Vail is a developing city in Colorado with rich cultural heritage and a vibrant community. Those who are looking to start over in Vail or build a new home within its borders are faced with the strenuous task of creating a home. Luckily, the area has a number of architectural firms that can provide top-caliber design services in line with a variety of home styles.
This list features the best residential architects in Vail, Colorado. To come up with this list, our team gathered a list of local firms and assessed each based on a set of criteria that takes each firm’s work history, capabilities, and overall quality of work into consideration.
Tom Cole Architecture
PO Box 1218, Vail, CO 81658
Tom Cole Architecture is an architectural design studio known for its use of hand drawn methods, traditional design techniques, and an eye in the most up-to-date craftsmanship trends. Tom Cole is also a proponent of the sky-is-the-limit design principle that encourages their clients to be creative and bold in their choices. This design philosophy enables the firm to complete high-caliber projects in varying home styles and functions.
One of the firm’s works is Whiskey Ridge, this Contemporary home in a mountainous Colorado neighborhood. The homeowner requested a spacious residence that will not undercut intimacy and close encounters. In creating the dichotomy of the home, Tom Cole positioned the master suite in a private wing of the house and connected it to the main living area with a glass walkway hanging above a water feature.
NDG Architecture
Edwards, CO 81632
Vail Valley residents have been under the care of NDG Architecture for a decade. Through the years, NDG has established and maintained a reputation for reliability and consistency in both residential and commercial market segments. The firm is adored by local organizations, publications, and clients. NDG’s perspective on architecture is that it is a work of art and an avenue to pursue what’s possible in the highest level of design.
This pursuit and love of great design paved the way for NDG’s impressive portfolio of residential projects. The McCoy Creek log home featured in this photo displays this intention. This home is one of six in the enclave at McCoy Creek designed by Bill Nutkins, AIA. It has a unique appeal attributed to its structural integrity and heavy use of logs.
Martin Manley Architects
Eagle, CO 81631
With combined industry experience of over 30 years, John Martin and Jeff Manley have collaborated for each project through their namesake firm Martin Manley Architects. The duo has completed major projects in the area in multiple home styles from period-specific styles, popular modern styles, to eclectic bespoke selections.
Homes such as the Birtwhistle House in Cordillera Valley show the firm’s imaginative and skilled design expertise as they navigate unusual terrains of the Colorado region. The home has a strong geometric silhouette that is matched by an impeccable attention to detail. Irregularly-shaped windows and detailing define the facade of the home and its lively atmosphere.
Suman Architects
141 E. Meadow Dr. # 211, Vail, CO 81657
Named one of Mountain Living Magazine’s ML List Top Architects and Designers in 2018 and 2020, Suman Architects is a custom residential and light commercial design firm led by Michael Suman. Michael is an experienced architect trained at the University of Minnesota and an avid fan of the active mountain lifestyle. He displays this love for the outdoors and nature in his designs.
He is joined by a skilled team of design professionals that handle complex and demanding projects that follow unconventional site specifications and challenging details. The Alpine Mountain Home featured in the photo is a modern edition of a mountain retreat that packs the comfort and style needed to stand out in the unsuspecting mountainous setting.
RMT Architects
0101 Fawcett Rd. Suite 235, Avon, CO 81620
RMT Architects is a multidisciplinary design firm capable of residential architectural design, interior design, and planning. The firm is recognized for its design excellence by Mountain Living Magazine for 20 consecutive years. RMT is the product of founding principals Harvey Robertson and Paul Miller, later joined by Chad Salter. Currently, the firm is being led by Harvey and Chad, continuing to design and develop architecture throughout the United States. RMT uses a multi-team design and development approach on every project.
Red Draw Ranch | Builder: ContractOne, Inc. (Grant Herzog)
The firm’s mountain lifestyle takes center in the firm’s operational structure and overall style of residential designs. Projects such as the modern ranch home in the photo display RMT’s capacity and unparalleled taste. The home has fine timberwork that supports the massive structure of the estate and its grand design.
