When people think of Aspen, they may assume you only head downhill on skis. But, uphilling has become a cultural norm in our town, and last Saturday the Summit for Life race brought out hundreds of competitors who marched, or skinned, up the 3,267 feet to the top of Aspen Mountain, including of our own interior design team, Stefanie Richter (she took 4th place in her age group). The evening race benefits the Chris Klug Foundation, a locally based nonprofit dedicated to raising organ and tissue donation awareness. The event brought in nearly $100,000 for the cause.

After racers climbed the nearly 3 miles to the top of Aspen, they were greeted with dinner, dancing and celebrating their accomplishment inside the Sundeck before riding the gondola down. In its 10th year, the Summit for Life has become a popular local event and a great way to high-kick into skiing shape at the start of the season. The foundation also raises money through teams that compete in the New York City Marathon and the Leadville 100 Bike Race. Lock in a registration and start training now. 

Aspen makes the news a lot, and it's usually touting the town's luxury properties or blower powder days here in the Roaring Fork Valley. (Sometimes it's even for interior design!) But this week, it's in the news for a more serious and worldly matter: Mayor Steve Skadron was invited to Paris to participate in the Climate Summit for Local Leaders, which is part of the United Nations Climate Change Conference. There are 190 nations represented at the conference, running through Dec. 11, and leaders are expected to draft a climate change agreement to curb emissions and reduce the effects of a warming planet. 

While Skadron won't be partaking in the global decision-making, he will be sharing about the success Aspen has made a slowing emissions. It became the third U.S. city to reach a 100 percent renewable energy goal, and has been able to maintain automobile emissions levels to the amount they were in 1993. He says that Aspen has been able to achieve locally what the country has failed to do nationally, and he's ready to share that path to success with others. 

Design is in the details, right? And while stark, simple neutral tones may imply a basic interior, for us, it's the opposite. We intentionally focus on a natural palette -- think beige, white and grey -- to let bright, bold accent colors be even more striking.  There's something about a room with several shades of white that calms the mind, and spirit, allowing residents to spend energy on life's more important details (although we don't recommend it for people with young kids!). 

This New York City apartment was the perfect place to simplify with muted tones. In a city full of noise, grit and activity, this calm room offers a respite and antidote. While most of it's white, by varying texture -- from marble to wood and even a latticed ceiling -- everything is actually rich. While it wouldn't have the same effect in the mountains of Aspen, where nature provides a authentic compliment, a bustling city showcases our favorite (non)color palette right now.  

It's hard to think about interior design and sitting indoors when it's snowing outside as hard as it has been this week in Aspen. We just dream about powder days! Last weekend, Aspen Mountain opened for early season turns on Saturday and Sunday. Skiers and snowboarders took the Silver Queen Gondola up to 11,212 feet where more than 100 acres of terrain opened for business. On Saturday, a few surges in crowds gave guests something they aren't used to: lines. But, as people spread out it was sunny cruising for all. (Sunday people may have stayed in for the Broncos game.)

Since then, another foot of snow has fallen on local mountains and both Aspen and Snowmass open for the season this Saturday, Nov. 21. With all the new snow, officials haven't released just how much terrain will be ready this weekend, but it looks like mid-winter out there and that means enough for everyone. In recent years, we've been mountain biking and hiking right up until Thanksgiving, when the resort traditionally opens. This fresh snow is refreshing!

After more than a decade in the interior design business, KD Designs is launching into offering its own line: pillows. Using leftover materials from other projects, our line will feature unique pillows which are perfect for accenting the Aspen home. It's a happy marriage which ensures waste is minimized, and buyers can capitalize on the good taste used in other projects. 

"Pillows are a fun way to put color and a different texture into a room," says Kristin Dittmar. "It’s an easy change if you need a fresh look for a room."

Dittmar is using the knowledge she's gained in the interior design world to manufacture her own pillows, which will be available for the public to purchase. 

The pillows will be constructed in a Carbondale workroom using extra material, sourced from the United States, Europe and Australia. They will come in all shapes and sizes, and can be custom ordered depending on a client's needs. Interested buyers should contact KD Designs directly for questions on availability and pricing. 

No need to sleep on that!

