Fall 2022, 330 Homes

FALL 2022

SILVER L AK E ESTATE STUNS

CASSIE and JOEL TESTA'S SILVER LAKE HOME photo by Joel Testa

INSIDE TIKTOK STARS' GREEN DIY HOUSE

FENG SHUI YOUR SPACE

FUN FALL DECOR FROM IZZY P AT HOME

ARCH. JUSTICE

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contents fall 2022 | volume 4 | issue 3

dream house

14

B LO C K B U STER

22

SO C IAL S P OT

space lift 8 WARM AND COOL LIVING ROOM 34 ADD A FOUR SEASONS ROOM

fresh design 10 FENG SHUI YOUR SPACE 20 HANDMADE GLOBAL FLAIR 36 FALL HOME DECOR

smart tech 30 GET GREEN TECH

FALL 2022

on the cover 14 | BLOCK BUSTER | photo by Joel Testa

SILVER L AK E ESTATE STUNS

CASSIE and JOEL TESTA'S SILVER LAKE HOME photo by Joel Testa

INSIDE TIKTOK STARS' GREEN DIY HOUSE

FENG SHUI YOUR SPACE

FUN FALL DECOR FROM IZZY P AT HOME

welcome

by COLIN BAKER

VA LUA BL E A R E A Living in The 330 is both affordable and enjoyable.

I

recently saw a Business Insider story that highlighted cities with the lowest cost of living in the United States. Yeah, it was clickbait, and I was lured into scrolling through, but it was interesting. Ohio had four cities in the top 25, and Akron was ranked 10th for affordability.

I’m sure this comes as no surprise if you have traveled around the country. So many cities are extreme when it comes to housing costs and the overall cost of living. Cities like New York and San Francisco have always been expensive, and though many residents are leaving for cheaper cities, there will always be a pull of people and talent there.

My oldest son, a senior at Ohio University, has been offered a position in northern California just outside of San Francisco.

He told me he doesn’t know if he wants to live there because of how much of his pay would go to housing expenses, and owning isn’t even close to being in the cards. He said he could see himself living in Ohio, which really surprised me because he has always said he wants to live on the West Coast.

When you’re young and don’t have to pay for it, everything about living in an overpriced city sounds fun. But once you get close to making that decision, it’s your money that would be spent on a shared apartment for several

a supplement to Akron Life magazine Publisher COLIN BAKER

thousand dollars in rent. You start to think differently, especially in today’s world of remote work, where many employers don’t require you to work in an office setting.

I certainly enjoy the benefits of living in Akron. The neighborhood I live in would be completely unaffordable in other cities, totally out of reach for me and my family. We are lucky to live in The 330, and because everything we have isn’t spent on housing, our family can live well in a nice community.

Yes, it’s possible The 330 will be discovered. People could see we sit near a massive lake of fresh water, and although winters can be rough, they make springs that much sweeter. We have the arts, universities, sports, a national park and great restaurants.

The houses here are beautiful, with tons of turn-of-thecentury character and history.

Get a look inside some of those amazing houses in this issue of 330 Homes.

I have lived in cities that have been discovered. Lots of people pour in, home prices go up and infrastructure is tested.

This hasn’t happened yet, but according to Roofstock, The 330 reported that home values have risen almost 19 percent in the last year. Regardless, if you are a new homeowner in The 330 area, welcome. It’s a great place to live.

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cbaker@bakermediagroup.com Creative Director WILLIAM L . TECKMYER III

wteckmyer@bakermediagroup.com Managing Editor K E L LY P E T RY S Z Y N

kpetr yszyn@bakermediagroup.com Assistant Editor ALEX ANDRA SOBCZAK

asobczak@bakermediagroup.com Graphic Designer TYLAR CALHOUN

tsutton@bakermediagroup.com C o n t r i b u t i n g Wr i t e r s LO N D O N G R E E N VINCE GUERRIERI AV E RY S AVAG E LY N N E T H O M P S O N Sales B U N N Y L AC E Y STEVE T YSON BEN DICOLA

sales@bakermediagroup.com Circulation

circulation@bakermediagroup.com 330-253-0056, ext. 104

fall 2022 | volume 4 | issue 3 33O HOMES is published by Baker Media Group, LLC, 1653 Merriman Road, Suite 116, Akron, OH 44313. Copyright 2022©

by Baker Media Group, LLC, All rights reserved.

Reproduction or use of editorial or pictorial content in any manner is prohibited without written permission. Unsolicited manuscripts will not be returned unless accompanied by an addressed envelope and sufficient postage. Baker Media Group, LLC and Akron Life accept no responsibility for unsolicited material. Subscription rates: Continental U.S., One year —$19.95, Two years —$34.95. Call for Alaska, Hawaii or international rates. Single issues available by calling the circulation department or visiting akronlife.com/ store. $3.95 each plus $3.50 shipping & handling. Editorial, advertising and business offices: (330) 253-0056, fax (330) 253-5868.

space lift

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smart tech

by VINCE GUERRIERI and photos provided by CHEZ-DEL INTERIORS

HO T A ND C OL D

Warm and cool tones add interest to a living room.

