Photograph by Jason Dewey Photography. (Click image to enlarge)

SINGULAR SENSATIONS
Partners Mark Terkun, Rob Ashcraft and Bill Budinger began Aspen Design Works by creating custom cabinetry and furnishings for discerning clients in Aspen and Vail. They have since introduced a line of handcrafted furniture that uses mortise-and-tenon joinery and hand-rubbed finishes. Terkun describes the versatile pieces as “old-world craftsmanship meets modern sensibility.”

Leather furnishings and accessories at Henry Beguelin. Photograph by Paul Viola. (Click image to enlarge)

Also producing stunning handmade wood furniture is Jeffry Mann, whose showroom and studio showcase mainly one-of-a-kind stream-lined pieces. Mann creates a wide range of ­furniture–from dining chairs and tables to desks and children’s furniture–and welcomes custom commissions or tweaks on his already-designed pieces.

Metalwork by Blue Heron Forge. Photograph by Franz Froelicher. (Click image to enlarge)

For custom metalwork, visit the Blue Heron Forge for the inimitable craftsmanship of Franz Froelicher, who began his career 15 years ago as an apprentice to the late master smith and National Heritage Fellow Francis Whitaker, from whom he learned traditional smithing techniques, including the art of repoussé. His designs range from dramatic chandeliers and sconces to ornate estate gates and railings.

A Dale Chihuly glass sculpture at Sardella Fine Art. Photograph by Scott M. Leen. (Click image to enlarge)

Aspen Murals is an international consortium of decorative artists, whose specialties include restorations, gilding and faux finishes. Member and founder Ziska Childs, a Broadway, film and television scenic artist (also a painter), now based in Aspen, can be commissioned to create murals and old master studies.

A finely wrought coffee table by Jeffry Mann. (Click image to enlarge)

Finally, for custom decorative and architectural glass elements, visit Spiro Lyon Glass. Glass artists Jacqueline Spiro and Lee Lyon produce everything from cast glass walls and sinks to furniture, walls and flooring.

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