Emigration Canyon has held home and passage for many across our history. The running creek along the canyon made sanctuary tended by Indigenous Americans. Generations later, pioneers and travelers utilized Emigration’s trail as a route to find settlement and home. From Salt Lake’s center, a turn beside a mountainside leads into the canyon’s shadow. The tree lined road is speckled with cyclists, homes and sunflowers. Around a bend, Emigration Brewing Co, a mountain escape restaurant, bar, market and coffee shop peaks behind the pines. We found refreshment and pretzels with a moment to connect before carrying on the canyon road. 

In just a walk, two plots of prepared land we have on the market, sit beside a neighboring home we happen to know well. We spent time imagining the structure(s) that could be – an inspired cabin tucked into the hillside, vines climbing the walls, windows for the morning sunrise, a peaceful life. Potentials arise as an easy ride takes us up past 5548 E, then, above the horizon line, the landscape radiates around us. From the top, we can see the magic. Speckled like monuments on the hillside, homes decorate a greenscape. From the variation of life that this canyon has seen, I descend to our road home, hopeful for the life our canyon has yet to welcome in. What remains is knowing that, just behind the city, remains a reserve to call home.

Home makes way for living and life gives options. It’s not always the same life I live in a home. Somedays, I am available for the neighbors, the land outside, a walk around Liberty Park, or a chance to share with friends. Other days, I wander alone, setting tone for a time of rest. What keeps my days consistent as they wax and wane are the ways I touch through a space.

A home like Kensington Ave offers room to explore the layers of hosting and resting, living and daydreaming, styling and finding much needed solitude. Enjoying a floor plan made for lives to be shared, Samuel and I revelled in the peacefulness, spending an afternoon lounging and arranging florals for balanced living.

It’s nice to sit under a walnut tree chatting about life, swinging around like children, then spending time reading or doing nothing.

Life isn’t always about the actions.

Oftentimes, I bring the actions of sage smoke and setting flowers and candles, all to facilitate a container in home for a day of zero movement. Once the space is set, laying back feels that much easier. The nature of Kensington is set and setting for the tone of your living style to make itself known. For now, we will enjoy the scene…

An Uffens one-bedroom loft lives itself through the best of city life. A quiet corner perched high, peaks over the layers of red brick, painting Salt Lake City’s downtown. From our vantage point, blue skies warm a cloudless day. Peering down, I see windows looking into the back of local shops along Pierpont Avenue. The thought of a latte nearby at The Rose Establishment perks me to explore. A detour took us to our neighbor, Caputo’s Market. Though normally I would harvest a full charcuterie board, this afternoon called for easy refreshment.

It feels just as easy to live here, in the heart of it.

Never a need goes unmet, and for the days when energy is low, convenience is medicine.

As satisfying as it is to close the door and hideaway here, the terraced hallways always lead back to local businesses and restaurants lining the blocks, welcoming me in. As the city continues to evolve, I can only imagine what gifts this home will provide. I will see you at the park, laying out, or maybe today we will stay in, lounge on the balcony, read tarot, and decide today is a perfect day to rest. We love the Uffens, and though it speaks for itself, #407 strikes all my chords…

Modern is marvelous and mid-century is magical, but in our humble opinion, the importance of architectural style will always be second to how a home makes its inhabitants feel. Whether you’ve a cabin, a condo, a palatial spread, or an apartment, we’re of the belief that it’s the personal touches that create a truly magical space. After all, making a house one’s own is what makes a home, and—while we love houses—we don’t think we’ll ever get enough of “home.”

Francisco and his partner, Robert, set themselves on a venture to acquire a piece of Downtown Salt Lake City….but it wouldn’t be just any condo that would lure Robert from his Manhattan digs. After a few walls were knocked down, floors refinished, and new paint and stone were added to this Downtown loft, the concrete columns of this space were enough to tempt Robert to journey to Utah and make this industrial condo his canvas.

Robert Olson has always had a way with space.

