Anyone who has followed House Crazy Sarah over the years knows that she is in love with John Denver, even though he no longer walks on this mortal earth *sniff*. 🙁
But it’s okay to love a dead guy. One day they may meet up in heaven. In the meantime, she celebrates her adoration for our dear John by keeping up to date on his former home in Aspen, Colorado.
House Crazy Sarah did two posts about the house when it was for sale in the past on her old blog. And guess what? It’s up for sale again and it has been completely remodeled!
Have a look at some before and after pics…
1st time listed on the market
2nd time listed on the market
3rd time listed on the market
It’s almost unrecognizable now! This hurts House Crazy Sarah’s tender heart because John Denver designed and decorated the home himself. Now, most traces of John have been scrubbed right out of the house. 🙁
Have a look at the dining room…
1st time on the market
2nd time on the market
3rd time on the market
From the photos above, you can see that the current owners have removed walls, roof lines and entire portions of the upper level. It is a lot more open, but it just doesn’t feel the same as when our sweet John lived there.
Look at the progression of the kitchen…
1st time on the market
2nd time on the market
3rd time on the market
The kitchen has been completely transformed! Three times! It went from total 1970’s to 1990’s to 20-teens.
Have a look at the master bedroom through the years…
1st time on the market
2nd time on the market
3rd time on the market
Notice the entire feel of the room has changed from enchanted dark and cozy, to modern light and airy. But House Crazy Sarah is happy to see that the current owners did keep some of the stained glass work and copper floating wood stove installed by John.
John had a favorite deck built out front where he would get together with friends, play guitar, sing, and get all Rocky Mountain High.
Here are some pics the listing agents have taken of that special spot over the years…
1st time on the market
2nd time on the market
3rd time on the market
At least some things stay the same!
House Crazy Sarah’s judge and jury are still out on how she feels about all the changes. The old photos of when the house was sold just after John died really represented his style. But they are also dark and the house felt kinda closed-in.
When it was listed the second time since his death, efforts had been made to lighten things up, mostly with decor. But it still felt like John Denver.
This most recent time on the market, it feels like a whole different house. The spaces have been vaulted and white-washed to the point of being almost sterile. It’s nice to see things lighter and more open, but….. it just feels like any modern home. Not John Denver’s home. 🙁
The added windows, however, do highlight those mountains he so loved!
And there are some rustic touches which pay homage to our dear John – like the large brick kitchen fireplace with copper chimney…
Even in the ultra-modern master bathroom reno, some of John’s stained glass was utilized.
Probably John didn’t care too much about his closet, but what the current owners have done with it is impressive:
Alas, it is the same house but nothing stays exactly the same forever.
…except for John’s beloved Rocky Mountains!
What do you think of the changes John Denver’s house has undergone over the years?
Do tell!
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Source:
[All before and after photos are from MLS listing photos]
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Love the changes!
I HATE the current look. They’ve taken all the warmth out of the house.
I loved every bit of how John Denver designed his home, just my style, warm and cozy.
I hate how it looks now. ☹️
I’m a huge fan of John Denver. I loved how he designed it. It’s a beautiful house. It needed updated.
Things and design are always changing! John and Annie nailed it for the 70s and the current owners nailed it for the present! You can’t take away the Rockies and they will always be the center of the home. Glad the newest owners added the windows!! SPECTACULAR!!!
This house should have been preserved the way John Denver had left it. Many great things could have come of it with all his philanthropy he truly believed in. Not to be commercialized though
Just to clarify: the 2nd listing of the kitchen is actually a photo of the kitchen in the guest house, not the main house. The main difference in 1st listing to 2nd listing is that a stove was added in the island in 2nd listing.
They could have updated some fixtures without ripping out all the wood which made it look like a ski lodge, but they turned it into some urban loft including the metal stair rails. Colorless, the white is very cold against a cold setting.
The inside does not fit with the outside landscape the way John Denver’s original house did.
And this black cased window trend is just stupid looking. Who started that?
I was John Denver‘s pool man 1983 through 1984. He had me in for a Saint Pauli girl beer with him the first day I met him. Super kind and humble. Loved working for him and being up on that mountain. He was truly an amazing guy!
That is so neat Mark! Thanks for leaving a comment.