Steamboat Pilot & Today

At Home, Spring 2007

• Artists at Work
• Crossing Borders
• All in a day's work
• Capture nature's beauty in photos
• Take a trip off the beaten path
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Ann Butcher's clients in Valverdant have always enjoyed a spacious home on a rare secluded lot within the city limits of Steamboat Springs. But the master bath was from another era.

"It was just really obsolete, but this is a house and a lot that they truly love," said Butcher, who is the principal in Bunkhouse Interiors.

The solution was to eliminate all traces of the old bathroom and dedicate it to closet space. Next, Butcher convinced her clients to give up a comfortable den and TV room. In its stead they built a spacious bathroom featuring large glass windows overlooking a dense aspen forest.

With the den safely moved upstairs, the way was cleared for a new bathroom linked to the master bedroom with its southern views across open space and Blacktail Mountain a dozen miles in the distance.

The old bathroom now serves as a short hallway between the master bedroom and the new bathroom.

Butcher acknowledged architect Laura Frey's contributions to the project.

Wide-plank oak floors with a light-colored finish and northern light filtered by outside trees allowed Butcher to indulge her clients' desire for black marble countertops and shower surround without giving in to a dark space.

The hardwood floors are protected from water damage by an oversized tub with a gutter around its edge.

Suspended Italian glass light fixtures augment the natural light.

There is a distinct Asian flair in the room, with a thriving bamboo plant and antique Chinese fireplace screens over the tub.

"I think they add texture to the room," Butcher said about the wooden screens.

Butcher's penchant for Kilim textiles is reflected in several area rugs on the hardwood floor. They constitute a theme throughout the house, which is devoid of anything "cowboy."

"My clients travel a lot, and there's not one Western thing about that bathroom," Butcher said.