Spring 2022, 330 Homes

SPRING 2022

NOT-SO-EMPT Y DREA M NEST

ANN and BARRY'S ELEGANT UPSIZE (This is just the laundry room!) photo by Addison Jones Photography

CHOOSING TEXTURES FOR YOUR KITCHEN

A UNIQUE COCKTAIL ROOM

A STUNNING AGE-IN-PLACE OASIS

ED VOT

2021

BEST of the BEST

Real Estate Company & REALTOR ®

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contents spring 2022 | volume 4 | issue 1

dream house

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A TR AN S FO R M ED L AKE H O U S E

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A ST U N N I N G U P G R AD E

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AG E - I N - P L AC E OA S I S

space lift 8 GRAND GREAT ROOM 18 COLORFUL LAUNDRY ROOM 26 ELEVATED FOYER 36 UNIQUE COCKTAIL ROOM

fresh design 10 TWO KNOTTY DIETITIANS 40 TEXTURES IN YOUR KITCHEN

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SPRING 2022

on the cover 20 | NOT-SO-EMPTY NEST | photo by Addison Jones Photography

NOT-SO-EMPT Y DREA M NEST

ANN and BARRY'S ELEGANT UPSIZE (This is just the laundry room!) photo by Addison Jones Photography

CHOOSING TEXTURES FOR YOUR KITCHEN

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A UNIQUE COCKTAIL ROOM

A STUNNING AGE-IN-PLACE OASIS

welcome

by COLIN BAKER

SAVE YOUR ENERGY Home improvement can make your house more comfortable and cost-effective.

a supplement to Akron Life magazine Publisher COLIN BAKER

cbaker@bakermediagroup.com

W

hen I was a teenager, we lived in a farmhouse in Suffield, Ohio. The original part of the farmhouse was built in 1820, with several additions thereafter.

Inside the house was always freezing in the winter and sweltering in the summer. We used multiple heat sources, from coal to wood. And we used heating oil, but only rarely because it was very expensive to heat our drafty 13-room house in the 1980s. I used a sledgehammer to break large chunks of coal so we could fit them in the stove.

It really didn’t help much.

The house was still cold.

My room was so cold in the winter, ice formed on the inside of the window, and if I had snow on my boots, it would still be there the next morning. (This may be more myth than reality, but I continue to tell the story to make my point). My dad wasn’t very handy when it came to home improvement. And owning a large old farmhouse only emphasized this fact.

On the bright side, I almost never got sick. The cold air gave me a bulletproof immune system. In retrospect, I loved living there, and I have many fond memories from that time.

But I do think I could have

enjoyed the same experiences with the house about 10 to 20 degrees warmer.

My wife always asks me why I crank the heat in my car or why I like it hot in the house.

I say, I’m still thawing out from the ’80s.

If today’s energy audit was performed on the old farmhouse, it would probably show that the leaks were equivalent to every door in the house being left wide open.

We are used to the idea that we need to insulate our homes to keep the heat in. But it is also important to seal off any areas where heat can escape. In this issue of 330 Homes, find tips on how to improve your home, whether that’s adding plants and macrame art to your rooms or figuring out what textures fit best in your kitchen. Also get inspired by unique spaces like a colorful laundry room, a striking great room, an elevated foyer and more.

There are plenty of great resources out there for your next project, including how to save on both heating and cooling. Don’t forget you lose just as much in the summertime with that drafty house. You can go to energy. gov to learn more about savings and simple do-ityourself ideas.

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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 B R E N DA N B A K E R MICHAEL NIED 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 Editorial Intern LO N D O N G R E E N Design Intern BINGJIE CUI

spring 2022 | volume 4 | issue 1 33 O 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.

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by ALEXANDRA SOBCZAK and photos provided by OLD WORLD CUSTOM HOMES

E L E VAT E D C OMF OR T

This great room and kitchen balance creative design with coziness.

E

ven grand spaces can feel cozy.

That idea is exemplified in the open-concept great room and kitchen of this new build in Sharon Township.

“I wanted to make it feel grandiose, but also take into account the acoustics,” says Jim Yezbak, head of design and sales at Old World Custom Homes. “When you do an open-concept plan, voices tend to echo.”

That’s why the living area is 15 feet high, while the kitchen and dining area is 22 feet high.

“The kitchen and dining room, you don’t usually see as a two-story space,” he says. “I accounted for that being the main wow factor of the house.”