T

“It’s really nonconformist he need for for the area,” says Harrell, an in-law describing the Klunzingers’ space for Kim home as clean and modern.

“Most homes around here are Klunzinger's mom transitional to traditional.” spurred Kim and her Harrell and Verne husband, Verne, and their three children to explain how the modern living room pops. move from Hinckley F L O O R I N G : At first glance, Township to Sharon the living room looks like it Township. But the has marble flooring. But it’s a new home, built by tight-weave white carpet with a Elite Designer Homes marbled pattern. “That gave it a and designed by Chez- contemporary look,” Harrell says.

Del Interiors designer “It was really fun to work with.”

Becky Harrell, has F U R N I T U R E : That aesthetic other appealing spots continues with gray couches too. Verne, a certified and chairs with stainless-steel public accountant, accents. “Our goal was to keep it sleek and contemporary, but has a nice office, and still warm and cozy,” Verne says. there’s a pool and “Becky softened it with the fabrics. an open-sided covThat’s part of the secret sauce.” ered lanai porch to T E X T U R E S : The carpet looks enjoy the outdoors. like marble, but the end table And the living room tops are marble. There’s exposed gives full sway to the metal on the ceiling beams and Klunzingers’ modern- in the furniture. And there are istic tastes — and let dark wood beams and dark wood Harrell play with con- shelves built in on either side of cepts that she doesn’t the stone wall containing the gas fireplace. That’s by design, get a chance to often.

Harrell says. “In a modern

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33O HOMES fall 2022

house, what you want are lots of textures,” she says. “You want to incorporate all the trends to make it beautiful. Design isn’t about matching today. It’s about the different textures blending together to create a space.”

L I G H T I N G : Harrell would love to take credit for the light fixture, a round modernistic crystal chandelier, but the Klunzingers picked out all of the light fixtures. “We love our chandeliers, so there are a lot of them in the house,” Verne says. “Because everything is angular, we wanted to go with a round chandelier. It helps soften the room.”

A C C E S S O R I E S : The builtin wood shelves are decorated with a variety of items, from metal-framed family photos to wicker baskets to ceramic pottery. The idea was to warm the naturally cool area with grays.

“We worked together to fill it in to give a nice warm look,” Harrell says. “I was delighted how everything came together.”

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smart tech

by KELLY PETRYSZYN and photos provided by KATE TROYER

BE T T E R F LOW Try feng shui to boost your mood.

Kate Troyer

Try i t ou t CUT CLUTTER Since your environment mirrors your state of being, decluttering will help you feel a sense of calm in your home and nix stress about cleaning.

Troyer recommends first redefining clutter.

“To me, the definition of clutter is anything that you do not love, that you do not use or that doesn’t serve a purpose within your life or within your home,” she says.

It can be overwhelming, so she suggests sitting in each room and scanning the contents. Ask yourself, How does each object make me feel? If you hate it, trash or

W

hen Kate Troyer discovered feng shui by reading the “The Western Guide to Feng Shui” by Terah Kathryn Collins, she realized she had been living out the ancient Chinese methods her whole life.

As a kid growing up in Wooster, she spent hours watching Martha Stewart’s decorating TV show and spontaneously made upgrades to her family

home, such as repainting a bathroom. She noticed it improved her well-being.

“When I made changes in my environment, it affected my mood,” Troyer says. “It affected how I felt about myself, how I felt about having friends over.” She became a certified feng shui practitioner and launched her Chagrin Falls-based home wellness company, Feng Shui

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Kate. Through personal consultations and a virtual membership collective, Troyer makes the ancient concepts relatable.

donate it. If you love it, keep it.

Decluttering your home leads to decluttering your mind, Troyer explains. Often, her clients have items they

“It’s the practice of realizing that your environment is a direct mirror of anything that’s going on inside you,” she says.

can’t stand. And removing

Troyer offers tips to begin applying feng shui to your space.

your consciousness.

33O HOMES fall 2022

items that carry negative memories, such as clothes from an ex, can also remove their negative energy from

“Everything has energy,” she says.

fresh design And when it comes to filling your space, buy only what you like.

“It’s not about being trendy. … It’s what feels good to you,” she says.

“It’s really important their energy is infused in their space. They need to look at it and say, Oh, my god, I love this.”

MAXIMIZE FUNCTIONALITY It’s vital the items in your house are useful.

“Your home should really be set up to serve you and the lifestyle that you live or want to live,” Troyer says.

She offers a few examples. Say you’re excited about your new 6 a.m. yoga class but you keep losing your mat. Add a holder by the door you exit so you always know where it’s at. The same principle works for keys. Try putting a dish by the door that you can drop them in. Troyer tried this with her boyfriend, but one dish wasn’t enough since he’s on the move. Instead, she has four bowls throughout the house, and now he knows his keys are always in one of them.