Thanks to a referendum that put Base 2 on the ballot this Tuesday, voters will make the final decision on the proposed lodge for the corner of Main and Monarch streets. The property was initially approved by Aspen City Council in May, but because they allowed for a variance on floor area ratio, meaning the lodge's footprint is larger than the current zoning limits for that part of town, the public will get to decide if it moves forward. 

Developer Mark Hunt pitched Base 2 as an affordable lodge that would complement his already-approved Base 1 on the corner of Cooper and Original. The lodge features an average room size of 150 square feet, meaning comfortable rooms at highly competitive market prices designed to attract new, younger visitors. The interior design is very modern and reflective of the Aspen lifestyle. 

Public amenities, for both guests and residents, will include bowling, barber shop, restaurants, bars and a Hammam.  Base lodges are intended to be used and enjoyed as Aspen’s spare bedroom, second kitchen and game room.

The room rates will be more affordable than other Aspen properties, estimated at about $150-200 per night. Thirty-seven rooms are proposed for the property. Hunt brought the project forward because a top 10 goal of Aspen City Council was the creation of more affordable lodges. But, the project has been contentious within the community, creating a division between anti-development and pro-development groups. 

The election is Tuesday, Nov. 3, and all ballots must be delivered to the Pitkin County Clerk & Recorder's Office by 7 p.m. The election is mail-in ballot only so there is no in-person voting.

Last week, we took our interior design team from Aspen all the way to North Carolina's High Point Market. The biannual fair is a conversion of the world's best luxury design brands in one spot. More than 75,000 people hit the 11.5 million square feet of showroom space over two weeks in October to view more than 2,000 exhibitors. And we were there. 

The affair is part inspiration, part networking and part overwhelming. One of the highlights was meeting icon Aerin Lauder. We adore her brand and everything that comes with it. After meeting her and chatting about all things design, her visual comfort lighting line moved to the top of our list. Many of the fixtures incorporate natural elements (ideal for our mountain surroundings) so they're unique, yet warm, sleek and sophisticated at the same time. 

We also snapped a few photos of our favorites. While the slate gray couch may seem understated, the way the room ties together between the art, the flowers and vase (and even the newspaper on the table) is meticulous. It just goes to show that exquisite design is in the detail. 

What a great week! We return with lots of ideas, as well as calendars marked for next April when it happens all over again. 

Kristin with Aerin Lauder at High Point Market in North Carolina. 

Provocative images of chartreuse-colored toenails or blemished eyebrows up close make for conversation starters. And, they're the subjects in Marilyn Minter's retrospective, which recently opened at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver.  The show, "Pretty/Dirty," is a retrospective for the American artist; it opened at the MCA in Houston and will travel to the Orange County Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Museum in 2016 and 2017. 

Minter has been a steward of contemporary art in the United States for decades, with a resume of multiple solo exhibitions on her list. It's the startling images -- often erotic, suggestive and daring -- that have drawn attention. While at first crude or manipulative, her greater message is redefining the conversation about beauty. The iconoclastic works challenge how our culture views women, in particular, and the result is often pretty and dirty in the same presentation. 

Because it's a retrospective, the exhibition catalogs Minter's evolution in both mediums she uses: photography and painting. While her photographic images are authentically staged, her paintings  combine negatives in Photoshop to make a whole new image. This new image is then turned into paintings created through the layering of enamel paint on aluminum. As a singular piece, they may be shocking. As a collective whole, like this exhibition, it shows the dramatic breadth of one artist. 

"Pretty/Dirty" runs through Jan. 31, 2016. 

Fans of the nostalgic the two-seater that inched riders up Snowmass' High Alpine terrain should have made sure they said goodbye last season—it's something they won't see again. This summer, Aspen Skiing Co. has been busy installing a new high-speed detachable quad lift to replace the two-seat chairlift, which will shorten ride time and enhance the skier experience by making riding that part of the mountain more efficient. 

High Alpine is set to open for the 2015-16 ski season, which begins on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 26). The chair's new trajectory will start downslope from High Alpine Restaurant, allowing skiers and snowboarders coming from the Cirque Headwall, AMF, Gowdy's and KT Gully to head back up the mountains without returning to Sheer Bliss. Previously, those runs required taking two separate chairlifts. On top of that, ride time will be decreased from 11 to just under 6 minutes. 

