Thanks to a locally produced reality-TV miniseries, interior-design and architecture buffs have a chance over the next week to walk through downtown Denver’s sleek and otherwise secure new Spire condominium building.
Three of the 493 high-rise units were recently dressed up by a trio of design-savvy contestants for “The Designer Within,” a reality-TV contest airing Nov. 7 on Rocky Mountain PBS. Viewers of the show will follow local talents Lindsey Garner, Tony Torres and Rae Jamison as they compete for the title of “Colorado’s Top Interior Designer.”
“It’s a great canvas,” show host Carriann Arkowski says of the Spire condos. “It doesn’t sway you one way or another as a designer.”
Garner, Torres and Jamison applied their respective styles and decorating expertise to two-bedroom, 1,664-square-foot units, which will be for sale once the reality TV show is over. Units like these at the Spire generally sell for $500,000 to $770,000.
“The windows are like an oil painting that complements your view,” Arkowski says of these distinctly urban residences perched above the Mile High City’s bustling core. “At the Spire, you know you’re in Denver.”
Arkowski is also a designer. She runs the Colorado-based business Walls of Distinction. But she’s also bulked up her resume recently through appearances on HGTV’s “My First Place.”
Arkowski says that between the three contestants on “The Designer Within,” most anyone will see a decorating look that appeals to their taste.
“The three spaces cater to a really broad range,” she says. Where one might seem ideal for a middle-aged businessman, the next is well-suited to an antiques collector, and the third seems just right for a hip, happening, single gal, Arkowski says.
“They’re very different.”
One thing that wasn’t different about the three contestants: the high level of commitment and professionalism that was required for each of the them to complete their units in the roughly two months that transpired between the time they took possession in August, and when filming wrapped up earlier this month.
“These designers really threw themselves into this,” Arkowski says.
If you’d like to walk through the three condominiums decorated as part of the “The Designer Within” reality TV series airing Nov. 7 on Rocky Mountain PBS, call the Spire sales office at 720-457-7550 to schedule an appointment.
Putting their designs on Spire units
Three Colorado interior designers were selected from an initial contestant pool of 40 to refurbish three different two-bedroom units on the 34th, 35th and 36th floors of downtown Denver’s tony new Spire condominium building. The designers and their work will be featured in “The Designer Within,” a three-part interior design reality show airing Nov. 7 on Rocky Mountain PBS. Here, the three show finalists describe the respective looks of their finished spaces.
Tony Torres
Inspiration: I created this unit for a fictitious young female fashion designer who will use it as a live/work space.
Dominant materials: Luxe fabrics with a nod to fashion design throughout, like the master-bedroom drapes, which were designed in the same silhouette as a ball gown.
Favorite furnishing: A pair of Lexington Home chairs in the reading library just off the kitchen. They are upholstered in a simple cream woven fabric with a tiny hint of metallic in it, and topped with two pillows that look like Japanese obis.
Lindsey Garner
Inspiration: My concept is urbane cowgirl. I was inspired by the modern frontier look, and also by all the cars that you see looking down from the balcony, starting and stopping like cows in a herd.
Dominant materials: I used a lot of textures that have a rough, rugged look. For instance, I have a strong dining-room table that has a rough look to it, and leather pieces and cowhide around the space are paired with more sophisticated pieces.
Favorite furnishing: My favorite piece is actually a collection — of nine sketched portraits featuring different types of dogs. They came from Monday’s Flowers, a small accessories store in Gypsum, Colo. Everyone walks into the space and points out their favorite dog.
Rae Jamison
Inspiration: It’s called Urban Garden. I wanted this urban space to have a different feel, like an urban oasis.
Dominant materials: The building has some exposed concrete along with some finished materials, so I did the same thing by mixing natural materials with urban materials.
Favorite furnishing: I worked with a closet company to fabricate a custom entertainment center in the family room. I refinished it by covering it with the pages of an old entertainment book and also burlap.