ADD BALANCE In spots that are shared, like an owners’ bedroom, each person should have equal space.

“Bedrooms are really important for balance,” Troyer says. “It’s extremely important that you have equal amounts of room on the side of the bed.”

When she works on client bedrooms, she can tell a partner is dominant if they have more room on their side of the bed.

Balance things out with matching nightstands and lamps on each side of the bed for each partner.

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fresh design

I N C R E AS E N E W ENERGY A simple act that we don’t always do can be key to a big energy boost.

“Feng shui believes that your front door is where all new fresh energy comes into your home,” Troyer says. She recommends using it several times a week or once a day. “[It’s] the intention that you’re allowing new energy in, especially if you’re in a home that feels stagnant.”

And because it’s how energy enters your home, your entranceway should feel good to you. Stand outside and examine it. Is the paint peeling? Is the lightbulb burned out? Is it appealing?

Troyer says an unkempt space can be a reflection of the people inside and chaos in their lives. So make it a space you are proud of by decluttering, fixing issues and adding decor that feels like you.

“It’s also your projection of who you are to the world — your front door — that’s how feng shui sees it,” she says.

Feng shui is an ongoing process, so continue to check in and investigate each space and feel better in the process.

“Taking care of our space and setting it up to serve us and to reflect good feelings back is really important,” Troyer says. “Because I care about the energy I’m putting out and the energy that I’m getting in, that’s ultimately going to bleed into your personal life.” fengshuikate.com

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s p o n s o r ed c o n t en t

A . C A SPER SEN CO. CONTINUES TO THRIVE Chelsea Caspersen was 5 years old when her father, Eric A. Caspersen, started his construction company, A. Caspersen Co., which focuses on exterior home improvements such as windows, siding, roofing and doors. “I grew up watching him,” says Chelsea Caspersen. “I was a child going to window manufacturers with him.” The knowledge she garnered at a young age led to her officially becoming the new owner of the company last year, after a slow transition as her dad got older.

Despite years of experience, she has faced some challenges as a woman in construction. Only about 11 percent of the construction industry is female workers, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. She has had people doubt her knowledge, but she proves to them that she knows the industry.

“I just really went overboard with learning as much as I could.

I’m on the job site, so I’m watching our work be done and learning more and more so that … they can trust me,” she says.

“I try to stand out with my knowledge, and so far, it’s worked.”

Caspersen is confident that her company can provide the best experience for customers. They have educational conversations with clients instead of giving rehearsed sales pitches or using high-pressure sales tactics. She makes sure the company upholds the ethics her father based the business on. “His big thing was Christian ethics, which really just is having integrity, honesty and accountability,” she says.

With that mainstay, the company has evolved, with recent changes including a trendy remodel of the Cuyahoga Falls office. Caspersen says the office, in addition to its on-site showroom, provide a better experience for customers, who can see examples of many different products and color options in use instead of picking based off a small sample.

She hopes to continue improving customers’ experiences while also growing the company further and continuing to give back to the community.

A. Caspersen Co. recently completed a project for the Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority, installing hundreds of doors and thousands of windows. The company also made Qualified Remodeler magazine's top 500 list.

“Through it all, I’ve stuck with my father’s core values,” Caspersen says. “I think that’s why we’ve been in business for 28 years.”

A. Caspersen Co. 3473 Wyoga Lake Road, Cuyahoga Falls acaspersenco.com

dream house

by VINCE GUERRIERI photos by JOEL TESTA

BLOCK BUSTER

A large family lands at a Silver Lake estate of cinematic proportions.

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dream house

J

oel Testa wants to be Iron Man when he grows up.

It’s a common dream for many kids. But Joel’s an adult. “I think the movie character was actually created after me,” he says with a wink.

And judging from his home, he appears to have realized that dream. The lower level alone of his 8,500-square-foot Silver Lake home bears more than a passing resemblance to Tony Stark’s hightech residence. And like Stark, Joel too is a big-time entrepreneur.

He operates several companies encompassing construction, architecture, property management, real estate and dining including his namesake Testa Cos. There are high-powered sports vehicles — a Lamborghini, a Ferrari and a Ducati motorcycle — in a lower-level showroom.

There’s a sumptuous theater with a 16-foot screen, cushy recliners and surround sound. There are even a couple full-size replica Iron Man suits on display.

And outside the theater, there’s a light-up Marvel marquee, a red carpet lined by red velvet ropes, a snack bar with a popcorn machine, a ticket window, life-size SpiderMan, StormTrooper

33O HOMES fall 2022

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and Bumblebee Transformers suits and a nine-seat marble-topped bar, where Joel can indulge as well as host guests for the ultimate VIP theater experience.

It all connects to the showroom that also has a mogul-worthy desk and mounted guitars as well as three oversized glass doors and a nano wall of folding glass doors that opens to a backyard overlooking scenic Silver Lake — making it an enviable man cave. “[It's] the best place in the house,” he says.

