Winner of The Springs magazine's "Top 25 Airbnbs in Colorado Springs," designator, this property was custom designed by award-winning interior designer Austin William Davidson. "The Element House" -- a place of Mystery and Wonder -- offers super comfortable beds, luxury linens, stunning décor, an amazing backyard and patio, a treasure hunt for guests, historical artifacts, and quality amenities, making this the most interesting and comfortable place to stay in the area!
The space
The property owner and designer -- Austin William Davidson -- also resides in the same property, but in a totally-separate-from-guests/private, basement apartment. Guests have total privacy in the house and do not share any spaces with Austin -- including the backyard, patio, front door entrance, kitchen, living room, entrance area, bathrooms and bedroom areas. The only "shared" part of the house is the driveway -- Austin parks on the far left side and enters his apartment through his separate fenced-off area on the side of the house. The garage is also part of Austin's space and is not accessible to guests.
The Element House of Wonder and Mystery offers not just a super comfortable quality stay, but also an experience! Put on your Indian Jones fedora and explore the house with The acclaimed Element House Treasure Hunt"! Guests track down 13 clues hidden throughout the house. The hunt includes hidden keys, invisible ink, clever challenges, unique artifacts to uncover, and -- for the lucky guests that track it down -- a real treasure that guests can keep and take home!
Photographers, adventurers, travelers, artists, explorers and fans of exotic design will find much to enjoy and browse at The Element House. A magical oasis, Austin's award-winning interior design invokes a sense of travel, creativity, adventure, wonder, and mystery.
On the practical side, it offers reasonable rates, NO! cleaning fee, tons of amenities, amazing views of Pikes Peak, a great location near all the needed shops and stores, detailed, authentic, hand-crafted wall art, furnishings, and design details you just don't find in most modern short-term rentals anymore.
The Master Bedroom Suite was inspired by the Element "Earth" and has its own double sinks, shower, bathroom, and deep luxury tub. Custom interior design, woodwork, tilework, and paintings by Austin line the walls along with artifacts from over a dozen countries represented. A 50' Smart HD TV is mounted on the wall for comfortable viewing. The room has two queen-sized, super comfortable beds with quality linens and luxury pillows.
The "Water Bedroom" features furniture and wall art made by Austin. Enjoy plenty of space to spread out your luggage and mirrors in all the right places. Sleep great in the COMFORT-SELECT (adjustable firmness) queen-size bed with luxury sheets, thick comforter, and quality pillows. Watch TV on the the HD Smart TV mounted on the wall.
Inspired by the element "Air,", the "Air" Bedroom features awesome retro antiques styled in a modern open feel surrounded by real plants and Austin's custom furniture and art. The queen bed has luxury linens and pillows and a 55 inch 4K Smart TV is mounted for easy viewing. Beautiful views of the mountains and Pikes Peak through the windows.
The Hallway Bathroom features a bathtub, spa shower head, and plenty of space to spread out your toiletries on the counter and various drawers/cabinets. Luxury towels, shampoo, conditioner, soap, and facial wipes provided.
The First Floor was inspired by the Element "Fire" merged with Austin's love for travel and history. Handmade rugs and tapestries from Afghanistan, India, Iran, and Turkey cushion the floor, while historical carvings and items from dozens of countries impart a whimsical Indiana Jones adventure vibe.
The backyard features custom-made concrete "Wonders of the World" rock gardens, an axe/knife-throwing target, a large charcoal grill, two seating areas, a fire pit, and cool outdoor lighting. Visit the Taj Mahal, Stonehenge, the Pyramids and more -- all while enjoying a crackling fire with Colorado's starry sky overhead. (**Fire pit use subject to fire bans**)
The kitchen is for the exclusive use of guests and is fully stocked with pots and pans, dishes, etc. Guests also have their pick from Keurig coffee pods, an espresso maker, or regular coffee maker, tea, etc.
There is ample parking available -- the house is located in a cul-de-sac. Austin parks on the far left side of the driveway on the rocks. Up to four-ish guest vehicles is fine.
Guest access
Guests have full and private access to the guest wing of the house. No guest areas are shared or accessible to Austin while guests are present. This includes the backyard, patio, front door entrance, kitchen, living room, entrance area, 2 bathrooms and 3 bedroom areas. The only "shared" part of the house is the driveway -- Austin parks on the far left side and enters his apartment through his separate fenced-off area on the side of the house.
Other things to note
420 is okay outside only. Please smoke combustible products/420/cigarettes outside on the back porch lounge areas.
Children between the ages of 1 and 6 are generally not allowed. The house is not remotely child-proof, especially for toddlers/very young children. Austin may make exceptions in certain circumstances. Just message him if you have any questions. Infants and children over 6 are generally fine.
Similarly, pets are generally not allowed except on a case-by-case basis. Just message Austin if you have any questions.
The rooms and beds can comfortably sleep 8 adults as shown in the photos. Up to 9 guests are allowed if traveling with an infant or small child.
Guests may check-in anytime AFTER 4:00 pm on their arrival date. They do not need to check-in exactly at 4:00 pm -- anytime afterward, even in the middle of the night is fine. Guests will be texted their private/unique door access code on their arrival date.
Check-out is by 11:00 am on guest's departure date. It takes the cleaner the entire time between guests to get the property ready; consequently, we cannot accommodate requests for early check-in or late check-out.
Austin deeply respects the privacy of his guests. He resides in a totally separate/inaccessible-to-guests portion of the house and basement apartment along with his dog "Haiku". "Haiku" is not allowed in the guest parts of the house ever and has her own separate-from-guests-side-fenced off area near Austin's private entrance. She does not bark (she's half husky/half lab) or howl and most guests would never know she's here. She is extremely friendly and loves belly rubs if she does happen to run into guests in the driveway. That said, most guests don't ever see either Austin or Haiku since his side of the house and her outdoor space is separate from guests.
Austin is readily available if needed by guests for restaurants, travel advice, help with the house, etc. Austin DOES NOT enter the guest area parts of the house for ANY REASON while guests are present unless he was CLEARLY invited/requested to do so by guests via text or message through their booking app only! Guests also have a privacy lock to totally secure their portion of the house.
Austin understands that guests don't love the combination of cleaning fees and giant checkout chore lists. The only thing he asks guests to do is leave the house and kitchen reasonably tidied and ready for cleaning with dishes washed or run in the dishwasher. He does not charge a cleaning fee and simply asks guests to be nice and treat his house the way they'd want their home treated.
