Cheryl Tolleson

Tolleson Architect

Email | Website303-674-2871

Originally from Pasadena, Texas, licensed architect and interior designer Cheryl Tolleson has been a Colorado resident since 1985. Although she was living in England as an Oxford exchange student through the University of Texas School of Architecture at the time, after visiting Colorado once she decided to move. She brought with her a love for European Townscapes and urban planning through her involvement with Master Planning projects for the Entertainment District of Oxford, the Historic Strand District in Galveston, Texas, and Mead’s Bay, a residential development on the beaches of Anguilla in the British West Indies.

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Tolleson says she knew she wanted to be a designer after experiencing disconnects between architects and interior designers on a few projects. “Architects were thinking one thing and interior designers another,” Tolleson explains. “So I decided if I became a designer as well, I would have an opportunity to make the two more cohesive, and play off each other.”

Her plan was successful and, as a result, she has worked on both sides of an array of unique projects all over the world. Additionally, she quickly realized that urban planning and cityscape revitalization have a lot to do with architecture and interior design. She points out that “if a district is ‘hot’ it’s because there is an underlying pattern pulling everything together, just like the design of a good home, or a good interior.”

Over the years Tolleson has observed the connection between architecture and interior design and says that both sides, like a good couple, should strengthen each other. By using her honed observation skills, she has brought new life to entertainment and historic districts. Her methods involve studying everything such as how people use the area, what is missing, traffic patterns, housing, retail, restaurants, and transportation issues. In addition to her commercial work, Tolleson maintains a strong passion for residential architecture and design. She believes that a home can be enduring, timeless, and an exhilarating place to spend time.

As a result of her sharp eye, Tolleson’s designs have been featured in many regional and international magazines and Tolleson Architects, the firm she has operated with her husband Tom for over 25 years, has won several awards including: “Best Regional Design” for a ski-in, ski-out home in Telluride, Colorado, recognition for Buildings that Beckon which is an award presented by Denver Mayor Michael Hancock for the Stir Cooking School in the popular Highlands District of Denver, and the Grand Award for “Best of Show” in the prestigious Castle Pines Golf Club Parade of Homes.

Regardless of the project, Tolleson believes in the importance of investing in a quality rug and says that a beautiful rug takes her breath away. She also says the aspect she enjoys most about her profession is the opportunity to design gorgeous homes, the exceptional furnishings she gets to play with and specify, and her clients who she describes as “the real heroes” because they have taught her so much.

 

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