Collecting objects over the years, he has manifested a collection of pieces that enabled him to take an open space and make it into a palace in the city for him and his partner to share. As I enter the space, my breath is taken away, as—from the doorway—there is already enough to capture my attention for hours: an entryway decorated with brass candle sconces, a crystal pitcher filled with an arm of blooming branches, and, around the corner, a cloud-plush bed and a marble-top credenza holding a stunning photo of Marilyn Monroe beside a Grecian bust. The bright orange of an Hermès shopping bag vibrantly sits beside a zebra print chair. Each place the eye lands on is a vignette to explore.

The stories here are as plentiful as the objets d’art: original work gifted from a New York artist, a glass cabinet filled with black and white modeling photos from back in the day. Little moments, each made of objects, art, and furniture, all meant to work in conversation within this industrial canvas or brick and concrete, all a blend of old-world European and modern-day life. Upon being asked what inspires his style, Robert responds that it’s his life experiences; he adds texture through layers of a worldly life lived. The styling of his home is simply putting his life on display in a way that one can look upon and feel. “I appreciate the textures,” explains Robert, pointing to a velvet and burlap French throne chair. “The contrast of high-end furniture profiled with lower-end material is something I have always loved.” The space is a collection of what was and what will be, moments to appreciate and spaces to lounge. Memories from the past and yet to be created. Robert and Francisco, welcome to Salt Lake City.

In many ways, the memories made in a space are what cultivate a sense of “home.” From takeout on the floor mid move-in to potty training a new furry friend, the places we inhabit house not only us but many of our fondest recollections, as well. In the case of this lovely flat, there’s an abundance of standouts upon which to reflect. 

For the current owners, these modern, clean, and spacious digs have provided the perfect launching pad from which to explore all that SLC and its surroundings have to offer. Farmer’s market excursions remain a favorite of this pair, as do short strolls to Sweet Lake (a firm COLLECTIVE favorite) for biscuits and brunch, but what they anticipate missing most is the rich, comforting sense of community they’ve found in this city. 

That said, here’s to good times and new beginnings

As crucial as inner reflection can be, the truth is that sometimes getting your life in order starts as an outside job. With spring cleaning fads currently running culturally rampant, it’s becoming abundantly clear that organizing and implementing a dose of “out with the old” is quickly climbing the ranks of therapeutic modes du jour. Now, we don’t all have the time (or patience) to completely upset every drawer in our homes like some extreme organizers out there—and I, for one, personally spent nine hours holding every item in my home and deciding whether or not it did, indeed, spark joy, before I realized there was a much simpler, much quicker way to get a bit more organized. We (with the help of our Senior Designer Brea Valenzuela) boiled it down to a list of four top tips for you to take home—literally—and start to get a bit more organized:

1. You are what you see: Have you ever wondered why you allow certain items to be on display? For instance, does that soap dish really need to be out 24/7? This challenge is simple. Take a visual scan of everything you have on display in your home, room by room. Whatever you can see without opening drawers or moving furniture is fair game. Now, looking at each item, ask yourself, “Is there a reason that this item is on display?” If the reason is anything other than “I like the way it looks,” either tuck it out of sight (see aforementioned soap dish) or donate it. The trick here is to get in the habit of being cognizant about how you visually organize your space, and get out of the habit of having things you don’t love on display simply because that’s where they’ve always been. Says Senior Designer Brea Valenzuela, “Try concealing clutter (or less-attractive items that you use often) with a fun, decorative basket.”

2. Coat check: Imagine your home is a shop. If someone comes to you and asks where the coats are, would you have three different places to direct them? Cleaning supplies in four different cabinets? Shoes in the hallway and in the bedrooms? Treat your home like a well-designed store, and have only one spot for each category of “things” in the home (better still, know the “inventory” of what you actually have in those categories). Once you’ve got said inventory: shop it! Says Brea, “Another budget-friendly idea is to ‘shop your own space,’ by moving art from one room to another to give each space a brand new feel.” Ah…we feel it getting simpler already…

3. Junk the drawer: You don’t have to throw the whole junk drawer away—you are human, after all—but it’s probably time to go through it and decide whether you actually need everything you have in there (replacement buttons for coats long-since donated to Good Will? The charger to your first flipphone?). Maybe you lose the two spare measuring tapes but keep the unused birthday candles and annoying-but-necessary business receipts. Whatever the contents, let’s eliminate the “junk” factor, and instead make this drawer a space of purpose in your home. 