The upgrade is part of ongoing improvements to Snowmass Ski Area. Others include the addition of snowmaking facilities and thinning more runs to create gladed terrain on Freefall, Castle, Upper Green Cabin and Long Shot. 

All of it sounds great. Recent snow on surrounding peaks has us dreaming of ski season ... 

Twirling skirts and enveloping fabrics that seem to float in mid-air — that's precisely what the Spanish dance and Danny Fang-designed lighting fixture by the same name convey: fandango. And who doesn't like a little flirty playfulness as the centerpiece to any room? 

Fang graduated from the Design Academy Eindhoven in 1998. He went on to found his own company, Hong Kong-based Fang Studios, and subsequently received the prestigious Design for Asia Award. Besides his own company, Fang designs for Hive, a collaborative manufacturing facility that focuses specifically on lighting. What a bright idea! 

While the Fandango pendant light is romantic, Fang's Dutch training and east-Asian sensibilities shine through in a design that's structured yet ethereal. Made from muslin cotton cloth, the layers can be manipulated to change shape and texture, providing different angles of light for a room. Like a flower or drifting jellyfish, the Fandango pendant light changes shape from every perspective, and that's why we love this piece that serves to shine light, but is truly a work of art. 

For 40 years, pilots have been gathering in Snowmass for the area's annual balloon fest. What's a balloon festival? It's three days of high-flying hot-air balloons that bring thousands of spectators out to view the kaleidoscope of colors in the sky.

Because the pilots use the wind currents and need calm air to fly, they launch early in the morning. On the Friday of the festival, they were scheduled to partake in the Rat Race, competing against one another in a "race" that contours Brush Creek to the Roaring Fork Valley. But, the winds kept them from flying. 

However, on Saturday and Sunday they were able to take to the crisp, blue skies to the delight of families and spectators watching from the ground. The pilots circled the skies for several hours, eventually landing in unexpected places like hilltops and front yards around Snowmass Village. Others were able to make it back to the Town Park grassy lawn from which they took off. 

There isn't another festival like this in the United States. Yes, they fly in mountains towns, but never during the spectacular colors of the fall. Those brightly color-blocked balloons against nature's own prism are just breathtaking. It reminds me that while we can create beautiful aesthetic, nature is often the best designer of all. 

That's a wrap! New York Fashion Week is complete, and while it gives us a forecast for spring wear, there are a few immediate takeaways in the design world. We're also looking to cues on color. Bold and beautiful statement colors pepper the spring catalog, but right now we're concentrating on that cozy fall palette that calm the soul. 

On the top of many lists is Stormy Weather. It's exactly what it sounds like: the sky on a gray, overcast day when you're curled up with a book on the couch. It's a powerful color that's strong and protective. And, because it's a constant it's safe to use in most settings. We recently used a version of it in a downtown project and adore the look against the mountain backdrop. 

Let's also note the blue chair in this project. Blue is always in, but this fall, it's really in. Different shades of the color are popping up, from Biscay Blue (like the color of a Caribbean seaport) to Reflecting Pond (a dark, ethereal hue that implies infinity). We went with the tried and tested Navy Blue in this case, a timeless tone that signifies elegance and class with a touch of edge. 

On the runway, those shades are making appearances in all lines of fashion, from luxury coats to elegant dresses. It's easy to see why blue is a perennial favorite in haute couture. 

And of course, as the leaves start to change around Aspen, we turn to the outdoors for natural inspiration. Currently trending: lime and lemon. Next up: gold and butterscotch. 

Public art work benefits everyone. But have you ever thought it deserved more? One Wisconsin-based organization did, and developed the CODA Awards to acknowledge commissioned work in public spaces that's turning heads. Founded by CODAworx – Collaboration of Design and Work – the inaugural awards were led by Interior Design editor-in-chief Cindy Allen. Her team sifted through more than 300 entries from 18 countries in 10 categories. The results are stunning, but I'll just highlight my favorites. 

