Nouvelle Génération: A tour of Ralph Lauren's Colorado ranch

The place where he developed and maintains the all-American style for which he is famous, we revisit a classic story from the H&G archive - our 2002 tour of the fashion and homeware designer Ralph Lauren's incredible Colorado ranch

The staircase of the lodge house is simply furnished with sturdy rustic furniture, an antler chandelier and bold Native American inspired textiles, The sofa, made by local craftsmen, is covered with an antique denim patchwork quilt.

Today, the height of luxury and happiness could very well be space and silence. In an overpopulated world polluted by noise and urbanization, is there any greater privilege than to own and stroll through a ranch as big as the island of Manhattan - whose owner, twenty years after buying the land, admits that he still doesn't know every inch of it?

On the staircase in the main bedroom are collections of cowboy hats and vintage blankets.

The ranch in question belongs to American designer Ralph Lauren. In Ouray County, at the tip of southwest Colorado, it is dominated by a mountain peak in the San Juan mountain range, known by locals as Mount Baldy. Ralph Lauren bought, developed and perfected this magical place, named after himself and his wife Ricky RRL Ranch. It is not simply a ranch house but a whole self-contained world, with a collection of houses, valleys, lakes, streams and pastures; 16,000 acres of prairies, forests and rocks; herds of cattle; and diverse flora and fauna - from the Albert squirrel to the great brown bear, from Engelmann and Colorado Blue Spruces to the black-spotted, white-trunked aspens nicknamed 'quakies', because their leaves rustle constantly in the wind.

In the sitting rooms, Ralph Lauren suede-covered chairs and a sofa surround a simple table.

Stone used for the floor of this shower in the steam/sauna area was found locally.

The ranch has become a cleverly organized world. Passionate about all things American, Ralph Lauren has furnished and decorated the different houses on the ranch in a manner that justifies his title of 'the man who defined American style'. Each of the five guesthouses (called cabins), the main Lodge House, the Cook House (where food is prepared and eaten) and the four giant tepees (used for entertaining) exemplify Western style in the choice of fabrics, leathers, woods, colours and objects.
There are quilts and patchworks with Native-American motifs, and paintings depicting buffalo hunts. There are wide chimneys for fires of thick, crackling birch or beech logs and collections of Navaho, Sioux or Shawnee poetry. There are animal pelts, hunting trophies, Katchina dolls, antique feather headdresses, cowboy hats, multicoloured woollen ponchos and rugs from Arizona and New Mexico. Everything within these sturdy, red-cedar log cabins speaks of the region's strong identity: its people, craftsmanship and past.
Ralph is passionate about Ouray County. One night, after supper, he tells me how he came to find the ranch. For a long time, he had been looking for something different from the life he led in New York. 'A friend told us to forget Montana, where we were searching, and look at this place in Ouray County. The minute we saw it, that was it. This is a place for friends and for the children. They come with their friends and we with ours. The other day, I was shocked by a telephone call about my next fashion show, because I felt so far away from the city here. Here nature - the elements, the mountain and the animals overwhelms you. It has no ties with the world outside.'

In the main bedroom, the flag above the bed is in fact an antique blanket; the bed linen is by Ralph Lauren.

Ralph and Ricky enjoy exploring the estate, either 'Jeeping', riding or walking. 'Recently, Ricky and I found a stream we'd never seen before. It was absolutely quiet except for the sound of the water. I had this feeling that I was seeing for the first time in my life. There is a gentler pace in the countryside that slows you down. I have other houses, in New York and Jamaica, and I love them, but the ranch makes me aware of the natural world - it puts everything into perspective.'

Against a backdrop of aspens, this barn - at a remove from the main buildings - is used for large scale entertaining.

Timber-built it is flooded with sunlight, and further lit by chandeliers and candelabras.

The table is laid for dinner with an antique lace tablecloth and vintage bandanas used as napkins. Ralph Lauren designed the monograph china and Native American-inspired cutlery specially for the ranch.

The ranch is an escape from the frenetic city life of New York, but is itself, in a different way, bustling with activity, with six cowboys and twelve farm workers looking after the cattle, the vegetable gardens, trails, inner roads and the fifteen horses in the corral. All year long, the ranch is busy - battling against drought, rain, snow, cold, fire and predators. To the outsider, however, visiting RRL Ranch, ranch life is amazingly simple. And thrilling.

The Ranch has five guest houses or 'cabins' including the Little Blue Pony cabin, pictured. In the sitting room, built from logs brought from a nineteenth-century barn in Montana, the leather sofa is by Ralph Lauren.

In the early morning, the sky is the colour of dark copper. Dawn washes it violet pink. Guests get up and leave Little Brown Cabin or Elk Creek Cabin for the Cook House - crossing a meadow where we search for 'showy daisies', indigenous white-and-mauve daisies with red centres. We hope to stumble across a columbine - not the English aquilegia but the amethyst-tinted blossom that is the official flower of Colorado and which is so rare that picking it incurs a $300 fine. Breakfast at the Cook House is enormous: eggs, bacon, sausages, potatoes, toast, blueberry jam, fresh orange Juice, slices of cantaloupe melon and muffins - all prepared by the kitchen staff to fuel us for an action-packed day. We have the choice of exploring by horse for a couple of hours, or hiking along Cottonwood Creek, the ravine where we spotted a bear the night before. Or we can swim in the pool near the Lodge, or work out in the gym house. You lose track of time and the day is over before you realize it. In the evening, there is a screening of a film in the specially designed saloon beside the river.

In Little Bear Cabin a table is set with a wooden dough bowl from Santo Domingo

At least once during the summer, a big nighttime barbecue is organized on a plateau overlooking the valleys and the Last Dollar Mountain. It is a magical night. We ride in trucks or on horseback, trailed by Rugby the dog, who runs through the streams. Marqueeta, Tom and the other ranch hands have already prepared the campfires. We eat sausages, T-bone steaks and hot potatoes, all washed down with cold Coors, the favourite Colorado beer. The night is cold, dry, brisk and invigorating. There is no artificial light on the horizon, just the beauty of the landscape. I remember what Ralph told me, explaining why he bought RRL Ranch: 'We were looking for a complete change of culture, and a way of life that was fulfilling. We found it'

Four giant tepees provide additional accommodation for guests.

Each is traditionally made locally, with covers hand-painted by Native-American artists.

In this tepee bedroom a photograph by Edward Curtis hangs above the bed.

Get the look

Inspired by Southwestern textile design 'The Ranch' Fabric Collection by Ralph Lauren Home features bold geometric patterns rendered in natural wool, jute and cotton.