Joel, his wife, Cassie, and their children, Zoe, Giovanni and Sofia, moved into the home built by Testa Builders in September 2021.

(Cassie gave birth to their fourth child, Malia, shortly after). Their goal was a traditional one: A move to bring them closer to relatives and a spot for them to raise their family. The house’s modern farmhouse exterior, with white stone and boardand-batten siding, black carriage house doors and a black metal roof, fits in with other houses on the road, many of which are prewar vintage. But inside, the home gives free rein to the Testas’ modernist tendencies while making it a gathering place.

dream house

“We want this to be the place where kids bring their friends to hang out,” Cassie says. “I think we’ve done that.”

Joel bought the property from his parents. The couple got a good offer to rent their downtown Akron loft where they previously lived (They would like to return to it as their empty nest home.), so they rented elsewhere during construction. That took about 8 months and involved a lot of changes to the landscaping, creating a backyard while honoring the village’s riparian setback require-

ments about building back from the lake.

the kitchen countertops are granite, the island’s countertop is quartz, which Joel says is becoming the predominant kitchen surface.

“We had to strategically fit this house into the site,” Joel says.

You can’t argue with the results. The open floor plan on the main floor includes a 29-by-18-foot great room and 23-by16-foot kitchen. There’s an eight-burner stove with a quartz-and-glass backsplash, and a massive 11-by-6 1/2-foot kitchen island, which can accommodate 12 people comfortably.

Most family meals are eaten around the island, and although

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“It’s manmade, so it’s controllable,” he says.

“It’s antimicrobial and it doesn’t stain. It’s far lower maintenance than granite.”

The original design of the main floor was flipped, Joel says, to afford better lake views from the great room that has two-story-tall picture windows, a white concrete fireplace, a custom player piano

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with a digital hookup and a walkout waterfront porch. As a result, the kitchen was bigger than originally intended and features a walk-in pantry and butler’s kitchen area.

There’s also a formal 12-person dining room, which the Testas use less frequently, that has a window into the front yard at one end, and a glass-encased wine room at the other. The dining room features a dark accent wall. The Testas flipped the script from their loft’s darker black, white and gray color scheme.

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dream house

“We wanted to brighten up this house, so we did white as the base color,” Joel says. “We have some accent walls.

We wanted to keep it as fresh and light and clean as you think a lake house should be.”

The home maximizes available space with pocket doors, from the in-law suite on the main floor to a pocket dog gate between the dining room and mudroom. Upstairs are four bedrooms for the children. Each pair of bedrooms features a Jack-and-Jill bathroom, with two separate vanities and a shared shower and toilet area.

The main suite includes a full bathroom, as well as a small balcony with seating overlooking the lake. And there’s a large playroom, with toys from a kitchen playset to a video game system to accommodate each child — not an easy task with their ages ranging from high schooler to toddler.

“My favorite part is the trampoline,” says Sofia.

But the play area is a work in progress, Joel says. The plan is to create a playscape that looks like its own town.

It’s an ambitious project, but Joel is more than up to the task.

“My brain’s going a million miles an hour,” he says. “I always need the next challenge.”

Spoken like a superhero.

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CLOSER LOOK The extra space that

To enter, you have to

resulted from flipping

open full-length cabinet

the design of Joel and

doors and then a roll-

Cassie Testa’s home

ing black chalkboard

led to them installing

door to a spot that

a concealed butler’s

contains pantry shelves,

kitchen. But it also let

cabinets, a sink and a

them install a secret

stylish tin ceiling. An

passage. “I channel

air of mystery has

Batman,” Joel says.

The door from the kitchen into the butler’s kitchen — a spot designed for food to

33O HOMES fall 2022

become a trademark for the developer with properties including the hidden away Northside Speakeasy in Akron.

be prepared out of

“Most of our bars and

sight — blends seam-

restaurants — and

lessly into the white

even some of our

kitchen cabinets. So

homes — have hidden

when Cassie grabs a

doors and secret pas-

water bottle from the

sages,” Joel says. “This

pantry, she seems to

was our way to get our

disappear into the wall.

secret room in.”

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smart tech

by LONDON GREEN and photos provided by DA'SHIKA A. STREET

GL OB A L LY IN S P IR E D Decor by Da’Shika A. Street tells cultural stories.

D

a’Shika A. Street was seeking a way to help during the pandemic, and she was drawn to her sewing machine.

She started Project Sew United in 2020 and then recruited other Black women displaced from work to make Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-approved face masks and partnered with Summit County Public Health and Project Ujima to distribute them. Street remotely taught women sewing and fell in love with teaching sewing and crafting. That prompted her to launch Da’Shika Street, an eponymous home goods company featuring her sewn items and to open Street Craftery in downtown Akron in 2022 to host workshops that teach people how to handcraft art (see sidebar).

