This bright, airy ski house and family getaway in Park City, Utah, should put to rest the old canard that modern design is cold or sterile. Although the furnishings are clean and tailored, and the palette overwhelmingly neutral, with well-deployed shots of blues and purples, this is a place of warmth and comfort, eminently hospitable for my clients. A design-savvy Hong Kong–based couple with two young sons, they wanted a space that was light in spirit and full of character, with a customized point of view. The decor encompasses signature pieces by masters of design from the past and current centuries, but nothing comes across as trendy or conspicuously avant-garde. Instead, the house provides a meticulously groomed yet almost playful backdrop for family life.

 

The living room exemplifies the ambience of elevated warmth. The diagonal lines of a deep sectional sofa provide a counterpoint to the organic forms of the trees and mountains that cradle the house. For a bit of textural and chromatic contrast, the white sofa and pale plaster walls are juxtaposed with a fireplace surround of dark metal with a soft, patinated finish. Midcentury chairs covered in emerald-green velvet introduce a flash of color, and an unapologetic note of drama comes in the form of a dazzling Vincenzo De Cotiis cocktail table with a highly figured top of marble and Murano glass set on a base of silvered brass—a small masterpiece that invites close inspection. Other special pieces and decorative flourishes pepper the laid-back ensembles of furniture throughout the home. In the dining area, barrel-back chairs surround a Damien Gernay table beneath a sculptural custom pendant light in glowing polished brass. A serpentine banquette, with deep green fabric, offers a cozy seating area at the base of the stairs on the lowest level, a perfect place for a young family of four to work on a puzzle and unwind after a day on the slopes.