Home Care In Bow Mar, CO

In 2018, Amy Millisor sold the 10,500-square-foot modern mansion her family had lived in for five years and bought an older home just a few doors down. After her husband’s sudden death, she was ready to downsize and create a new space for herself, her teenage kids, and their two shih tzu pups—and the lot overlooking Marston Lake felt like just the place to do it. “I knew I wanted to build a warm, inviting home to host parties and family for the weekend without feeling overwhelmed by a large space,” she says.

After scraping the dated house that sat on her new property, Millisor knew exactly whom to call to create a family home in its place: Andrea Schumacher—Millisor’s friend and the designer of her previous home—and architect Matt Stais, who worked on a group of Breckenridge vacation properties that Millisor and her late husband developed before settling in Bow Mar.

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A Cape Cod native, Millisor has a deep love of East Coast architecture and shoreside living. But, as is the case for so many Colorado transplants, mountain-inspired architecture has found its way into her aesthetic, as have pieces collected during her travels to far-flung destinations, from Southeast Asia to the American South. “I love to purchase meaningful items to remember my special trips,” she says. Millisor tasked her design team with creating a home that touched on each of these style influences while honoring her family’s past, present, and future.

With East Coast and Rocky Mountain vernaculars in mind, Stais selected an exterior materials palette of cedar-shake shingle siding, buff stone accents, and jet black trim. Inside, French and sliding glass doors offer panoramic views of Marston Lake and Mt. Evans to the west, while chunky wooden ceiling beams and a custom floating fireplace in the great room evoke a cozy mountain lodge.

The fireplace’s wood veneer wallcovering was one of the first finishes Schumacher chose for the interiors. “Its color mimics the water, and its texture also draws in the mountains,” she says, noting that similar blue hues were used on the nearby kitchen armoire and bar cabinet. “In a way, we used that watery blue color as a neutral.”

These cool tones reappear in the glamorous powder room, where Schumacher paired a vibrant, teal-painted ceiling with a custom vanity constructed from a blue-stained, vintage Dongbei sideboard that she found on 1stDibs and selected as a nod to Millisor’s Asian travels. The elegant, hand-painted chinoiserie wallpaper doubles as fine art, while delicate, gilded-iron sconces add a touch of Southern charm.

Mindful of Millisor’s vision of a house that entertains well, Stais and Schumacher placed the bar in the great room in order to draw guests out of the kitchen. The modern bar cabinets have a historic counterpart in a pair of repurposed 19th-century teak columns from India, while the wall sconces and hammered-metal coffee table mimic the brass accents in the kitchen.

Schumacher’s effortless mixing and matching of design details is on full display throughout the house: art deco–influenced tile in the main bathroom, midcentury-style chandeliers in the dining room, a leather-fringed chandelier in the entry. Uniting them all is the narrative of the family that lives here. “This house is a more condensed and efficient form of living than the previous home,” Schumacher says. “Before, [Millisor] was just filling up space, but this home is full of pieces that are intentional and that she loves.”

Design Pros

Interior Design: Andrea Schumacher Interiors Architecture: Stais Architecture & Interiors Construction: Haley Custom Homes Landscape Architecture: Viewpoint Design Group

We have been on a tour d’horizon lately, analyzing various American states and identifying the wealthiest cities there. Recently, we have been focused on the Census-designated South region of the United States, conducting studies of the richest cities in Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Alabama. Now, we’re turning to the Rocky Mountain states and we’re starting with the epitome of the Rockies — Colorado.

We analyzed over 480 cities in the state in order to identify the richest cities in Colorado. The way in which we evaluated and scored each city’s ranking is detailed below.

Read on to find out what the richest city in Colorado is, plus the top 50 wealthiest cities in the state overall.

What Are the Richest Cities in Colorado?

In order to put together this list of the richest cities in Colorado, we sourced key financial data from the Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey. From here, we constructed a four-factor scoring system to help identify the wealthiest cities in Colorado:

When it comes to Census data, keep these things in mind: For certain factors, the Census numbers have upper limits. For example, for median household income, the Census Bureau has an upper limit of “$250,000+”. For median home value, the upper limit is “$2,000,000+”. For median property taxes paid, the upper limit is “$10,000+”. For these reasons, the mean household income (which is the same as average household income) dataset is crucial because the Census Bureau has exact figures for it. All four of these metrics were scored, added up, and then ranked by the cities’ combined scores.

