HGTV® Dream Home 2023 Designer Infuses Home With Rocky Mountain Vibe

Brian Patrick Flynn’s challenge designing this year’s HGTV® Dream Home was winnowing down his inspiration choices, not finding them. Located 35 minutes southwest of Denver, CO, right down the road from the former gold rush town of Golden, at the bottom of winding Bear Creek Canyon, a stone’s throw from the iconic Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre and enveloped by the grand Rocky Mountains, this modern mountain wonder offers nearly as much as its surroundings.

Flynn could look in every direction and find another nugget to impact this year’s timeless yet contemporary home in Morrison, CO. “A lot of design choices were informed by the lifestyle that comes with Colorado,” he said. “It’s important that the house fits people who will really take advantage of the surroundings.”

Flynn set out to create a rugged, active western home with a warm, cosy vibe. He designed the nearly 3,000-square-foot, three-bedroom, three-bath home with the earthy Colorado colours and an unexpected touch of classic English. The total package is breathtaking.

“Every element of designing HGTV® Dream Home 2023 is so fulfilling that it’s hard to choose a favourite,” Flynn said. “But I will say that playing around with all of the outdoor furniture to create a flow that seems totally balanced and practical, pays off once all of the spaces are set up and ready for use.”

Several Trex products set the outdoor tone at this year’s home. A deck that runs the full length of the house was built with Trex Transcend® Lineage™ composite decking in Biscayne. While Colorado is known for its winters, it also gets hot in the summer months, making Lineage a smart choice. Lineage was engineered to remain cooler under the sun than most other composite decking products of similar colour.*

“The Lineage decking is exactly what the back of the house needed,” Flynn said. “Something low maintenance and hard working so the space can just be enjoyed care-free any month of the year. I love the colouring against the sage green of the home’s exterior (siding).”

Lineage fascia boards give the deck’s edge a pleasing finishing touch, as do the Trex Hideaway® Hidden Fasteners which are installed in between the grooved-edge deck boards to eliminate unsightly screws and ensure an evenly spaced installation.

Complementing the light brown deck boards is Trex Signature® Rod Rail aluminium railing in Charcoal Black with its horizontal rather than vertical baluster treatment. Trex® Outdoor Lighting™ components not only add a romantic glow at night, but also safety features. Recessed lights installed flush on the deck boards efficiently light the way while stair riser LED lights improve wayfinding. Trex® Pergola™ in the Shadow Design and Redwood colour was installed just a few yards from the home, connected by a bridge made from Trex composite decking and railing, making a cohesive outdoor extravaganza.

One of the most obvious differences in designing this year’s HGTV® Dream Home compared to others is the increase in square footage outside the home, Flynn said. Low maintenance tops the list of requirements, making composite decking and easy-care railing the obvious material choices. Unlike wood, Trex decking, sustainably made from 95% recycled plastic film and reclaimed wood, is fade-, stain-, scratch- and mould-resistant and cleans easily with just soap and water.

“People love using their outdoor spaces so much more regularly,” Flynn said. “The must-have features of the outdoor space today has to include easy-to-care-for floor surfaces.”

The home’s interior spaces, defined by various bold and subtle colours, have plenty of special touches, including a massive wall of windows in the great room, a Pinnacle skylight ceiling, a monochromatic gold bathroom, and a mudroom complete with dog station. “I wanted the house to be a great fit for pet owners as almost everyone you see in the neighbourhood is out walking their dogs at different times of the day,” Flynn said.

Flynn’s favourite part of the home is the dining area, “right smack in the middle of the great room with the limestone fireplace anchoring it.” Outside, he loves the backyard water feature which “instantly adds a sense of calm when you see and hear it.”

 What Flynn has learnt over the past eight years is that every HGTV® Dream Home is its own unique creation. “The aesthetic evolves every year as the house must reflect its surroundings and the vernacular style,” he said. “I love that part of it though. Always ready for something unlike the previous year.”

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*Although Trex Transcend Lineage is designed to be cooler than most other composite decking products of a similar colour, on a hot sunny day, it will get hot. On hot days, care should be taken to avoid extended contact between exposed skin and the deck surface, especially with young children and those with special needs.