LOCATION: Carbondale, Colorado — This small town of 6,500 at the foot of the Rocky Mountains has emerged as flashy Aspen’s slightly lower-key but increasingly hip counterpart, drawing a slew of new restaurants and boutique lodging options in recent years (including Izakaya Carbondale, an offshoot of popular Aspen sushi spot Kenichi, and Way Home, a restaurant, bar, and inn rolled into one century-old brick house). A horse ranch with 35 acres, 1122 County Road has sweeping views of the snowy twin peaks of Mount Sopris and Roaring Fork Valley’s pastures. Horses graze by the fence lines daily and elk families migrate through the area. It’s remote, in other words—but there’s a Whole Foods-equipped shopping center in the nearby town of Basalt, only a ten-minute drive away.
PRICE: $1,650,000
SPECS: 2 beds, 2 baths, 1,351 square feet, 35 acres — Built in 2016, this custom shipping-container home has massive floor-to-ceiling windows in nearly every room (and decks—the master bedroom has two). The sleek and minimal interior features dark, locally sourced wood floors and white corrugated steel walls, a nod to the structure’s industrial origins. A high-contrast kitchen mixes black cabinets with stainless-steel appliances (and a farmhouse sink) and a large handmade butcher-block countertop. Nearby, spiral stairs lead up to the two bedrooms and down to a basement with enough space for laundry and an office or art studio.
NOTABLE FEATURE: The owner, an inventor, snuck in an architectural Easter egg: A secret opening built into the living-room floor reveals a subterranean vaulted space that stretches 50 feet. It can be used as a safe room, wine cellar, or slightly dystopian basement lounge.