Below you’ll find a table detailing the top 50 richest cities in Colorado and their respective dollar figures for each metric:

The No. 1 richest city in Colorado in our ranking is Cherry Hills Village, which, despite having “village” in its name, is fairly sizable, with 2,20 total households. Cherry Hills Village is a southern suburb of Denver, in Arapahoe County. In Cherry Hills Village, the median household income exceeds $250,000, while its average household income of $464,068 is the highest in Colorado. The reported median home value in Cherry Hill Villages is in excess of $2 million, the only city in Colorado where that’s true. The same goes for median property taxes paid per year, which exceed $10,000 in Cherry Hills Village. According to Data USA, the employment breakdown makes sense for such a high-income city. The top category of occupations in Cherry Hill Villages is Management Occupations, accounting for 36.2% of the workforce. In terms of the city’s top industries, they are Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (18.7% of the workforce), Finance & Insurance (15.2% of the workforce), and Health Care & Social Assistance (12.4% of the workforce).

The No. 2 richest city in Colorado is Bow Mar, which is southwest of Denver and part of the Front Range Urban Corridor. Its name comes from the two lakes that lie next to it: Bowles Lake and Marston Lake. Bow Mar is a small town, with only 304 total households. The median household income in Bow Mar is $199,000, which is the fifth highest in Colorado. The city’s average household income of $324,109 is the fourth highest in the state. Bow Mar also stands out for its median home value, which is a reported $1,465,900, the second highest in Colorado. Lastly, the median property taxes paid per year is $9,939, the second highest amount besides Cherry Hill Villages.

Coming in at No. 3 on our list of the richest cities in Colorado is Columbine Valley, another suburb south of Denver. According to Data USA, a third of the workforce in Columbine Valley is employed in Management Occupations (33.3%). What’s more, the top industries by employment reflect what one might expect of a high-income town: Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (28.4% of the workforce), Finance & Insurance (17.5% of the workforce), and Real Estate & Rental & Leasing (10.5% of the workforce). With a median household income of $245,208, Columbine Valley has the second highest income in Colorado, behind only Cherry Hill Villages. Its average household income of $331,353 is the third highest in the state. Meanwhile, its reported median home value is $1,058,600, the fourth highest in Colorado but noticeably less than No. 2 Bow Mar’s median home value.

A Colorado businessman has been sentenced to 15 months of imprisonment for evading payment of over $700,000 in employment taxes. This judgment sends out a stern message to small business owners about the dire consequences of tax evasion, a practice that ultimately undermines the integrity of the economy.

From Bow Mar, Colorado, Frank Stevens has found himself on the wrong side of the law. He co-owned multiple businesses, including restaurants and an oil production firm. These establishments employed numerous individuals from whom Stevens withheld income and Social Security and Medicare taxes.

According to court documents and courtroom statements, this evasion began as early as 2002, spanning many subsequent years. Stevens systematically failed to forward the withheld payroll taxes to the IRS or file the necessary quarterly employment tax returns for his businesses. Following unsuccessful collection attempts from the businesses, the IRS assessed the tax against Stevens personally.

To stave off the IRS’s collection efforts through bank levies, Stevens strategically maintained low balances in his personal and business bank accounts, often reducing them to just $0.01. He also transferred funds or directed employees to transfer just enough to cover expenses, moving any leftover money to an account not subject to IRS levy. These maneuvers led to an estimated tax loss of about $737,128.

In addition to his prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Daniel D. Domenico ruled that Stevens must also serve three years of supervised release. Furthermore, Stevens has been ordered to pay a $10,000 fine and $1,096,138.14 in restitution to the United States.

The announcement came from Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division. The IRS-Criminal Investigation team scrutinized the case and prosecuted by Tax Division Trial Attorneys Peter Anthony and Julia Rugg.

This incident provides a crucial lesson for small business owners. Compliance with tax obligations is not optional, and evading such duties can lead to severe consequences. The evasion of employment taxes not only defrauds the government but also unfairly burdens employees who rely on social safety nets like Social Security and Medicare.

