The Story Behind
Slope-Side Sanctuary Where Cascade Village Meets Considered Design
There are homes that occupy a site, and there are homes that belong to one. 1226 Westhaven Circle East is unambiguously the latter. For years, this particular lot within Cascade Village was quietly admired by those who understood what it offered — a rare orientation against the mountainside, a natural privacy, and a proximity to the ski lift that most Vail residents can only imagine from a distance. When the opportunity finally arose to build, an established developer brought together a team whose collective reputation spoke for itself: architect Hans Berglund, known throughout the Colorado mountain region for designs that honor their natural context, and builder JP Sunderland, whose craft is evident in every joint, beam, and finish throughout the home.
The exterior announces its character immediately. Stone and warm wood siding establish a material language that is at once rooted in alpine tradition and unmistakably contemporary in its execution. Multi-level decks extend the living space outward, and a private spa sits at ground level, positioned to take full advantage of the surrounding landscape. The ski lift runs directly adjacent to the property — not as a distant amenity, but as a living, breathing feature visible through the home's glass walls, a daily reminder of the extraordinary setting.
Inside, the architectural tone is set the moment one crosses the threshold. A grand multi-level staircase with light wood treads and a sleek dark metal railing rises through the heart of the home, anchored by a cascading chandelier of organic, translucent pendants that filters light downward through the open stairwell like a sculptural installation. It is a deliberate statement: this is a home where craft and artistry are inseparable.
The open-concept living areas unfold with a sense of generous proportion. Wood-paneled ceilings, stone-clad chimney breasts, and walls of floor-to-ceiling glass create an interior that feels simultaneously sheltered and boundless. The kitchen is appointed with warm wood cabinetry, stone countertops, a professional gas range beneath a stainless steel hood, and a geometric hexagonal tile backsplash that adds quiet visual texture without competing with the mountain panorama beyond the sink window.
The primary suite occupies its own elevated atmosphere. A vaulted wood-paneled ceiling draws the eye upward, while a stone-clad fireplace and a generous window wall framing forest and mountain views create a retreat of genuine serenity. The primary bathroom completes the picture with a double vanity, a glass-enclosed walk-in shower, and a freestanding soaking tub positioned directly beneath a large window — a composition that is equal parts architecture and indulgence.
Elsewhere, a dedicated office with built-in cabinetry and a collaborative workspace offers a considered space for focus, while a well-appointed bunk room speaks to the home's equal fluency in hosting. Window placement throughout has been carefully calibrated to track sunlight across the day and frame the quiet rhythm of the ski lift, ensuring that the mountain is never merely a backdrop — it is always a presence.
Vail, Colorado occupies a singular position in the American mountain landscape — a town purpose-built around the pursuit of alpine excellence and, over the decades, refined into one of the world's most recognized resort destinations. Founded in 1962 by Pete Seibert and Earl Eaton following Seibert's vision of recreating the European ski village experience on American soil, Vail has grown into a community of genuine cultural depth, offering not only world-class skiing across its roughly 5,300 acres of skiable terrain, but a year-round lifestyle that draws visitors and full-time residents alike for its natural beauty, culinary sophistication, and sense of community.
Cascade Village sits on the western edge of Vail, separated from the main village's commercial energy by a welcome measure of distance and discretion. The neighborhood has long been understood as one of Vail's more private residential enclaves, its position against the mountainside affording a degree of seclusion that is genuinely rare within a resort town of this stature. The Grand Hyatt Vail anchors the community and brings with it the amenities of a full-service luxury hotel — including the celebrated Makoto Vail, the acclaimed Japanese restaurant that has become a destination in its own right. For residents of Cascade Village, property management services and dedicated ski storage further reduce the friction of mountain living, allowing full attention to be given to the experience itself.
Vail Mountain, which rises directly from the town, is consistently ranked among the finest ski resorts in North America, renowned for its Back Bowls — a vast expanse of open terrain that stretches across seven distinct bowls totaling over 2,700 acres. Blue Sky Basin extends the mountain's offering further, providing a sense of backcountry immersion within the bounds of a serviced resort. In the warmer months, the mountain transforms: hiking and mountain biking trails thread through the same terrain that skiers descend in winter, and the Vail Nature Center along Gore Creek offers a quieter engagement with the valley's ecology.
Vail Village itself, a short distance to the east, offers a pedestrian-friendly streetscape of boutiques, art galleries, and restaurants housed in alpine-inspired architecture. The Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater hosts the Bravo! Vail Music Festival each summer, drawing internationally recognized orchestras and soloists to an outdoor venue framed by mountain peaks. The Vail Valley Medical Center provides comprehensive healthcare services, and Eagle County Regional Airport, approximately 35 miles west, offers commercial and private aviation access.
For those who choose Cascade Village specifically, the appeal is the balance it strikes — close enough to Vail's cultural and culinary life to engage with it fully, yet sufficiently removed to maintain the quiet that mountain living, at its best, is meant to provide. The ski lift adjacent to 1226 Westhaven Circle East is not merely a convenience; it is a direct expression of what this address represents: a life in which the mountain is not a destination you travel to, but the place where you already are.
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