“Mountain High,” by Plum Sykes, was originally published in the November 2011 issue of Vogue.
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Aerin Lauder’s new Aspen home is a lesson in luxurious simplicity. Situated near the old Ute Trail among a cluster of aptly named white aspen trees and looking across to staggering views of Aspen Mountain, the ski chalet feels “like a tree house,” she says. “It’s cozy, very casual, very family. Skiing is a great holiday for everyone. It’s nice to come in after a long day, make dinner, and sit by the fire. We love watching classic old movies, playing Scrabble, and building Lego towns.”
The house, which Lauder bought in 2009, was a relatively new build that her friend and interior designer Daniel Romualdez has added character and atmosphere to by lining parts of the interior in reclaimed cypress boards and wire-brushed oak. Every room is painted white, with softly upholstered white sofas and chairs in the sitting room along with classic modern pieces such as Hans Wegner’s hoop chairs and George Nakashima’s angular wooden tables. The bedrooms have specially made low oak beds, and the library, immaculately arranged with books, resembles a giant cigar box with breathtaking views for whoever is sitting at the desk.
“Aerin was very clear that she wanted a very simple house,” says Romualdez. “It’s really just a ski house, very informal, with an open kitchen so she can make breakfast for everyone and chat. She chose to avoid the billionaire neighborhoods like Red Mountain and go for something more local and low-key.”
The house might be nonfussy, but that doesn’t mean it’s not blissfully comfy. Cashmere-lined coyote- and fox-fur rugs made for Lauder by Pologeorgis are generously thrown over chairs and sofas; baskets of shearling slippers from L.L. Bean stand ready all over the house to warm up numb feet just in from skiing. Guests find their beds made up with plain white linens from Calvin Klein, and there are always fluffy white robes in the bathrooms.
It’s a treat for Lauder to be a homebody here in worn-in Levi’s, Sorel boots, J.Crew men’s flannel shirts, and Ralph Lauren vintage ski sweaters, cooking up breakfast with her children before a jaunt out to the slopes (her sons, twelve-year-old Jack and eleven-year-old Will, and husband Eric Zinterhofer are excellent skiers). “In terms of pots and pans, I just use the basics—I’m not a snob like that. We love to grab pastries from the most amazing place called Paradise Bakery, which makes banana chocolate-chip muffins fresh every morning.” The rustic white china she favors is either bought at Calvin Klein or picked up on visits to Austria. Napkins for the table are country-style—sage greens, cream, rough linens. “And I love to use beautiful big wooden bowls that I buy at Privet House in Warren, Connecticut.”
Although she is usually extremely private about her personal life, Lauder has allowed us a glimpse into her vacation house because she is about to unleash herself on the world as a lifestyle icon: The 41-year-old beauty executive, wife, mother, and scion of one of the world’s most famous dynasties is going out on her own with a company that will include beauty products, accessories, tabletop, and housewares. The brand will officially launch in fall 2012 but will be preceded by a one-off lip gloss that will be sent to style mavens and VIPs in the spring. (Until then, Aerin fans will have to make do with a Facebook and Tumblr presence.) Confident enough to drop her last name, the onetime queen of the Park Avenue Princess set has named her label simply Aerin.
There are a lot of women who would feel pretty satisfied-slash-busy-slash-completely exhausted with a full-time job at the family firm, two young sons, and homes in Manhattan and Wainscott, Long Island, as well as the Aspen place, but not Aerin. “I have a lot of passion,” she admits. “I have a lot of pride. I think I do get that from my family. But you can be driven and be nice. It’s my personality to be more quiet and reserved. I’m not going out every night to multiple things. I prefer to stay in and be with my children and do Spanish homework to make sure they get a good grade the next day. But I’ve always wanted to do this and really started working on it about two years ago.”
People will say, ‘It’s easy for her because she has all this money,’ ” says her friend and Hamptons neighbor Mickey Drexler, CEO of J.Crew. “But not many women in her position go out there and take the risk and put their vision on the line. She obviously wants to be independent. As someone who has had experience of family-controlled companies, I can say it ain’t easy.”