Small business owners must understand that while managing taxes can be challenging, they are a legal obligation. There are numerous resources available to assist businesses with tax compliance, including tax professionals, the IRS Small Business and Self-Employed Tax Center, and various software tools. As this case demonstrates, ignoring these obligations can lead to prison terms, heavy fines, and a damaged reputation that can critically harm a business’s future viability.

In conclusion, the conviction of Frank Stevens serves as a potent reminder to all business owners of the importance of tax compliance. It’s a sobering example that the risks of tax evasion far outweigh any perceived short-term benefits. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and their ethical and financial compliance is vital for the health and integrity of the whole economic system.

Image: Envato Elements

Updating your kitchen’s design scheme? We found style inspiration from 15 kitchens and dining spaces around the Front Range so you don’t have to.

Below, designers share their hard-earned tips on everything from materials to color to lighting to help guide you on your own kitchen reno.

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The New Classics

Borrowing design wisdom from previous generations can yield timeless results.

Rustic Chic

Enter this Morrison kitchen and you may feel you’ve teleported to Europe. “I started with reclaimed vintage French oak flooring by [South Carolina–based supplier] Vintage Elements,” says designer Dion Williams, who also applied the material to floating shelving and a custom range hood. Adding to the sense of authenticity are intentionally imperfect terra-cotta tiles from Tabarka Studio and walls of Ascona fieldstone, from Telluride Stone, topped with a thick mortar wash known as the German schmear finish. “The result gave us that historic farmhouse look we were hoping for,” Williams says.

Au Naturel

If Grace Kelly were to design a Colorado kitchen, it might look something like this fresh yet classic space in the Country Club neighborhood. “The cabinet insets are a natural cane,” says CKY Design principal Megan Hudacky. “This material became popular in the late 1800s, when furniture designers started using it in their chair designs. It has a lightness that breaks up the monotony of the white cabinets.” Adding to the allure is a dramatically veined marble slab backsplash that complements a light fixture designed by Ralph Lauren for Circa Lighting. “The channeled glass and brass are a throwback to the art deco era,” Hudacky says of its materials, which, like the rest of the room, are as striking as they are refined.

True Colors

Deep, rich hues provide the ultimate exclamation point.

Rare Gem

The owners of this Denver kitchen had a simple directive: “Bring personality to a very vanilla space,” says Miranda Cullen, founder and principal of Littleton design firm Inside Stories. Out went the banal white cabinets and countertops, and in came sumptuous jewel tones. Cabinets painted Benjamin Moore’s Gentleman’s Gray are “the perfect bold neutral to ground the space,” Cullen says, while the custom range hood in black metal and brass answers the clients’ call for boldness.

New Wave

Once a dated den of granite countertops and chocolate-colored cabinetry, this Cory Merrill cookspace is now very much of the moment, thanks to a makeover by Atelier Interior Design. “The cabinets are a dark, forest green color—that was where the design began,” says designer Katie Schroder, who lightened the mood with patterned and pink backsplash tiles. Adding even more interest are Cambria quartz countertops with green veining that sparkles in the glow of a pendant by Tracy Glover Studio. “The client’s style leaned clean and modern, and this light was the perfect piece to tie in that aesthetic,” Schroder says.

Into the Woods

Handsome timber touches are as sharp and hard-wearing as a chef’s knife.

Shine On

With its silver maple cabinets by Tharp Custom Cabinetry, concrete-finish quartz countertops, and glazed ceramic tile backsplash in tuxedo black, this sleek Erie cookspace makes natural finishes feel downright chic. “I love to mix metals,” says designer Gala Stude, who partnered with Courtney Seavall to select the room’s shimmering accents. “I always try to keep it to just two—in this case, it’s brass and stainless steel.” A second sink, dishwasher, beverage cooler, and other functional elements are tucked away in a back kitchen, giving gleaming pendant lights and counter stools plenty of room to shine.

Open Space

That old yarn about the cobbler with no shoes doesn’t apply to designer Julie Doman, who outfitted her own Hilltop kitchen as artfully as possible. “Because it’s open to the main living area, I wanted it to be a clean design that hid all of the appliances—and I needed a large pantry to hide smaller countertop appliances,” she says. Vonmod millwork with a rich walnut finish and solid walnut cabinet pulls provides a seamless, midcentury-inspired style that’s emphasized by sleek, black granite counters and the absence of light fixtures. “I tend to avoid hanging pendants over the kitchen island,” Doman says. “And these cabinets are so beautiful, I didn’t want to block the view.”

