Step Inside a Fresh Contemporary Home Full of Little Surprises
Watch and read how a designer found on Houzz created light and playful interiors with special moments along the way
Mitchell Parker
4 June 2023
Houzz Editorial Staff. Home design journalist writing about cool spaces, innovative trends, breaking news, industry analysis and humor.
Houzz Editorial Staff. Home design journalist writing about cool spaces, innovative... More
After finding designer Robin Bryant of Factor Design Build on Houzz, these homeowners asked her to create soft contemporary interiors that juxtapose the more traditional red-brick exterior of their Denver home. Bryant responded with organic modern materials like white oak cabinets, concrete-look countertops and a jaw-dropping focal point island with large slabs of Blue Marine quartzite. She also gave the home a few special moments of discovery. Hexagonal tiles inset in the wood flooring form a directional path from the front entry into a powder room and up the wall. And hidden doors in the primary bedroom open to reveal a private home office sanctuary.
Photos by Kimberly Gavin Photography / Photo staging by Natalie Warady
House at a Glance
Location: Denver
Who lives here: A couple with two kids
Design-build firm: Factor Design Build
Furniture and decor: Armijo Design Group
In the kitchen, the island with Blue Marine quartzite countertop and waterfall edge create a striking focal point. “That stone was actually the centerpiece of the entire kitchen design,” Bryant says. “Everything surrounding it is kind of a softened support of really emphasizing that blue, kind of aqua color in the quartzite.”
Skinny Shaker-style white oak cabinets and concrete-look quartz perimeter countertops add style and warmth without distracting from the island.
A bank of milky glass-front cabinets sits on the countertop between the paneled refrigerator and the range. “If the glass cabinets had been just solid white oak, I think it would have felt blocky in that space,” Bryant says.
The backsplash is a return of the concrete-look quartz countertop slabs. Above the floating shelves, a secondary backsplash features vertical ribbed glass tiles. “It’s very delicate-looking when you have the sample, but when you apply it on the entire wall it almost looks like a wallpaper, but it has the durability of a glass backsplash,” Bryant says.
A layered lighting scheme includes numerous recessed can lights, strip lights routed under the floating shelves and a midcentury-style light fixture over the island. “Just the simplicity of it,” Bryant says of the island light. “That it’s just kind of three shrouded lamps and it’s giving you all your task lighting on the island. I think it reinforces that lightness and contemporary feel we were going for in the house.”
Watch now: Tour this updated contemporary home on Houzz TV
House at a Glance
Location: Denver
Who lives here: A couple with two kids
Design-build firm: Factor Design Build
Furniture and decor: Armijo Design Group
In the kitchen, the island with Blue Marine quartzite countertop and waterfall edge create a striking focal point. “That stone was actually the centerpiece of the entire kitchen design,” Bryant says. “Everything surrounding it is kind of a softened support of really emphasizing that blue, kind of aqua color in the quartzite.”
Skinny Shaker-style white oak cabinets and concrete-look quartz perimeter countertops add style and warmth without distracting from the island.
A bank of milky glass-front cabinets sits on the countertop between the paneled refrigerator and the range. “If the glass cabinets had been just solid white oak, I think it would have felt blocky in that space,” Bryant says.
The backsplash is a return of the concrete-look quartz countertop slabs. Above the floating shelves, a secondary backsplash features vertical ribbed glass tiles. “It’s very delicate-looking when you have the sample, but when you apply it on the entire wall it almost looks like a wallpaper, but it has the durability of a glass backsplash,” Bryant says.
A layered lighting scheme includes numerous recessed can lights, strip lights routed under the floating shelves and a midcentury-style light fixture over the island. “Just the simplicity of it,” Bryant says of the island light. “That it’s just kind of three shrouded lamps and it’s giving you all your task lighting on the island. I think it reinforces that lightness and contemporary feel we were going for in the house.”
Watch now: Tour this updated contemporary home on Houzz TV
Bryant carried many of the same kitchen materials into the primary bathroom. A white oak vanity features a concrete-look quartz countertop with an integrated sink. “You don’t have any caulking, you don’t have any lips on the edge of your sink that you have to wipe things over,” she says. “It just really gives that integrated, seamless look and it’s easy to care for.”
How to Choose a Bathroom Vanity
How to Choose a Bathroom Vanity
Across from the vanity, two white oak storage towers flank a freestanding tub.
Watch now: See more of this remodeling project in the latest episode of Houzz TV
Watch now: See more of this remodeling project in the latest episode of Houzz TV
For the primary bedroom, Bryant added a partition wall to divide a once-vast space into two separate rooms. On this side is a custom bed with channel-tufted headboard. Suspended pendants add bedside lighting without cluttering up the nightstands.
Flanking the bed are two doors that sit flush with the bedroom wall when closed. When open, they lead to a private home office. “So it doesn’t feel like the office is in the bedroom,” Bryant says.
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
Flanking the bed are two doors that sit flush with the bedroom wall when closed. When open, they lead to a private home office. “So it doesn’t feel like the office is in the bedroom,” Bryant says.
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
In the office, a colorful plant-pattern wallpaper and lots of windows create an uplifting mood.
A pathway of hexagonal tile flooring extends from the home’s entryway, where it’s interwoven into the wood flooring, to this powder room. “So guests had a natural approach to where that was,” Bryant says.
She took the tile up the wall, then cut floral wallpaper into the top half of the room.
A light fixture features origami-style birds sitting on a perch. “That light fixture is one of my favorite things in the entire house,” Bryant says. “I love how we pulled it down a little bit lower so it intersects with the mirror. I think it makes the room feel completely tied together and adds that little bit of whimsy and fun to interior design.”
She floated the sink to create a bit of breathing room. “A floating sink is a detail that can make a smaller space feel larger,” Bryant says. “Wall-mounting the faucets gives you that extra space on the countertop if you want to lay some hand towels or put some soap.”
Watch now: Step inside this refreshed Denver home on Houzz TV
More on Houzz
Tour more homes
Browse thousands of photos of coastal-style homes
Hire a design professional
Shop for your home
She took the tile up the wall, then cut floral wallpaper into the top half of the room.
A light fixture features origami-style birds sitting on a perch. “That light fixture is one of my favorite things in the entire house,” Bryant says. “I love how we pulled it down a little bit lower so it intersects with the mirror. I think it makes the room feel completely tied together and adds that little bit of whimsy and fun to interior design.”
She floated the sink to create a bit of breathing room. “A floating sink is a detail that can make a smaller space feel larger,” Bryant says. “Wall-mounting the faucets gives you that extra space on the countertop if you want to lay some hand towels or put some soap.”
Watch now: Step inside this refreshed Denver home on Houzz TV
More on Houzz
Tour more homes
Browse thousands of photos of coastal-style homes
Hire a design professional
Shop for your home
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Totally gorgeous, job well done!
Love this bright and airy space! The waterfall countertop is stunning and the modern hood and cabinets are a great way to update a space while keeping it timeless and interesting!
Would love to know the name of the countertop on the kitchen island. Granite, quartz or quartzite? Thank you so much.