That difference in height appears “pleasantly asymmetrical” from the outside, while creating a balance between grand and comfortable on the inside, he says.

Despite the space’s striking features, lower ceilings in the living space and oak trusses forming a diamond over the kitchen make for a more intimate feel.

“It does create more of a cozy feel in a space that’s actually quite tall,” Yezbak says.

the

d etai ls

F I R E P L A C E : The most eye-catching

Although the width is unusual, Yezbak says

feature is the fireplace — it’s 14 feet wide.

some others have been designing fire-

Fireplaces generally don’t exceed 7 feet in

places that flare out or have ornate details.

width, so this stone veneer and limestone

“People [are] starting to look at a fireplace

feature draws attention. “It was a design

as, Oh, wait. We can do something dif-

risk for sure,” Yezbak says. “It’s always a

ferent here,” he says.

risk to go outside of what is normalcy.”

He describes other standout features in the great room and kitchen.

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W I N D O W S : The black-paned windows are another standout feature, contrasting against the house’s many grays and tans.

They reach 12 feet above the kitchen sink and cover 12 feet of the wall in great room, where they’re dropped to the floor instead of about a foot above.

“The windows kept clean lines along the back wall,” Yezbak says, “but then also … show a little bit more of a contemporary feel.”

I S L A N D S : The kitchen is full of surprises — including a tricked-out working island with a rollout cutting board and integrated trash bags.

“When you’re cutting all your vegetables, you can just swipe them off to the garbage,” Yezbak says. “It’s a real wow factor when you walk around the island and you see a piece of black walnut underneath the [quartz] countertop.”

The working island has a counterpart in the 12-foot-long white oak conversational island, set with 10 chairs for dining.

PA N T RY: Another standout feature in the kitchen is one that you won’t see at first glance.

There are two doors within the line of shaker style inset cabinets that aren’t what they seem.

One is the refrigerator door, and the other is the entrance to a 6-foot-by-8-foot walk-in pantry.

“The hidden gem of the kitchen is a hidden pantry,” Yezbak says. “It’s something completely unexpected.”

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by ALEXANDRA SOBCZAK and photos provided by TWO KNOTTY DIETITIANS

A RT IST IC T I ES Dietitians create functional art.

Macrame can look very traditional and old-school, but they hope to create colorful boho pieces with “more modern touches and flair,” Wurst says.

They also accept custom orders, especially for wall hangings, which they have personalized for customers by seeing photos of their rooms and creating a piece they think would match.

Overall, the pieces, along with the plants put in them, can help you make your space feel more comfortable and truly your own.

“I think plants bring a really welcoming, cozy atmosphere,” Wurst says. “Calming for sure,” Reynolds adds.

E

mily Reynolds and Madison Wurst, both plant people, were brought together while working as registered dietitians. Now, they channel their love of plants into their business, Two Knotty Dietitians, based in Cuyahoga Falls.

Two Knotty Dietitians, which they created as a “side hustle” for fun, offers handmade macrame art

Reynolds and Wurst describe some of the most popular pieces, which can be found on Etsy and in shops around Cuyahoga Falls and Canal Fulton. pieces, both functional and decorative, focusing on plants and other natural aspects. The duo, who had no previous experience making macrame, taught themselves the artform.

“We started off with really basic plant hangers and very basic knots,” Wurst says. “And we just grew from there.”

Now, they create almost all their designs themselves.

Inspiration often blooms from finding a cool bead or geode stone at a flea market or craft show, or by finding a pretty piece of driftwood near Lake Erie.

“It’s cool to just see where it takes you, or where your imagination takes you,” Wurst says.

PLANT HANGERS, $20-$35 These plant hangers come in different colors and styles and have unique touches like tassels, beads, brass moons and more woven in. “We just try to make them different than things you would typically see off Amazon,” Reynolds says. And the selection is constantly changing.

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“We try to keep the colors consistent with the season,” Wurst says. “Emily just created a more springy line with greens and purples and softer pastel colors.”

How to Style: Reynolds and Wurst suggest hanging these near natural light, perhaps in the corner of a room near a window. “I have a couple on my curtain rods,” Reynolds says.

“That’s just an easy alternative to putting a hook in your ceiling.”

