Annabelle Selldorf, the German-born architect, is well known in the art world for her ultra-modern designs of museums and art galleries, including the new Rubell Museum in Miami, the Neue Galerie in New York, and spaces for Hauser & Wirth, David Zwirner and Acquavella. Despite her many public designs, her designs for private residences are relatively rare. Now, one of her largest homes, Walden House in Vail, Colorado, is coming up for auction this month.
The contemporary estate is tucked into the picturesque Vail Valley, and its design was inspired by Massachusetts' Walden Pond memorialised in Henry David Thoreau's celebrated book Walden, a 19th-century treatise that celebrates living in nature. The façade of Walden House almost blends into dramatic surroundings, featuring a coterie of earth-toned materials such as rock, natural metals and woods, which are combined with soaring floor-to-ceiling glass windows to maximise the panoramic views.
I wanted the house to be situated in such a way to strengthen the connections between inside and outside, the built world and the natural world, as much as possible.
A sophisticated take on the traditional ranch-style house, Selldorf organised the main living spaces around a lush central courtyard, so that the emphasis was always on nature and the outdoors. She also added a three-story tower connected to the house so the three main bedrooms are promised magnificent views from all angles. The house is spread over 10,000 square feet and has seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms in total.
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Walden House's main living spaces, including the great room and the dining room, overlook the property's pièce de résistance: a large mirror-like pond framed by the snow-capped mountains in the distance. Although the pond seems natural to the landscape, it was man-made by famed landscaper Edwina von Gal and features a small boat pavilion for paddle-boating on the pond.
The 70-acre estate includes a separate gym, pool and miles of picturesque hiking trails. Within a short 20-minute drive are the famed Vail and Beaver Creek ski resorts.
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Walden House will be auctioned by Concierge Auctions between 29-31 August and is also currently on the market for $29 million (£22 mil). A work of art in itself, Walden House offers a rare opportunity to own a design by one of the world's leading architects, while immersed in the beauty of the Colorado mountains.