Her home line combines different cultures she was exposed to while living around the world in places like Germany and New York. In a quiet, meditative space, she allows her creativity to flow in response to her surroundings, creating internationally influenced pillows,

g et t h e l ook

Da'Shika A. Street

blankets, aprons, vessels, candles and more.

“A lot of what I’ve made lately stems from a space of appreciation, specifically appreciating the Earth,” Street says.

She prioritizes sustainable practices in her creative process, like using

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spare materials to make new pieces. She also sources her fabrics internationally, often using Ankara fabrics, which are traditional African wax print fabrics. The vibrant, bold patterns tell stories of history and culture.

“I try to infuse globally inspired or globally

33O HOMES fall 2022

derived fabrics into the products I make as a means of sparking conversations and bringing cultures together,” she says.

“They really stand out and bring focus to them.”

Here are a few items that can add stories to your home.

fresh design

APRONS Bring color into the kitchen with her aprons ($85). She mixes Ankara prints with black fabric to create fullcoverage, lined aprons with five pockets and adjustable ties. There are sizes for kid chefs too. “They bring vibrancy,” she says.

A R O M AT H E R A P Y PILLOWS These aromatherapy eye pillows ($22) are filled with natural grains and essential oils that promote self-care.

Different pillows have different aromatherapy blends for calming, restorative, energizing and clarifying functions. “I get great feedback from my customers — they are absolutely amazing in helping relax or

restore you or even to allevi-

ing the art of cement.” Find

ate certain things you might

square, oblong or round

be experiencing,” she says.

vessels. How to Style: It

How to Use: Warm in the

can be used as a candle-

microwave for 30 seconds

holder, planter or vase. Play

or chill in the freezer, place

around with positioning to

over eyes and lay back as

create different focal points

it soothes. Try placing it on

in your home.

the back of the neck to ease

Cr eate Now Make items to display in your home at Street Craftery.

Try a workshop. Learn how to form a hydro-dipped cement vessel with a unique marbly finish at a do-it-yourself workshop.

Also try candle-making and more during

W R E AT H S

walk-in worskshops Tuesday to Saturday.

forehead to relieve tension

Using fabric remnants from

Let loose in Splatter Alley. Don a poncho,

and congestion.

other projects, Street crafts

shoe covers, gloves and goggles and

unique zero-waste wreaths

splatter paint on a canvas to your heart’s

($55). A fall variation fea-

content. Block out letters or shapes for a

Mixed, poured and pig-

tures strips of black-and-

personalized touch.

mented by Street herself,

yellow and black-and-white

each of these vessels ($32-

geometric swirls, emerald-

$48) varies in shape and

green plaid on black and

color. “I was really inspired

red-and-black buffalo check.

by how resilient Earth

“I love prints because there’s

is,” she says, “and how it

a story in them,” she says.

provides all the resources

“It’s almost like looking at a

and things we need to sus-

piece of artwork.”

aches and pains or on the

VESSELS

tain ourselves as human beings. So I started explor-

and their caregivers can learn creativity with workshops that merge crafts and education, such as a previous one that featured a reading of “Finding Lucy” and kids creating abstract pieces with paints, magnets, cotton balls and marbles.

356 S. Main St., Akron, streetcraftery.com

dashikastreet.com

33O HOMES fall 2022

Try Tot Tuesdays. Tykes ages 2 to 4

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dream house

by LYNNE THOMPSON photos by KELSEY MANSINGH

SOCIAL SPOT DIY stars transform a ’70s Green house into a trendy modern home.

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dream house

T

he Green brick splitlevel was loaded with architectural amenities and a unique 1,800-squarefoot layout with both a great room and lower living room for entertaining, but the interiors were outdated.

Some rooms still had their original 1974 decor — the guest bath, for example, was completely pink, right down to the faucets.

It was exactly the midcentury-modern fixerupper that Kelsey and Ryan Mansingh desired, one that exuded this old-house character in an established neighborhood.

The young couple isn’t intimidated by major home renovations. When they built a two-story home in Ryan’s native Orlando, Florida, five years ago, they couldn’t afford upgrades. So they learned how to make them by watching YouTube videos and FaceTiming Kelsey’s brother, who ran her

AFTER BEFORE

family’s Barbertonbased Helen Scott Custom Builders.

In 2018 the Mansinghs dubbed themselves the Newbuild Newlyweds and began sharing videos under @newbuild_newlyweds on Instagram and TikTok — the latter made them social media stars with 1.6 million followers.

After being laid off from Walt Disney World in March 2020, they relocated to the Akron area.

They bought this twobedroom, 2 1/2-bath abode in August 2021 and Kelsey, now 29, documents its transformation on TikTok as Ryan, now 28, works as a finish carpenter for Helen Scott.

“We wanted to keep the midcentury vibe of the house but also still make it our own and kind of modernize it,” Kelsey says.

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The couple opened up the kitchen by removing a wall separating it from the formal entry, demolished a breakfast-bar peninsula with overhead cabinetry and replaced the kitchen ceiling with a raised counterpart that eliminated the surrounding soffit. (Drywall, window installation, electrical and plumbing were left to pros). They laid a foundation for warm neutral decor by painting the walls a creamy white and laying a durable luxury vinyl plank that mimics white oak on the floors.