In the healthcare category, Catherine Widgery and Isadore Michas transformed the Oregon State Hospital in Junction City, into an ethereal experience. "Passing Storms" is powder-coated aluminum cut by water jet into cumulus clouds, with rain approximated by stainless-steel cable.

At a restaurant in Singapore, EDG Interior Architecture and Design and Mohammed Zulkarnaen Othman wanted to capture the essence of a quintessential izakaya – a Japanese drinking bar that also serves food. The globally-inspired setting is a 1,550-square-foot space that harnesses the buzz and energy of the people, capturing the izakaya essence with a gritty urban twist.

And then in the residential category, check out Pavarini Design's and ZeroLUX Lighting Design's sculpture that turned a former garment factory into a home. The centerpiece aimed to reflect the history of the region, tying in the homesite's Kansas City's proximity to Tornado Alley. Falling Sticks evokes debris swirling around the atrium as if strewn 

The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art isn't just acquiring master works, it's now adding homes to its collection. When the Bachman-Wilson House -- designed by world-famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1954 -- was damaged by floods in New Jersey in 2014, moving it became necessary. 

That's when the Crystal Bridges Museum in Arkansas stepped in to purchase and preserve the property, adding to its half billion dollars' worth of assets acquired since it opened in 2011. Among those include works by Jasper Johns, Jackson Pollock, Winslow Homer, Marsden Hartley and Charles Wilson Peale.  

The home traveled 1,200 miles from New Jersey to Arkansas in several pieces. It was reassembled in the museum's garden, and is set to open to the public Nov. 11. 

Wright led the Prairie School movement of architecture that came out of the Midwest in the early 20th century. Some of his most notable works include the Guggenheim Museum in New York City and Falling Water near Pittsburgh. And now, a Wright-designed house in Arkansas -- something that didn't previously exist -- is also on the must-see map. 

Lots of spandex and skinny tires passed through town earlier this week, as the USA Pro Challenge rolled through Aspen on its seven-stage tour of Colorado. Nicknamed "America's Race," the road-biking event features more than 100 professional cyclists on a grueling race through some of the state's toughest terrain. Coming into Aspen from Copper Mountain for Stage 3, riders climbed and descended 12,095-foot Independence Pass. On Thursday, they grunted back out of town toward Breckenridge. 

Today, they have a time trial in Breckenridge before heading to Fort Collins for a race to Loveland and then a final culminating stage from Golden to downtown Denver. In its fifth year, the return to Independence Pass was an exciting shift for Colorado residents. The iconic climb is one of the "queen" stages and the highest point in the race. 

Up top the pass on Wednesday, about 1,000 spectators gathered to cheer on riders as they reached the crest. Hundreds biked up there from both the Leadville and Aspen sides on Highway 82, braving the chilly temps and strong winds to show their support for the cyclists who had ridden much further than them. Coming into Denver on Sunday, the same competitors can expect to whiz by hundreds of thousands, having been seen by more than 1 million in their cycling sweep of the state. 

Does it seem like there are people painting outside everywhere this past week? That's on purpose. They're painting en plein air, a French term used to describe just what is sounds like: people creating art out in the open. Usually, the result is landscapes, street scenes and incorporation of natural elements that depend on light -- and something that will stay still. 

The Roaring Fork Valley's beauty is what makes it the ideal place for the Plein Air Festival. This year, 21 Colorado artists have spent the week in, and around, Aspen. Now, what they've produced is on sale at the Limelight Hotel through the weekend, with the proceeds benefiting host organization, the Red Brick. 

Each participating artist -- who was selected by jury -- was required to produce six pieces over the course of the week they spent here, all featuring locally inspired scenes. Expect imagery of the Maroon Bells, rolling Owl Creek pastures, and al fresco dining on the town's pedestrian malls. 

When you live here,  you don't necessarily take for granted how beautiful it is, but sometimes forget just how picturesque our walk to work or drive downvalley can be. Nature is an essential muse to my work, and I'm often incorporating organic elements into design. If I need some inspiration, I just head outdoors. And, it's nice to artists doing the same. 

If you go: 
Limelight Hotel, 355 S. Monarch St. 

Hours: 
Friday and Saturday: 
10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sunday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

The Hamptons, Houston and Palm Springs all make good company. Of course, Aspen does too. It's no surprise that these locales are the chosen spots for Hamptons Expo Group's art fairs, which take place around the country on select weekends throughout the year. 