Pierce Austin Architects
1650 Fall Ridge Rd. #C-1, Vail, CO 81657
Founded in 1978, Pierce Austin Architects is a forward-thinking architectural and interior design firm capable of creating new concepts and preserving the appeal of classical homes that has taken a backseat in the turn of the times. The firm has an arsenal of residential and commercial projects that display the calculated and discerning nature of its operations. This appeal allowed the firm to be featured in the pages of Colorado Homes & Lifestyles Magazine and Vail Valley Home Magazine multiple times.
Residential works such as the Eclectic French Manor feature testifies on behalf of the firm’s great abilities. The home has a unique look that makes it pleasantly difficult to categorize easily but it follows time-tested details such as the asymmetrical structure and typical manor layout, modified in the sloping environment of the mountain where it stands.
Sipes Architects
175 Williams St. #204, Minturn, CO 81645
With sustainability in mind, Sipes Architects has served Vail Valley and beyond with innovative techniques and practices merited through founder Brian Sipes’ 30+ years of industry experience. Other than prioritizing sustainability, the firm is also known for its outstanding customer service and civic engagement, honored by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) through the Citizen Architect award. Brian Sipes and his team of design professionals have put up a name in adaptive and sustainable designs that fit in specifically within the context of the Colorado environment.
The Riverside Modern home displayed in the photo is a chic home in Minturn that proves that when it comes to residential design, size is dictated by the layout. The home has a petite build and layout but it serves twice when it comes to functionality. The home also enhances the mountain backdrop and the riverside setting where it perfectly fits the communal atmosphere.
Alm Architects
126 N. Penstemon Ln., Eagle, CO 81631
For over three decades, Alm Architects has sustained a name in high-end residential design in the global market spanning from Hong Kong to the United States and everywhere in between. The firm is composed of a group of talented architects capable of carrying out various home design projects in different styles that demand different techniques. The Beaver Creek Modern home displayed in this photo is an example of the firm’s design ingenuity and keen eye for detail.
This 7,200-square-foot estate is a great design that stands in a sloping base. The Alm team struck a balance between the classical mountain abode design and the intricacies of modern architecture. The result is this enviable home that blurs the lines between the old and the new in architectural design.
RKD Architects
137 Main St., Edwards, CO 81632
Purveyors of sleek residential architecture and forward-thinking designs appropriate for mountainous areas, RKD Architects operates all over the country. Jack Snow and Sally Brainerd have been in the industry since 1989. The duo takes the lead in projects that gain the approval of relevant industry organizations and publications including Architectural Digest, Mountain Living, The Wall Street Journal, and Luxe.
The accolades of the firm reflect RKD’s impressive track record in Modern and Contemporary works. Homes such as the Quarry House give way to the firm’s ability to use natural and everyday materials to channel a luxurious charm consistent with the firm’s vision and taste. The Quarry House uses wood and concrete all throughout the interior and exterior of the home to give a continuing fashionable appeal. The home is divided into three pods that allow compartmentalization.
Berglund Architects
210 Edwards Village Blvd. A103, Edwards, CO 81632
Founded by Hans Berglund in 2004, his namesake firm Berglund Architects is an extension of his expertise in custom homes designed for mountainous areas. The Berglund team has a reputation for innovative sustainable design and consistency in design quality and workmanship. The firm’s portfolio is characterized by mountain modern style homes incorporating large windows and doors, a rich palette of natural materials.
The home featured above has an unconventional silhouette defined by gently curved roofs that mimics the rocky range where the home was built. The result is this unmistakable residential masterpiece that blends in natural materials and modern design elements right in the middle of Colorado mountains.
K.H. Webb Architects
710 W. Lionshead Cir. Suite A, Vail, CO 81657
Kyle H. Webb is a prominent architect known for his tenure at the leadership of Vail Valley Chamber of Commerce and various local organizations. Since 1999, Webb has provided site-specific and complex design projects all over Vail and surrounding areas. The firm’s operational capabilities have captured the attention of local organizations and relevant publications such as Luxe, Mountain Living, and Vail-Beaver Creek Magazine.
The firm has a stellar record of Contemporary and Modern residential design projects that suit mountainscapes and modern neighborhoods alike. This Modern home dubbed as the Rockledge in Vail Village is an example of this design mastery. The niche nature of these projects secure the firm accolades such as the Mountain Living’s Home of the Year award.
