If you would have told me at the beginning of the summer that I was going to visit a castle while in Colorado I would have said your crazy! Well, life always has its little surprises and a few weeks ago Scott and I actually visited a castle in the middle of the mountains in Colorado. My dad had visited this castle when he was much younger, and was reminded of it when we drove past it earlier this summer. He encouraged us to drive the windy mountain and take a tour of the more than 100 year-old castle.
Redstone Castle was built in 1897 for John Cleveland Osgood, a coal and steel pioneer. The 42 room, tudor style house has seen many owners over the years, and has gone through many changes in the 100 years plus it has been standing. In the very beginning it was the home to Osgood and his first wife, then to him and his second wife, and on to him and his third wife, and then finally to him and his fourth fiance before his death and their soon-to-be wedding.
The castle sits on acres of land on the side of a mountain in Redstone, CO. To get to the castle we had to go to the local market (a teeny tiny store that sold just about anything you can imagine) and purchase our tickets, then drive up a winding road past beautiful trees, and a clear as crystal river which eventually put us outside the main gate of the castle. Before we headed in we stopped in front of the castle to take in the amazing view.
That afternoon the tour was quite full, so they broke us up into two groups. Our group started the tour outside in the carriage area. Our tour guide gave us so much background on the castle, the previous owners, and all the changes the castle has seen over the years (from a private home, to a bed and breakfast, back to a private home, and now a soon-to-be resort). Then we all headed inside to have another talk about the original owner and his three wives. After al little while we were free to wander around and look through all of the open rooms (about half of the rooms were not open to the public because they were said to not be maintained to their original standard).
Scott and I had such a great time looking through each and every room. We really loved all of the colorful bedrooms (there were so many!), as well as all of the great wallpaper, antique furniture, and paintings. Are tour guide gave us a brief history lesson on a few of the rooms and their previous inhabitants. It was so neat to imagine what life would have been like in that castle in the early 1900’s. Osgood and his wives (one at a time, of course) seemed to live a lavish lifestyle and had the best of the best.
This pink couch caught my eye and melted my heart. I honestly wanted to take it home so badly! It was gorgeous!
The house was full of amazing nooks and crannys. This tiny room pictured above was most likely a closet at some point. I can imagine one of Osgood’s wives picking out her outfits here every day and getting dress by natural light. She probably would look out this window and take in the gorgeous view, just like I did this day.
This room above was one of my very favorites. It was said to be a nanny quarters, which was attached to a room built for children (so the parents wouldn’t be bothered with their every moment needs). The funny thing is, Osgood and any of his three wives never had any children, but the home was built with the thought that he someday might and would then need a place for the nanny and children.
Many of the rooms were fashioned in a pink scheme. Osgood’s second wife was said to have a significant part in deciding the room decor and color schemes throughout the home. By all the pink we found throughout the castle I think it would be safe to say that pink was one of her favorite colors.
Our tour guide explained that Osgood fashioned each main living area after a different culture and country to show that he was worldly and well traveled. I believe the above living room was decorated to resemble a Scottish hunting room, hence the animal head and family crest on the wall. The lamps were made by Tiffany and were absolutely breathtaking.
One post does not give me enough space to blog about Redstone Castle in its entirety, so expect another post featuring more photos and little stories about the other rooms we visited while on our tour.
This staircase and vintage wallpaper was definitely one of my favorite parts in the whole castle!
Outfit details:
Crochet top: Levi’s
Peach shirt: Gap
Maxi skirt: Target
Bag: c/o Fabric & Handle
Have you ever explored a castle before? Have you ever been on a tour of an old home?
-Chelsea