Publications
May 2010 issue of Steamboat Magazine //
Building the Perfect Home Spa
Feel the coolness of the clay walls, smell the aromatic soaps, gaze into the quiet flames of the fireplace, hear the trickle of the waterfall, taste the crisp, white wine: Visiting the new spa in
the rural Routt County home of Jack and Mary McClurg awakens the senses.
When the McClurgs first bought their home, most of it was already an elegantly appointed, inviting country manor. But the unfinished basement offered intriguing possibilities.
“It was actually Jack who came up with the idea of a spa and we immediately knew that’s what we wanted to do with the space,” Mary says. “From there it became our goal to try to incorporate
design elements from wonderful hotel spas we’ve visited. We wanted to re-create a serene,
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warm atmosphere while still keeping the space light and airy.”
To maintain a sense of airiness in a 1,500-square-foot area with natural light from only one wall, Valerie Stafford and Bruce Caplowe of Rumor Design + Redesign chose soft, creamy colors for the
marble floors, American clay walls, upholstered furniture, flowing drapes and stone accents. They employed glass walls and interior doors to circulate the light and installed French doors leading
out into the aspen groves that fall gently away from the garden-level spa.
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Near the entrance, a water feature built into a stacked-stone wall sends three trickling streams through V-shaped chutes and into a pool. Behind the artistry is a
well-thought-out mechanical structure, designed for ease of maintenance and reliability. The same practicality went into designing the dry sauna and steam shower, which are as functional as they
are inviting. “Being in a ski town, we knew we would use them frequently to relax after long days in the Colorado cold,” Mary says. Separating the wet bar from the carpeted
seating area is a contemporary, ethanol fueled, seethrough fireplace. Built on a stacked-stone hearth, this environmentally friendly heating option requires no ventilation and emits no harmful
substances. The heating unit itself is set on a bed of crystals, adding brightness to the flame.
Besides the spa amenities and lounge area, the former basement also houses a laundry room and work-out station. “We wanted to incorporate a treadmill into the design without making the space feel
like a gym,” Mary says. “The designers really listened to our wishes and did a magnificent job
In any remodeling project, usability may be the ultimate test, and by that standard the McClurgs' spa is a resounding success. 'We truly enjoy the space the most when we turn on the water
feature, the fireplace and the spa music and just relax with friends in the cozy lounge area. The combination of all the elements - beautiful wood, marble, silk, water and fire - makes this a
perfect getaway right in our own home."
In Sales Materials
Interiors designed by Rumor Design, shown here in Lifestyle Properties Sales Brochures.
In the News
Our very own Valerie Stafford is working with a local group to restore the downtown Chief Theater back to its orginal glory during its hey day in the 1930' to 1940's
Wednesday March 31, 2010
Group forming nonprofit to try to purchase, renovate Steamboat theater
By Mike Lawrence
See online article at the Steamboat Pilot & Today
Photo by Matt Stensland
A group of local movers and shakers is forming a nonprofit organization with the intent of purchasing the Chief Plaza Theater and renovating it into a single-stage performing arts venue downtown.
Developer Jim Cook; Jon Sanders, of Ski Town Commercial Real Estate; Tracy Barnett and Towny Anderson, of Mainstreet Steamboat Springs; Valerie Stafford, of the Steamboat Dance Theatre; and Bill Rangitsch, of Steamboat Architectural Group, met Tuesday morning to talk about how to move forward with their plans. Sanders is the local representative of Michael Barry, who has owned the Chief Plaza Theater in the 800 block of Lincoln Avenue since 1970.
No sale of the building has been finalized, and Sanders said Monday he is “in detailed conversations with some other folks” about the location, which Barry placed on the market late last year.
But the group hopes to leverage a mix of historical preservation grants, tax-exempt financing for nonprofit groups, local fundraising efforts and other financial ideas into a purchase and renovation of the theater. Cook said the venue could host local, regional and national acts and be a “cultural anchor for downtown,” especially with the Steamboat Art Museum next door.
The group’s hurdles are as large as its aspirations. Rangitsch said the effort could have a total price tag of about $5 million, largely because the aging Chief Plaza would need large-scale renovations including the removal of interior walls and likely a new roof. “Band-Aids don’t really help on a project like this,” Rangitsch said.
On Tuesday morning in his office in the Chieftain Building on Fourth Street, Rangitsch displayed renovation plans that include about 370 removable seats on the main level, a 40-foot-deep stage, a floor that could be flattened or sloped according to the event, an upper mezzanine with about 100 more seats, two bar areas, a ticketing office, green room space, an upper-level deck overlooking Lincoln Avenue, and more. Rangitsch said removing the seats on the main level could allow for a capacity of about 750 people.
Stafford said local groups and events such as Literary Sojourn, Pirate Theatre, Bust of Steamboat and Steamboat Dance Theatre potentially could use the venue, which also could host anything from seminars and conferences to wedding receptions. “There’s a lot of need right here — not to mention what you could bring in from outside,” Stafford said.
Sanders has said the original single-stage theater in the Chief Plaza building, once called the Village Theater, held about 600 people. Conversations about creating a new performing arts venue in Steamboat accelerated in spring 2008, when Steamboat Mountain Theater closed before the demolition of Ski Time Square. Current local performing arts venues include Strings Music Pavilion, the Steamboat Springs High School auditorium and, on a smaller scale, the Depot Art Center.
The Ghost Ranch Saloon opened last year and provides another mid-sized downtown venue for live music. Other bars and restaurants host musicians, as well. Strings Music Festival Executive Director Kay Clagett said she didn’t want to comment Tuesday about the idea of a downtown performing arts venue because she did not know enough about the group’s proposal.
David Arthur, entertainment director for the Ghost Ranch, said “competition in the workplace is what makes us all do our job better.” “Ultimately, I think that Steamboat as a city can only benefit from having multiple places to go see shows,” Arthur said. “Personally speaking, all I can do is do my job and try to bring the best live entertainment to Steamboat. … It might be competition, I don’t know — it depends on what they’re trying to do. We’ll see what happens.”
The Chief Plaza building includes the four-plex movie theater and two retail stores — Summit Shades and Blossom, which sells women’s clothing and gift items. The two stores total 1,480 square feet, and the movie theater is 5,520 square feet, Sanders said. Sanders said in November that Carmike Cinemas had about three years left on its lease.
Summit Shades had nearly four years left and Blossom had about one year, he said at that time. The group emphasized that the goal of renovating the Chief Plaza would not be to compete with Strings or other venues, but rather to meet a community need downtown. “It would build more of a presence for the arts in town,” Stafford said.
Cook said the group’s next steps include solidifying revenue streams and operating costs and drafting a contract for the purchase. He said the group already has discussed the idea with city planning staff and, if all the variables fall into place, could present plans to the city by Sept. 1.
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