Designing Aspen: The Houses of Rowland+Broughton

by John Rowland, Sarah Broughton

In this luxurious and aspirational home design book, the founders of renowned Colorado firm Rowland+Broughton share a selection of their extraordinary residential projects, with Aspen and the Rocky Mountains as the dazzling backdrop.

Rowland+Broughton is known for shaping the town of Aspen with their visionary work in urban design and historic preservation. Here, founders John Rowland and Sarah Broughton showcase ten spectacular residences in Aspen and the Rocky Mountains created by their innovative and talented firm.

With beautiful photography throughout, Designing Aspen includes a range of houses, from Mountain Retreat, a modern lodge-style home located at the base of Aspen Highlands, to Meadow House, positioned at the edge of a meadow amid an existing forest of spruce and evergreens, and from Art Barn, a residence with the specific purpose of displaying art, to Bagua, a Zen mountain retreat. Also featured are essays about Aspen and its history and relevance; the importance of historic preservation; client relationships; and the philosophy of the firm; and a foreword by Tom Kundig.  

Perfect for lovers of home design and architecture, anyone who aspires to build or decorate a house in the mountains, and visitors and residents of Aspen enthralled by its charms, this makes a beautiful coffee table book and a captivating volume of residential design expertise and inspiration.

Genres: Nonfiction, Architecture

242 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2024

About the author

John Herbert Shelley Rowland was a B.S.c with Honours in Chemistry.

Reviews

[Literary Redhead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovers of architecture and design will adore this gorgeous coffee table book featuring 10 stunning homes in Aspen, Colorado. A perfect gift for those inspired by beautiful abodes.

[Lorena · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Designing Aspen, the founders of award-winning architectural design firm Rowland+Broughton share ten of their residential design projects in Aspen, Colorado. Each project showcase includes gorgeous interior and exterior photography, site plans, and a brief essay discussing the design. The book also includes brief essays about the firm and their relationships with their clients, Aspen, and historic preservation. I really enjoyed the photographs, but some of the text was difficult for me to understand without any training or experience in design.

This would make a lovely coffee table book, and it would likely appeal to anyone with an interest in architecture and interior design. I don’t often see the work of female architects being featured, so I was particularly happy with that aspect.

Thanks to Princeton Architectural Press for providing me with an electronic ARC through NetGalley. I volunteered to provide an honest review.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 4 out of 5]

This coffee table book features beautiful photographs of homes that the authors have designed in Aspen, Colorado, through their architectural firm. The authors share details about each project, describing aspects of the design process, their collaboration with the client, and their approach to designing homes that work well within natural spaces and best highlight scenic views. The text is very small and appears in cramped columns, which makes it easy to skim past and difficult to read, but the showstopping photos are the book's main appeal factor anyway. The pictures are beautiful, and there are lots of great interior and exterior shots that highlight unique elements of the home and special aspects of the view.

I received a temporary digital copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

If modern is your thing, you're going to love this book which is packed with photos of these gorgeous architectural masterpieces. There are plenty of both interior and exterior shots, not to mention the stunning scenery that surrounds these homes. This is a book to dream, and, yeah - DROOL over.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for sharing.

[Melissa Borsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect coffee table book showcasing the architecture and design from the founders of Rowland and Broughton. The fabulous photography shows the scenery that is just as stunning as the architecture! I especially loved the cozy interiors with the endless design ideas that are just beautiful.
I thank Netgalley and Chronicle Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.