33O HOMES fall 2022

The first room the Mansinghs designed was the kitchen. They helped an Amish cabinetmaker install custom-made cabinetry painted SherwinWilliams Pewter Green and a center island stained a dark espresso, then added a trendy zellige tile backsplash in mottled shades of white, tan, cream and gray. A friend made a round espresso-stained table stationed under a brass drum lighting fixture.

While Kelsey bought the brushed-nickel-frame chairs with cane backs

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dream house

BEFORE

and velvety dark green cushions from Wayfair, several social media followers mistook them for ’70s flea-market finds.

“I wanted to update but still have some touches that seemed like they fit in with the vibe of the house,” she explains.

The short flight of stairs from the kitchen area to the great room — a feature Kelsey says wasn’t up to code — was replaced by a sleek black powdercoated steel staircase with custom-fabricated white-oak treads. “We had to completely build every aspect of that staircase,” Kelsey recalls.

AFTER

They swapped out track lighting for an angular brass chandelier better suited to the great room’s vaulted ceiling. The couple encased the thin white beams in substantial three-sided faux counterparts they built from an espresso-stained maple that popped against the white. After some debate, they painted the dingy brick fireplace white.

“It really brightened it up and totally modernized it,” Kelsey says.

The Mansinghs furnished the room with a linenblend sofa, oak-frame accent chair, reclaimedoak coffee table and 7-foot-high vintageinspired mirror, all from Anthropologie.

Kelsey and Ryan updated the owners’ bedroom by painting the walls Sherwin-Williams Urban Putty and replacing

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dream house

valances with the same Lutron smart shades installed at the other windows. The focal point: Crate & Barrel’s arching black-metal interpretation of a canopy bed. A sliding black barn door reveals the owners’ bath. They finished a larger shower in gray subway tile with a white penny-tile floor. A sunken whirlpool tub was torn out so the toilet could be relocated, making room for a 72-inch-long black painted vanity with a marble picket-tile backsplash and two square sinks set in a white-quartz countertop. In the guest bath, the pair installed a roomy 38-by-60-inch Signature Hardware acrylic alcove tub.

CLOSER LOOK The most unusual feature in Kelsey and Ryan Mansingh’s Green home is the room for their cat, Stella. They connected dead space behind cedar closets flanking a fireplace in the lower living room and tiled two walls the same pearly pink as an “en-suite bath” — a litterbox area. Another wall has a whimsical black-and-white cat print. Stella can enjoy climbing ledges, a perch, a pink velvet couch and a wall-mounted tablet that plays scenes of swimming fish. Murphy Doors provide easy access. “They look like built-in bookcases,” Kelsey says. Stella comes and goes through an opening on a door appropriately marked by a cat head-shaped surround.

The spouses finally moved into the house in May. Kelsey says it’s great for hosting summer cookouts and birthday celebrations.

She singles out the kitchen and patio off the great room. The former is now big enough for guests to hang out in while she cooks, while the latter is secluded with sunken bench seating made modern and inviting with dark paint, outdoor pillows, tons of potted plants, cushy seating, a fire table and a six-person table.

The pair is still making updates to personalize their home.

“We’ll be here for quite a while, making it our own,” Kelsey says.

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smart tech

by KELLY PETRYSZYN and photos provided by NEW LEAF HOME DESIGN

RECHARGE NOW

Make energy-efficient changes to help improve the environment and your home.

B

efore architect and LEED green associate Hallie Myers Bowie and her husband moved into their 1961 Akron split-level home in 2017, they immediately identified energy-saving opportunities. She loved the open floor plan and that it faced south toward the sun, but it needed work, including a new furnace.

“That gave us the opportunity to take the house all electric,” says the owner of Akron-based New Leaf Home Design.

“We’re … becoming increasingly aware of the urgency of climate change.

And the technology is getting better and better all the time for all-electric solutions for homes.”

Going green within your home can seem daunting, but Bowie has been doing sustainable home design

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since 2006, and she says energy-efficient technology is becoming more affordable and within reach.

By making key changes over about six months, she was able to turn her decades-old inefficient home into one that is all electric and runs on 100 percent renewable energy.

Bowie shares how she made her home more sustainable and offers tips on how you can too.

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smart tech

T ry i t o u t SEAL UP

as well as makes it easier to find

Before making any big changes,

the house from outside.”

places where air is able to get into

you need to identify problem areas. Bowie recommends getting

Some places leaks commonly occur

an energy audit done through

are around outside hose bibbs and

Dominion Energy Ohio’s Energy

gaps around the chimney. A huge

Star program to find any leaks.

leak in her parents' house was where closet floor joists cantilevered

“It will actually make your home

over the garage floor, and it was

more comfortable to live in to

sealed by rigid foam. In Bowie’s

have it better insulated and air

house, areas around basement rim

sealed,” she says. “You’ll have

joists were leaky, so they used spray

better indoor air quality.”

