Modern In Denver partnered with Draper Studios to dive even deeper into our winter issue’s story of Kevin Stephenson’s mountain home, producing a film that focuses on the four-story mural Stephenson, a cofounding principal of BOSS.architecture, commissioned artists Jaime Molina and Pedro Barrios to create. Filmmaker Matt Draper visited the residence and spoke with Molina about the mural from concept to installation, and with Stephenson about why he feels original artwork is imperative to great architecture.

“Getting to film at the cabin was a great experience and allowed me to understand how the sense of place influenced Kevin’s design and the artists’ mural,” said Draper. The residence was eight years in the making, and Stephenson told Draper that once it was complete, he was left feeling that there was something still missing. “I needed something to really transform the place,” says Stephenson, “something only an artist can bring.”

Stephenson brought in Molina and Barrios, giving direction on a color palette that would speak to the property’s many aspen trees, and explaining how the architecture worked in response to the layers of the surrounding forest: forest floor, understory, canopy, and overstory. From there, he let Molina and Barrios use their creativity in the making of a truly unique mural that fully encapsulates the spirit of the home and the inhabitants.

This four-minute film by Draper Studios tells the story of how this project came together and reveals the beautiful result.