ArtAspen comes to town Aug. 13-16, bringing post-war and contemporary art from more than 30 nationally renown galleries to the Aspen Ice Garden. Set up like a boutique arts fair, more than 2,500 collectors, and those just checking out the eye candy, are expected to pass through the pop-up event.  

The fair features works in paper, sculpture, photographs and print, and can range in price from $2,000 to $1 million. Forget the price tag, just seeing some of these works is a big-city treat in small town!

The four-day event also features panel conversations and parties, like the opening night soiree on Thursday, Aug. 13. We love stopping by events like this to see what's trending on the national scale in terms of art, and to seek out some inspiration for designs to come. Plus, we always love a good party. 

Although Aspen is a cosmopolitan town, it's also refreshing to get a culture blast -- and we're not talking the arts and entertainment kind. Instead, we like to get a taste of that big world that exists beyond our roundabout, and the Colorado Scottish Festival and Highlands Games will do just that. 

This weekend, clans from around the state come to Snowmass to participate in three days of Celtic music, Scottish athletic competitions, highland dancers, bagpiping and drumming competitions, a  British car display, a parade of Irish clans and a free concert. 

The best part? The parade of pooches featuring dogs of the British Isles. That means breeds like King Charles spaniel, Irish setter, West Highland terrier, sheltie, collie, English springer spaniel and great dane will be strutting their stuff (and hopefully wearing cute chapeaus) all weekend long. 

The festival takes place in Snowmass' Town Park Saturday, Aug. 1, and Sunday, Aug. 2. It runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and tickets range in price from $7-20 or $30 for a two-day pass. Get up pups out. 

There is no official art week in Aspen, but if there were, this would be it. Two world-class events return to the Roaring Fork Valley this week bringing the who's-who and the what's-what to the Rocky Mountains. 

On Friday, July 31, Rio Grande Park is transformed into an art collector's dream for the Aspen Art Museums' artCrush. The annual benefit, chaired by powerhouse Amy Phelan who also is involved with the Guggenheim, Whitney and MoMA, welcomes works by Francesco Clemente, Roy McMakin, Haas Brothers, Richard Phillips, Dan Flavin, Richard Phillips, and James Welling for bidding. Last year, the event reportedly raised $3 million 

During artCrush, the 2015 Aspen Award for Art will be bestowed upon renowned contemporary artist Lorna Simpson. Along with the auction, the event includes a wine tasting and seated dinner. 

The next day, aficionados can cure their crush blues with Anderson Ranch Arts Center's annual picnic. If they didn't get the piece they wanted the night before, art-lovers can bid on dozens of works during the organization's auction at its Snowmass Village location. Don't feel like raising a paddle? Go just for the barbecue and to enjoy the lush summer grounds. 

Impermanence was a theme that took over Aspen this week, when a group from the Drepung Loseling Monastery in Atlanta, Ga., created a living exhibit. Tibetan monks built a sand mandala at the Aspen Art Museum. The monks took five days to create the sand mandala on the museum's third floor -- painstakingly shaving tiny grains of colored glass into a spherical masterpiece, all in front of the public eye -- and then dispersed it into the river to send it into the world to heal. 

The monks use the mandala-making to achieve tantric meditation, as they experience spiritual oneness. At the closing ceremony, the sand is collected, and half is given to the audience as a way to commemorate and bring healing. The other half is taken to a nearby water source (Roaring Fork River), where it is cast into the water, so that the sand may reach the ocean, thereby healing the world. Traveling with these exhibits, the Drepung Loseling Monastery hopes to spread this belief and to share Tibetan culture and practices, which they view as endangered. 

Tibetan monks put the finishing touch on a sand mandala at the Aspen Art Museum. 

Tibetan monks have strong ties with the Aspen community, and many different groups of monks spend time in our community throughout the year. The high mountains of Colorado may remind them of their Nepalese ones back home, and we're welcome to share in their oneness. But the creation of the sand mandala is unique, and the thoroughness and detail that goes into creating something so beautiful just for it to be destroyed reminds us all that each moment is precious.