To perform the audit, workers set up a blower door. “They put [one] on your front door that has a fan in it,” she says. “It depressurizes

foam to seal them. They also added more insulation in the attic and sealed other leaks too. Afterward, the temperature was better regulated and it felt better to be in.

the house, which allows them to

“You don’t have as many cold

measure how leaky the house is,

drafts,” she says.

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POWER SWITCH

SOURCE CHANGE

Plan to move toward energy-

By switching her gas appliances

efficient appliances, so when

to electric, Bowie was able to

something breaks, you already

eliminate the need for a gas

have a more sustainable

hookup. That saves money, but

replacement in mind.

it also greatly improves her

Bowie replaced her entire gas

home’s air quality.

furnace with an air source

“We don’t have any concerns

heat pump, which uses existing

about carbon monoxide in the

ductwork for heating and

house,” says Bowie. “Doing

cooling and is three times as

some of these things can help

efficient as typical electric

with allergies if you don’t have

resistance heat.

as much outdoor air coming in.”

“You get a lot more heat per

Getting rid of gas also means

kilowatt of electricity,” she says.

They also needed a new water heater, so they replaced their gas hot water tank with a heat pump water heater that is 300 times more efficient

that Bowie runs her home on 100 percent renewable energy through the state’s Energy Choice Ohio apples-to-apples program that allows customers to switch to a renewable energy provider.

than a standard resistance coil

She has black electric solar

electric water heater. The only

panels on her roof but is still

difference you might notice is

tied to the grid. The solar panels

that the air that comes out of

produce enough to cover her

the duct is a bit cooler than a

energy costs in the summer,

gas furnace, so you might turn

including charging her electric

the thermostat a bit higher.

car and using air conditioning.

You can also make a sustainable change in your kitchen. Bowie replaced her gas cooktop with an induction cooktop that has a glass surface.

“The induction cooktop is a joy to cook on. [It’s] very safe because the surface of the stove doesn’t heat up itself,” she says. “You

But she doesn’t have to use air conditioning much because the house is well insulated and stays cool. And she doesn’t typically have to pay an electric bill until winter.

Bowie urges homeowners to consider these switches and says every sustainable change helps.

To COnsi d er : Through the Inflation Reduction Act, you can save thousands of

can turn the heat off and have

“The operation of my home

dollars on energy-efficient home improvements, including heat

the heat totally disappear.”

does not create any carbon

pumps, water heaters and more, in the form of tax credits for

emissions,” she says. “Recognize

the 2022 tax year and beyond, and rebates slated to be available

that this is a big opportunity to

starting in 2023. Talk to your financial adviser to learn more.

It’s also a healthier way to cook because you are eliminating combustion inside your home.

move away from fossil fuels.” newleafhomedesign.com

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smart tech

by VINCE GUERRIERI and photos provided by CYNTHIA CHAGIN

Y E A R R OUND

Adding on a four-seasons room offers a connection to the outdoors.

C

“One of the least ynthia Chagin had expensive ways to add value to your home is her work to increase the square footage when there's cut out for her already a foundawhen she bought a tion in place,” says Richfield home in Chagin, who plans 2021, moving in at to sell it this winter.

“Putting in walls, winthe end of May. The home was built in 1961 — and looked it. “The house hadn’t been touched in years,” says Chagin, who buys, restores and sells homes.

She has worked as an electrician and is also an actor who you can see in “White Noise” featuring Adam Driver slated for a 2022 Netflix release.

In the span of 14 months, Chagin redid the whole house, gutting the Dutch colonial and redoing the kitchen and 2 1/2 bathrooms. She also put on three additions, adding a total of 800 square feet, to increase the size of the house by one-third. One of the additions came by converting one of three bays of the garage into office space and adding a hallway and mudroom; another was made by turning a back porch into a four seasons room.

dows and electrical doesn’t cost much.”

The experienced doit-yourselfer shares how she added a four seasons room to connect with nature on the serene 2-acre lot.

WINDOWS & DOORS: Views of the secluded back-

B AS I C S : The room,

yard are paramount, so the

of growth, love and happiness, she says. “It was the perfect embodiment,” she says. “It

formerly the porch, had a

new 13-by-26-foot room has

used to be an outdoor space.”

concrete base and a roof but

five windows — “I wanted as

wasn’t enclosed. Chagin blew

many windows as I could put

D E C O R : The goal of the

insulation into the white soffit

in,” she says — and a sliding

ceiling and hired roofers to put

glass door. It’s nearly sound-

on a new roof and frame out

proof since one of its walls

the enclosure. She did the rest,

was previously an exterior wall.

