6 Tips To Properly Furnish Your Mountain Home

Considerations for choosing the right design styles and functions for a second home are much different than for a primary home

By Lauren Glendenning
Brought to you by Mountain Comfort Furnishings

The process for designing a second home in the mountains can be surprising to homeowners from other regions.

Local furniture and design experts can help homeowners find a style that not only stands up to the high elevation here, but also reflects some of the reasons a homeowner chose Summit County in the first place.

With a little guidance, designing the perfect mountain home in Summit County can be an exciting experience. Here are six things to consider for getting the job done right.

Understanding our Unique Environment

It's important to work with local experts rather than trying to replicate designs from back home or the internet that might not work in Summit County's alpine environment.

Mountain homes need materials and furniture that can stand up to the elements. Interior materials must be able to withstand large temperature swings. The dry air and intense sunlight dries out all furniture and damages the materials, just like it does our skin.

Import furniture that's not appropriately kiln-dried will crack, and inexpensive upholstery and leather will crack and fade very quickly. People often overlook space limitations, too. Many condos and homes have narrow hallways or small doors making some deliveries difficult. Without proper planning for this, some furniture may never fit.

"Local knowledge is key," says locally-owned Mountain Comfort Furnishings owners Heidi and Andy Jarski. "We have more than 30 years experience selecting the best quality products for Summit County's environmental challenges — this can save homeowners time and headaches down the road."

Is your home used as a rental or personal use?

A vacation home for personal use is going to get a much different design treatment than an investment property in the short-term rental pool.

"A second home is a completely different animal," Jarski says. "People buy a second home here because of the lifestyle and escape it affords them. We find these homeowners like to incorporate this into their design plan."

In a home that's for personal use, the homeowner often likes to go with more bold choices and a bit more mountain kitsch. If it is a rental unit, durable furniture and fabric choices should be as important as maximizing sleeping quarters.

"We see a lot of bunk, loft beds, trundle beds and sleeper sofas incorporated into the floorplan to accommodate as many sleeping spaces as possible," Jarski said. "The more a home can sleep, the higher the rental income potential."

What's your personal style?

Once the team knows how a home will be used, then it's time to get to work on determining style preferences.

"Our team is highly trained and experienced in educating the client on their selections, says Debbie Ellison, an accredited ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) lead designer on staff.

"We like to walk clients around our showroom to assess their tastes in order to build a better understanding and hone in on their style. Our clients can get a better feel for what kinds of styles, color preferences and priorities are most important. They can also see what we offer and can also experience the comfort and true quality of our pieces when in the showroom."

"Or, we invite people to go to our website and look at our vast library of items and send us what they like to help facilitate the process if they are remotely located. Homeowners should also think about what it is that they are drawn to in the area — is it skiing, biking, fishing or something else? — and incorporate those interests into design accents. "

What's the space plan and function?

For homes with less square footage, multi-use furniture is a must in order to keep spaces functional without feeling too crowded, Ellison says.

"Our online room planner found on our website helps us detail scale and traffic patterns so pieces won't overwhelm or crowd the space," she says.

The height of pieces should also be considered in order to avoid obstructing views or windows. Keep in mind the storage requirements for the home — will you need additional storage for blankets and gear? Do we need to create a dedicated space for gear if there is not a garage or mudroom?

Decide on the right mountain look

Buying decisions are where to incorporate fun and function into the design. Mountain designs calls for incorporating plenty of interesting textures with faux furs, chunky or bold patterns and colors in blue, purple and rust orange and red, Ellison says. Popular materials that add interest include natural and rough woods like reclaimed, barn wood and live edge slabs on tables.

"Once we come up with the plan and selection, we invite the client back in our showroom to present an entire composition where we make final selection and buying choices." Ellison says.

Sit back and enjoy your vacation

With a streamlined support team tracking orders, receiving furniture and making sure all the logistics are running smoothly is an important side of the business that few people ever see.

"We have a full time dedicated support and delivery staff that specializes in white-glove delivery," Jarski says. "Seeing everything come together is very gratifying for our team, but more importantly for our clients. We receive so much praise for how easy it was to work with our team. We want the client to enjoy their vacation, not spend the whole time shopping and tracking orders."

Mountain Comfort Furnishings
507 Summit Blvd. Frisco, CO
970-668-3661
http://www.mountaincomfort.com