Shop, Shop, Shopping in Aspen

By the JMD Interior Design Team

We’re always on the hunt for just the right detail to accent a room, or inspiration for a brand-new space. Below, we share some local shops that our interior designers love, plus an idea of what you’ll find at each.

Paris Underground, Aspen

Since 2001, owner-curator Laura Blocker’s elegant showroom in town has continued to evolve as a favorite spot for interior designers, architects and “those with discerning tastes.”

We agree! And we certainly appreciate Laura’s great taste and penchant for midcentury and modern furniture, lighting, soft goods, accessories and more. (Check out the bed pillows in our Aspen Bleeker Street interior design project photo below.)

Shopping at the Aspen interior design showroom always reveals new and interesting items, as Laura’s eye and instinct is spot-on. A restored and reupholstered André Putnam settee. 1980s French abstract brass mirror. Woven leather Alicante baskets. And more, more, more!

250 E. Durant Avenue #206, 970-544-0137, parisunderground.com

Explore Booksellers, Aspen

For over 40 years, this delightful bookstore in a former Victorian home on Main Street has welcomed people in search of books on everything from pets to photography, cooking to computers, and bibles to biographies.

But in our book, there’s no better place in town to browse (or, better yet, buy) inspiring books on architecture and interior design, as well top practitioners in their respective fields.

Not on the shelves? The kindly, knowledgeable folks at the front counter will order it for you. Need it wrapped as a gift and a card to go with? You’ll find one (and lots of other interesting items and paper goods) in the little shop in the back. 221 E. Main Street, 970-935-5336, explorebooksellers.com.

Jonathan Berger: The Store at the Aspen Art Museum

Tucked inside the outstanding Aspen Art Museum (designed by famed architect Shigeru Ban, a work of art in itself), The Store is a re- imagining of the museum’s gift shop by American artist Jonathan Berger.

Inspired by Berger’s first-hand experiences “working and shopping in downtown NYC in the ‘90s,” it’s also an exhibition in its own right. Head in through December for ideas and objects to enhance interior design concepts –USSR blankets, cast iron bells, handcrafted jewelry, leather notebooks and map cases, mini storage “compartments” from Czechoslovakia and too much more to name. Can’t make it in? Scroll through the website. 637 East Hyman Avenue, 970-925-8050, aspenartmuseum.org

Decorative Materials, Basalt

It’s an art gallery with a twist. Instead of painted canvases, the artists represented at Decorative Materials International Limited specialize in tile, stone, porcelain, ceramic, mosaic, glass, and other mediums. The works they create are not intended simply to adorn a wall, but to become the wall (or floor, or countertop, or backsplash, or fireplace surround, as the case may be).

That such a place exists in downtown Basalt may be attributed to founder-owner Margot Hampleman and her team. Together, they work from conception to completion of custom interior design projects in all shapes and sizes. Homeowners are welcome and there are Decorative Materials Showrooms in Vail, Telluride and Denver as well.

150 Basalt Center Circle, 927-0700, decorativematerials.com

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Top 10 Aspen Interior Design Trends

The pandemic altered the trajectory of design. Here are 10 rising trends that we are seeing in Aspen and beyond.

Matthew Tenzin

Is it just me, or are people more obsessed than ever with home renovations and interior design?

Fueled by the popularity of home remodel TV shows and the endless stream of design inspiration on Instagram and Pinterest, the world of design has been heating up for years.

Then suddenly the pandemic hit and we were cooped up in spaces that often felt unfinished, un-functional or unattractive. Unable to travel, we escaped inside by scrolling through beautiful imagery from around the word, planning our next most essential home upgrades.

All of this has caused design trends to arise and spread even more rapidly than before. One rising trend in the design world is talk of “timeless style.” But as a designer, I believe style is a language. And languages, like all living things, continually evolve. While some trends pass quickly, others turn out to be exciting new expressions of bigger, longer-lasting cultural shifts. With that in mind, here are a few of the home design innovations and inspirations that I’m seeing in Aspen this summer.