installing drywall, white vinyl

“I can watch TV pretty loudly,

tile flooring and more in about

and nobody can hear me,” she

room was a seamless transition from outdoors to indoors, so Chagin used beige colors to decorate, playing off the wood used in the rest of the interior. She took off the vinyl siding to uncover the home’s

three weeks. She planned to

says. “I just wanted to create

add ductwork but discovered

spaces away from the main

a pleasant surprise. “I studied

living space that were peaceful.

the basement very carefully

Everyone’s so focused on an

and realized there were ducts

open floor plan until they real-

in the wall. I could feel the

ize how noisy it can be.”

white aesthetic and create an

into the wall and found the

L I G H T S : In addition to all

inviting feel. “I wanted it to

duct,” she says. “Within 20

the natural light, Chagin hung

minutes, it was a heated and

two crystal dandelion chande-

air-conditioned room.”

liers. Dandelions are a symbol

heat from the wall, so I cut

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33O HOMES fall 2022

original siding — as well as exposed brick from the back of the living room fireplace that she later painted white — to tie together the house’s clean

be a family home, but also a showpiece,” she says.

space lift

BEFORE

AFTER

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by AVERY SAVAGE and photos courtesy of IZZY P AT HOME

NE W V IB E

Update your decor with help from Izzy P at Home.

A

s the seasons change, so do the stylish collections at the new Izzy P at Home boutique in downtown Canton. Embrace fall with rust-colored knit pumpkins and a “Let’s Snuggle and Watch Scary Movies” sparkly wood block sign with a buffalo check rim.

Owner Crisiva Palmer launched the shop in 2021

with her daughters to help others decorate their homes for seasons and everyday living.

“My daughters and I have always had a love for decorating and design.

We wanted to bring an affordable home decor shop to our local city to share with everyone else,” says Palmer in an email. “We

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pride ourselves on having locally made and sourced items. Our vibe is always moving with the trends.

We have boho, farmhouse, contemporary and modern all mixed in one space.”

Along with the abundant home decor and Amishmade furniture, also find items that go beyond the home, including women’s

33O HOMES fall 2022

clothing, pet products, accessories and more.

“We envision Izzy P being your one-stop shop for your gift shopping, seasonal decorating and a place to purchase a new date night outfit,” Palmer says.

She introduces some Izzy P items you can enjoy this autumn and beyond.

fresh design

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fresh design

g e t t h e loo k CANDLES Made with all-natural ingredients in Alliance, Union House soy candles ($8-$20) come in 8, 9 or 16 ounces and offer unique seasonal scents like cornbread and apple butter. Some scents are sold year-round, and a top seller is maple bourbon.

“To me, the maple bourbon candle smells like home,” says Palmer, adding that the scent is a combination of maple syrup and caramel bourbon.

DOG COLLAR Cat and dog parents need to

is artificial greenery, and we

shop Izzy P’s pet line. Find

have different collections in

collars, pet decor, treats, beds

shop for each season,” she says.

and accessories for your furry

Browse the fall garden bush

friend. Plus, there are new

pumpkin collection to find faux

items each season. Items

allium spheres, green foliage

include matching Foggy Dog

and berries in autumnal colors.

bandannas, collars and fashionable waste bag holders. To

T R AY

give your pooch a fresh, fun

This year, marble has been

look, put on the hand-illus-

popular in kitchens, and this

trated peaches-and-cream

marble-and-wood tray ($33) is

dog collar ($18) that has a

a beautiful way to incorporate

gleaming gold buckle. “For a

that trend. It is raised off the

lot of people in their 20s or

counter by wooden legs, mak-

30s, their pets are their babies,

ing it a great surface to display

and they want to spoil them,”

items. How to Style: “I would

Palmer says.

design this tray by using it for

SHELF

a beautiful charcuterie board or on your kitchen counter with

The triple loft shelf ($210) is

a beautiful faux or real plant,

a striking platform to show

candle, small sign or everyday

off your decor. “This piece is

items like salt-and-pepper

definitely a statement piece,”

shakers,” says Palmer. “I don’t

Palmer says. How to Style:

just like items for the show.

She recommends adding fam-

They also need to be functional

ily photos and sentimental

for everyday living.”

items and then filling in the gaps with vases, signs and foliage. “An easy and inexpensive

207 Market Ave. N, Canton, izzypathome.com

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33O HOMES fall 2022

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Make your kitchen and bath sparkle with expert designs, products and services. Save money on your renovation with the help of an MBS Interiors designer, who can help you avoid costly mistakes. Designers are professional, trained and, most importantly, experienced. They know what to expect and are aware of common obstacles, whether pertaining to measurements, ordering or design. They can guide you and help you determine your ideal investment and timeline.

MBS Interiors designers help with your project from start to finish. Professional design services include cabinetry design, space planning, appliance selection, dependable delivery and more. Book your consultation today and work with an expert designer to create your dream kitchen or bath. You deserve to love the space you live in!

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TRUST OUR FAMILY TO POWER YOURS Residential / Commercial / Industrial Northeast Ohio Electrical Contractor

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ELECTRIC 330-644-4454

3783 State St., Akron