4. Supermarket sweep: We get it—things pile up, and your pantry often takes the brunt of this oversight. Maybe you tried the Whole 30 diet eight months ago and bought four pounds of coconut flour. Maybe you then renounced all diets and bought three boxes of Oreos (because I’m an adult and buy what I want when I want). Whatever the random items in your pantry—and whatever reasons for their presence—it’s time to dig in and delete the past. Use the “four week trick”: toss or donate each item that you haven’t eaten in the last four weeks (or, if you’d like a second chance at being more conscious, start now and give yourself four weeks from when you take stock of the pantry’s contents). Once you see how much is going to waste, you’ll think twice about buying those gluten-free beet snacks in bulk. 

Bonus: Once you’ve completed the previous steps, fews things will freshen up your newly organized space than a vase of fresh flowers or a new plant. With places like Trader Joe’s and Harmon’s selling bouquets and potted beauties on the cheap, there’s really no excuse to not have your home as green as you like—and nothing says “just spring-cleaned” like bringing a bit of the outside in.

Finding the space that’s yours—the home in which you unequivocally belong—is rarely an easy process. More often than not, it requires time you didn’t anticipate and more patience than you knew you had. For our client below, getting into that perfect spot was no exception—together, we toured home after home (after home) to find her veritable “just right,” but the reward was well worth the work. After an epic bidding war, this Texas native proved she didn’t come to play.

The result? She now calls this charming brick beauty “home.”

You don’t always have to build from the ground up to make a space yours. As purchased, the home was is fantastic shape, but Lauren also saw something of a canvas with which she could work, so she embarked on an exterior refresh and put in the effort to update a few features that she knew would reflect her style. By adding some personal flavor, she’s crafted something that feels like it’s emphatically her own.

Says Lauren, “I just couldn’t imagine myself finding a more perfect home for my current stage in life.”

As we’ve said many times before, when you take the time to create a space in which you can flourish, then you most certainly will. To that end, we decided to sit down with our client and friend (after she added that perfectly minimal holiday flare, of course) to get her take on why she made the choices and changes she did and what exactly it is that makes a home. The take-away? Gather a few pieces that you love, paint that room, and put the work into that garden—it’s often the small changes that make the biggest difference.

What do you think makes this space feel like yours? The house has really undergone a facelift—I painted the brick white and painted the door in one of my favorite shades. I had the porch—which was covered in carpet previously—repaired with a cement overlay to give it a bit more of a modern feel, and I completely re-landscaped the yard (front and back) to make everything feel more open and useable; it was previously very closed off, overgrown, and disjointed. I’m particularly proud of the exterior transformation and I think it’s clear because I’m always volunteering my yard/patio as the hangout spot with my circle of friends. There have been many wine nights out by the fire and it’s one of my favorite features of the home. In terms of the interior, I changed paint colors to make it brighter and more cohesive, and I added a few moody accents throughout to make it cozier. I renovated the fireplace in the living room (now it actually works and is on nearly every evening in the fall and winter), added built-in speakers for my record player (I love listening to albums my mom had when I was a kid, and my collection is constantly expanding), and I have been very intentional with what I hang on my walls. Each piece has meaning and significance to me—nothing on my walls is a mass-produced piece—and they all recount memories of trips with people I cherish and of things I have accomplished or am learning. Example: I’ve recently gotten very into landscape photography and am immensely proud of the huge piece that sits in my living room. 

Do you have a favorite room in the house? Tell us why: This question is actually pretty difficult since I feel like I’ve really lived in every corner of my space this year, and as a result, I feel more attached to all of those corners. The living room is where my days typically start and end and because of that, I feel instantly relaxed and at peace when I’m in it. Since I’ve been working from home for the majority of the year, I’ve found that I love my office space; it’s been fun to look at all of the memories I have displayed in the room from many different phases of my life and to have my fur child curled up next to me in her bed all day—those are some of the silver linings that this room represents in an otherwise stressful work year. I love cooking and the aesthetic of the kitchen makes it extra fun. Food is one of my love languages, so being able to cook for people has always brought me a lot of joy. I can’t wait to do more of that next year, but in the meantime, I’ve had a lot of dance parties with a record on while cooking this year and it instantly makes me smile. Lastly, I know my yard isn’t a room, but it has been amazing to have this year—I’ve spent a lot of time sitting on the patio reading with the fireplace on, putting in new flowers and maintaining the existing peony, hydrangea and rose bushes. I’m trying my hand at gardening for the second year in a row—my tomato and cucumber yield was much improved, but my two-year-old fruit trees still proved to be a disappointment. Fingers crossed that next year is the year for nectarines and apples! I also can’t wait until my backyard space will host my close friends’ giggling kiddos again as they run through the sprinklers in the spring and summer and play soccer with rocks and trees as goals and boundaries.
 
