New Operations Workshop Crafts Harmony Between Structure and Nature

At 10,600 feet above sea level, where the air thins and the landscape commands reverence, stands Mountain House, an embodiment between human intervention and natural splendor. The Colorado mountain house was designed by Gabriel Yuri, founder of New Operations Workshop, for his parents as an addition to their vacation home. The charred exterior walls of this mountain retreat – treated with the ancient Japanese technique of Shou Sugi Ban – appear as if the surrounding wilderness itself has scorched them.

“I was initially uncertain about taking on the project, thinking my parents might encourage a more conservative, traditional approach than what we usually embrace,” says Gabriel Yuri. “But after a few conversations, it became clear that they were willing to trust us in whatever approach we decided to take.”

This material duality – the blackened protective shell and light interior – traces back through both Japanese and Scandinavian design traditions. Yet in this remote location, two hours west of Denver, these influences transform into something uniquely American. The designer insisted on preservation rather than demolition, allowing the original geometry to remain but instead reinterpreted, expanded, and opened to frame specific views of the Rocky Mountains.

Southern glazing and strategically placed skylights harness passive solar energy, while modular, adaptable spaces accommodate family gatherings. Slate flagstone floors that extend seamlessly from indoors to outdoors dissolve those same boundaries, creating a space that connects with its surroundings. Yuri’s integration of built-in furniture using the same white oak as floors, walls, and ceilings creates a holistic environment where furniture becomes architecture and vice versa.

Yuri continues by stating, “The short construction period due (essentially late May to early November) as well as the elevation and remoteness of the site were all challenges. These were overcome through surgical scheduling of the construction process and using as many local materials as possible.”

Visit New Operations Workshop for more information.

Styling by Logan Sommers.
Photography by Bruce Damonte.