Serenity Now

Skip the all-white kitchen in favor of soulful neutrals.

Layer It On

“We wanted to achieve something that felt contemporary and clean but with a multitude of layers,” says Bri Rutledge, lead interior designer at Chalet Colorado, of this Observatory Park project. For the floors, she chose white-oak planks finished with one coat of white lye and another of Bona NaturalSeal to nix any orange tones. For the countertops, she specified contrasting slabs of Carrara marble and soapstone. And to fill the room’s uppermost plane, she hung pendants from Normann Copenhagen, which “add a sense of crisp simplicity.”

Lighten Up

For this kitchen revamp in the Roaring Fork Valley, designer Karen White made durability elegant by employing Neolith counters, porcelain tile flooring that looks like reclaimed wood planks, and cabinets by Ellis Design, which are painted in Sherwin-Williams’ Retreat, a muted green that “blends with the beautiful sweeping views and greenery outside,” White says. Our favorite element: the subtle LED strip lighting—a detail dreamed up by HLB Lighting Design—that casts a soft glow under the floating rift-cut white-oak shelves.

Nooks Worth a Look

All hail the versatile dining nook, a cozy space for morning coffees, afternoon homework sessions, and easy evening meals. These Denver nooks are serving up a mix of space-saving functionality and effortless style.

This Colorado town may be tiny – it’s just one square mile and has about 900 residents – but it's got a friendly, rural feel that is one of many reasons why the residents who move there tend to stay put.

Bow Mar is about 12 miles southwest of Denver and consists of single-family homes on acre-lots, a private lake — and lots of open space (and the views that come with it) in between.

Many of Bow Mar's residents are second- or third-generation families (95 percent of whom own their homes) who are known for respecting each other (even if they don't always agree), according to Bow Mar's "Community Plan," drafted in November 2015.

And Bow Mar residents are well-educated, with 80 percent of those over age 25 having a bachelor's degree or higher. The median household income in Bow Mar is about $170,000, the plan says.

Bow Mar has a history that involves pioneer farmers, Baby Boomer-era development and even the guy who founded King Soopers.

Click on the gallery for a photo tour of Bow Mar.

Let’s start with the name: It came by combining the monikers of two nearby lakes, Bowles Lake and Marston Lake (get it?). Those were named after Joseph Bowles and John Marston, two farmers who put this area straddling the Arapahoe and Jefferson County borders on the map.

But you can trace its origins as a neighborhood to Lloyd King – who owned King Soopers. He and a Denver realtor bought the 575-acre subdivision that would become Bow Mar with the dream that it would be a luxury neighborhood that would also govern itself.

And, this is what happened – that is, after the parcel land was sold to another land developer a couple of years later.

Bow Mar was incorporated as a town in 1958, and as new homes were built, many were modeled after Frank Lloyd Wright’s prairie-style architecture.

None of them were more than a story tall.

The close-knit residents who live in Bow Mar now get the opportunity to enjoy their own private beach, as well as participate in a yacht club, ice skate, and use the neighborhood’s tennis courts.

Bow Mar is among several Colorado communities and towns trying to take a cleaner approach to energy usage. Boulder-based Clean Energy Collective in fall 2014 began supplying the South Suburban Park and Recreation District with solar panels to offset the high-demand needs of the area's irrigations systems — needs particularly fueled by golf courses, playgrounds and ball fields in Bow Mar and surrounding communities.

The town itself does not have much in the way of eating, but there are a few spots in nearby Littleton that residents can enjoy.

One such place is Walter's 303 Pizzeria & Publik House (5194 S. Lowell Blvd.), which serves up handmade pizza, craft beer, calzones and wings. Just up the road is JP Nori Sushi & Asian Cuisine (5302 S. Federal Cir.), a share-the-menu type place with Thai food, sushi and bento.

Resident can also catch a live show at The Toad Tavern (5302 S. Federal Cir.), a popular mini-concert hall where local and national bands play everything from indie rock to country.

Convinced yet? Bow Mar homes are private and classy, and for those reasons tend to be on the expensive side: The median sales price is $932,500, according to real estate website Trulia.com.