Is there anything that you’ve learned about yourself since living here? I’ve learned that I’m capable of implementing most of my visions for home improvement myself with the help of Home Depot/YouTube (but I wouldn’t dare try to do any plumbing or electrical work)! I’ve learned how much I despise shoveling snow (though I love it for skiing), and—this will make my mother laugh—I’ve learned how much I love to garden and take care of my yard. I am obsessed with the grass being green and getting my flowers to bloom to their full potential. 

 
Any fun memories or fav parties to tell of? (We’re all desperate for social time, so we’ll live vicariously through you): My favorite one to date was the one you threw for me (as my realtor and first friend who is now one of my closest!) to celebrate the community I had built since moving to SLC in 2018. The weather was horrendous (POURING RAIN), but it made the vibe of the party so cozy and warm—between the fireplaces that were going both inside and out, the chatter of people, the amazing catered food, the smores in the outdoor fireplace, wine for days, and the live music…it was just perfection. It represented how much you can change in a year, and I’m dying to do it again.
 
You’ve done such a great job making the space yours…any particularly helpful advice for those hoping to do the same? I think my biggest recommendation would be to think about who you are and how you could reflect that in your space—hanging things on the walls is one of the easiest ways to do this and if you find pieces that have meaning, you can’t go wrong. I also really think that paint is such an easy change and has the power to transform a space (for relatively little money). The last thing I would mention (and this may sound silly) is that reorienting your furniture in a room can also make a big difference! I have the rooms in this house furnished in a completely different way than the prior owner and I love that it reflects how I use my space. 
 

Climbing the steep Bountiful street toward Elaine Drive, an air of quiet drowns out the city sounds below. The still Salt Lake glints a reflection of the sun in the rearview, and a slew of tidy mid-century homes stretch up the road. A U-shaped driveway—one that mimics the delicate curve of this home’s face—alerts visitors of their arrival, and the rich wood and raw stone wall act as a (very effective) welcome wagon. Dotted picture windows allude to the clean interiors and refined furnishings that wait inside.

This is the home of two of our dearest friends of the COLLECTIVE, Alysha and Peter. Fondly self-identified as “Smith and Stevenson Co.,” the two are partners in life, parenting, love, and business. With a blended family of two teens, one tween, a toddler, and two Cavapoos, finding a home that could fit this crew comfortably was a tall order, especially when one tosses in the pair’s ever-discerning eye for design—these two are the brains (see: Director of Brand & Creative and Director of Business & Strategy) behind modern8, a brand design agency.

One of our very own CHC property consultants put these two into this charming place one year ago, and we were thrilled when they invited us back to take a peek at all the progress that’s been made since. Walls were torn out, floors replaced, tiling added, and a heap of other changes were implemented in order to execute this duo’s grand vision for “home,” and along the way, they turned this humble spot into a bonafide Place of Worship.

Who better than the lovely pair themselves to give our readers a deep dive into the process of bringing this one of a kind space to life? Without further ado: our newest mid-mod crush…

What initially drew your family to this particular spot?

We have always wanted a flat-roofed MCM home. We thought that this was a long-term dream, but when a friend pointed us to this listing, we were more than delighted to find that the price, neighborhood, and details were right for us. We didn’t expect to move to Bountiful, but we have grown to love it more with every season. I also couldn’t pass up the Neutra-esque windows with unbelievable sunset views in the living room.

The finishes here are fabulous–what are a few of your favorite materials used?