RESILIENCE + REGENERATION

Being holed up in our homes for so long got us all thinking about how to make them more resilient to change. Home wellness spaces (gyms, spas, meditation and yoga rooms) and “super pantries” are no longer just for the super-rich. The local Aspen architects at Thrijv are developing gorgeous fully off-grid homes that generate their own energy, water and food. And demand for air conditioners in Aspen has grown to record levels, not just for cooling but for smoke filtration during fires.

STYLISH SUSTAINABILITY

When it comes to furnishings, “eco” no longer means ugly. At the recent High Point furniture show in North Carolina, I was thrilled to find so many furniture manufacturers taking sustainable design to a whole new level. One example is the Seaqual line of indoor/outdoor performance fabrics, which are not only beautiful, soft and red-wine friendly, they are made from recycled plastics scooped out of the ocean! These are now some of our favorite fabrics for custom sofas, beds, and outdoor cushions. You can also find them on select furniture pieces at Arhaus.

COZY TEXTURES

When the world outside is crazy, who doesn’t want to curl up with something cozy? Upholstered furnishings, bedding, throw pillows and blankets in soft textural fabrics – shearling, mohair and nubby alpaca, for instance – up the comfort factor and add layering and warmth, especially in our chilly mountain clime. It helps that alpacas produce one of the most sustainable natural fibers, in part, because their grazing habits and padded feet make them less damaging to natural environments than sheep or goats.

WARM LIGHTING

Warm amber lighting has been found to increase oxytocin (the “love hormone”) and helps promote relaxation, especially in the evenings before bed. In recent years, LED bulbs have given off a gray and ghostly glow when dimmed. Thankfully, the latest “dimto-warm” or “warm glow” LED bulbs emit a more natural light that gets warmer as it is dimmed.

CURVES

For decades, contemporary design was defined by straight lines and boxy angles, but recent years have brought a shift toward curves in architecture and furnishings. Now that we have entered the Age of Aquarius, this return to gentler, more feminine lines makes sense. Curves feel more connected to nature, and are a perfect fit for Aspen’s undulating mountains and flowing river valleys.

ORGANIC SHAPES

Building upon curvy lines, organic, oblong and asymmetrical shapes have become au courant in furniture design. (Thank you Mother Nature!) Think: coffee tables, rugs, lamps and architectural elements such as niches and countertops.

LIGHT WOODS

Dark brown wood stains be gone! (Of course, as soon as we say that, they’ll be back and we’ll be loving them.) But when it comes to furnishings, flooring and millwork, white oiled oak or bleached walnut provide the light and airy look many homeowners are craving these days.

MAKER–CRAFTED PIECES

When it comes to adding soul and personality to a home, there’s nothing like one-of-a-kind and hand-made objects. When traveling, we always set aside time to seek out local artwork, furniture or ceramics that have so much more life-force than mass-market goods. Thanks to the pandemic, more of these makers have made their wares available online. And now that we can travel again, we have a whole new list artisans we can’t wait to see and hug in person.

DESKS IN EVERY BEDROOM

It started when many of us were working from home, and it has stayed with us. Functional at-home work spaces are now a must have for adults and children alike. In bedrooms, we are finding that desks are often replacing dressers. And if you don’t seem to have enough space for a desk, consider a fold down desk or floating surface mounted to the wall. Desks with glass tops can help a room feel more open.

OUTDOOR LIVING

After a year of trying to do everything outdoors, our yards, patios and balconies have become priceless extensions of our homes. But how do we make them functional, warm and inviting? Layer in screens, planters or drapes for privacy, shearling hides and pillows for comfort, strings of lights for atmosphere, and firepits for warmth. Even better, set aside these design ideas, stretch out on the grass, breathe in the fresh mountain air, and stare at the trees and sky. Nature is the best designer of all!

A Buddhist monk turned interior designer, Matthew Tenzin has been a principal at Aspen-based holistic design firm, Joe McGuire Design, since 2012

As seen in The Aspen Times.

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