Owner Spotlight: A Year in the Aspen Retreat
How one couple transformed their Aspen tower from a weekend retreat into the creative center of their practice.
When Sarah and David Chen purchased their Aspen tower, they imagined using it as a weekend escape. Twelve months later, it has become the center of their creative practice.
Sarah, a ceramicist, works from the observation deck each morning. David, a writer, finds the isolation essential for deep focus. Together, they've discovered that the tower's design — its deliberate separation from distraction — has fundamentally changed how they approach their work and their relationship with nature.
Finding Creative Rhythm
"The first thing that changed was our mornings," Sarah explains. "In Denver, we'd wake up and immediately reach for our phones. Here, we wake up to silence and light. The tower faces east, so the first thing you see is the sun hitting the Elk Mountains. It resets something in you."
David agrees: "I wrote more in my first three months here than in the previous two years combined. There's something about the vertical isolation — being elevated above the treeline — that strips away the mental noise. You're left with just your thoughts and the view."
The Investment Case
The Chens were initially hesitant about the financial model. But their tower generated $142,000 in rental income during the nine months they weren't in residence — more than covering their annual costs and management fees.
"We use it about 90 days a year," David says. "The rest of the time, it's working for us. The management team handles everything — we just see the reports and the deposits. It's the most passive investment we've ever made, and it's the one we enjoy the most."
Seasonal Transformations
One of the unexpected joys has been watching the landscape transform through the seasons. "In winter, you're above a white ocean," Sarah describes. "The snow covers everything and the tower feels like a lighthouse. In summer, the meadows below turn this incredible green, and you can hear the creek from the observation deck."
"Each season feels like living in a different place," David adds. "But the constant is the tower itself — it's home regardless of what's happening outside. That combination of permanence and change is something we never expected."