I love all of the tile we used throughout the house. We added a thin white brick tile to both sides of the fireplace. This was definitely a splurge, but we love how it pulls the rooms together—both the living room and the kitchen. We also added a vertically stacked subway tile to our shower and went floor to ceiling with a white penny tile set against a black grout. The kitchen really came together using a combination of IKEA cabinetry, black matte appliances, and Silestone Marble Quartz for the counters and backsplash—again mixing high and low elements to create a perfect space for entertaining and cooking. We tried to salvage the maple floors, but in the end, replaced them and the carpet with light oak throughout the entire main floor. We do love the suggestion made by our architect to use Flor Tiles in the sunken living room for a separation of texture and color.

How did the work you create at modern8 affect your design choices in your home?

Well, we can’t help that we are aesthetically-driven people—it’s in our blood and is infused in everything we create at modern8. Because we are designers, form and function are both important in the way we think about how we want our home to look, feel, and work for our family. This is similar to how we create design solutions for our clients. We seek first to understand their needs, and then create the design to match those needs. We both have very modern preferences, in architecture, furniture, and graphic design, and love classic mid-century pieces that feel timeless yet modern. We like to mix higher pieces with some low—we aren’t above IKEA. We also gravitate towards art pieces that are more graphic, like typographic prints, collage, woodblock prints, and rock posters.

Which of the changes made to the original space feel like they’ve made the biggest impact in how this home lives?

With the help of our architects, Parallel Lines Studio, we re-designed the master bedroom. We wanted something that made it feel special, so they designed us a space that feels as luxurious as a hotel. We added two floor-to-ceiling frosted windows, one that separates the bedroom from the bathroom, and the other in the shower. We finally got the shower of our dreams: it’s huge, beautiful, has a lot of natural light, and two showerheads. Alysha is happy to finally have upgraded from a pedestal sink to a vanity, and have closets big enough to fit more than just her seasonal clothes and shoes.

Have any new rituals cropped up to fit your new space? Where do you find yourselves spending the most time here?

We have been drinking early morning coffee together every day for about six years now, probably only missing a handful of mornings. We brought this ritual to our new home but now have amazing views of the sunrise coming through the windows and skylights. We can’t wait to get our fireplace running this winter for cozy mornings and nights together. Did I mention we have incredible sunsets too? There are many nights now we sit out on our patio with a glass of wine and watch the sun go down. 

Remodeling is assuredly a journey—care to share any bits of wisdom you’ve learned about yourselves, each other, or the process of creating home?

We don’t regret going all in and renovating the entire home. It is true that once you start, it’s hard to stop. We didn’t consider that we would be here full time—giving up our office space after a few months into the pandemic—but we are really happy with the choices we made. There are so many nights when I walk from the kitchen to the bedroom and I can see the night sky and lights from the city that I have to pinch myself that we really do live here. I don’t want to ever leave.

Any way you look at it, the space you’re situated in acts as a canvas for the life lived inside. Not every corner needs to be filled—especially when the square footage is chock full of good friends. What’s best about a home like this one is the flexibility: its inhabitants are welcome to get as minimal (or maximal!) as they see fit, as the interior is conducive to all manner of lifestyles.

Coffee, toast, and an easy-breezy morning.

This particularly light-filled place–perched on a charming lot in Poplar Grove–fosters the kind of living that’s cozy, comfortable, and tailor-made for whatever’s your pleasure. In short, it’s the kind of canvas that inspires a beautiful life. All you need do is turn the key and unpack. The rest is easy.

Click here to view this available listing.

A home is—above all—a frame for the lives lived inside it. All of your shower singing, dinner making, relaxing, and daydreaming occurs within the windows and walls of your space, so we think it ought to be outfitted with an intentionality to match. You see, every choice we make for our home will reflect on the lives lived inside. Why have an oversized countertop? Well, it comes in handy when sharing crudités and conversation with friends. Why those large windows? They capture the sunrise over the mountain every morning and start each day off beautifully. Why bother with such deep tup? Perhaps it’s the perfect spot to plunge after a long day of work.

This home, in particular, has been loved well. There’s tons of character to be found here, and the current owners have created a life they’ve loved inside it. The white walls made a lovely canvas for paintings and photographs. The patio’s been an ideal venue for outdoor concerts and all-night talks. The countertop’s been the perfect morning coffee stop. Now that the current owners are moving on, this home is primed to become the ideal canvas for its next inhabitants.

The only question is: what will you make it?