K E YC H A I N S , $8-$15 Not all of the Two Knotty Dietitians pieces are meant to hold plants. Keychains adorned with tassels or mustard, sage or lavender daisies are practical options while keeping your everyday items artsy. “If we do shows or craft fairs, little kids always like those,” Wurst says.

“They’re also cheap options too, if you like macrame but can’t afford a larger piece.”

S H E LV E S , $40-$100 These shelves feature complex macrame patterns, driftwood, geode stones and live edge wood pieces, found and cut by local Eddie Whitt. The macrame designs can match styles from geometric to boho.

How to Style: These made-toorder shelves are commonly put in bedrooms to hold decorative, natural pieces and plants. “A lot of people like to put crystal stones or live plants on them,” Reynolds says.

“People have sent us pictures of them with picture frames or even candles on them.”

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by LYNNE THOMPSON photos by PIXEL PERFECT PHOTOGRAPHY

CRYSTAL COTTAGE A dilapidated fishing cabin is transformed.

T

im Carr and Cindy Bach remember the first time they saw the house that would become their Portage Lakes home. The floor in the original 1925 fishing cabin sagged as much as 2 1/2 inches in some places — if it remained at all. “When you opened up the front door and looked down, you saw the basement,” Bach recalls. Additions had created an odd layout that put a den and three-season room on the lower level.

“Nothing was square, nothing was level,” Carr says. “It was a mess.”

But Carr and Bach were unfazed. As the owners of Akron-based Lakefront Excavating, they were used to houses that needed a lot of work, and this one was located on approximately 90 feet of Turkeyfoot

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Channel. The location appealed to the couple — they had spent many summer days on the Portage Lakes in their pontoon boat.

Over the next nine months, they gutted the house and, with the help of Akron-based Shultz Design & Construction, transformed the dilapidated house into a three-bedroom, three-bath home with the space to comfortably host up to 100 guests in a postCOVID world.

The transformation began with Lakefront Excavating demolishing the threeseason room. Shultz Design & Construction replaced it with an addition consisting of a first-floor great room and deck over a lower-level outdoor living room. The couple credits design coordinator Sarah Linerode with helping them settle on siding the house in a white vinyl

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lap with vinyl shake-shingle detailing at the waterfront gable peaks to begin creating the Northeast coastal cottage look they desired.

Lakefront Excavating constructed barn stone walls to retain flagstone terraces built in the backyard. A sailboat converted into a bar table was docked on the upper terrace, while a gas fire pit fashioned from a drilled-out piece of sandstone was installed on the lower counterpart.

Inside, painters coated the kitchen, great room and dining area walls in SherwinWilliams’ Sandbar, a pale tan that sets off white quartztopped cabinetry and a weathered marble-tile backsplash. “The mortaring really mimics rope,” Linerode notes.

Carr suggested painting the island in Benjamin Moore’s slate-blue Van Deusen hue.

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“[I] didn’t want everything to look like a hospital,” he quips.

A walnut range-hood shroud and floating shelves provide a visual link to luxury vinyl plank flooring and a great room fireplace faced in hardwood from a remaining section of the original cabin floor. “[Cindy] wanted some material that was original to the home just to pay homage to whatever was there before,” Linerode says. “And they really liked that look of the reclaimed material.”

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She helped Bach select the space’s light-taupe microsuede sectional, hammeredmetal coffee table and navy-leather club chair. The rug, an abstract pattern in slate blue, gray, taupe and ivory, is representative of Bach’s eclectic tastes.

“A lot of the details and elements are more natural,” Linerode says. “But she blends a lot of different styles in here.”

Linerode suggested installing a transom window salvaged from the original kitchen in the wall between the dining area and home office to bring additional light into their workspace from the open living/dining area. The live-edge wood-topped dining table typically seats eight in blue-linen nailhead-trimmed chairs. But the couple can accommodate up to 20 for dinner by utilizing ivory microsuede chairs at the coppertopped kitchen table, wood-and-metal seats at the island and wood stools at the peninsula.

The house has proved well suited to Carr and Bach’s everyday lifestyle. They talk of meals prepared on the grill and eaten at a high-top cafe table on the deck, of evenings passed in Adirondack chairs by the fire pit. Entertaining is casual and often impromptu. They watch football games in the outdoor living room long after summer has turned into fall.

“Right up until the point that Cindy has to put her gloves and hat and mittens on,” Carr says, “we’re outside.”

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BEFORE

CLOSER LOOK: The most distinctive

to its lower level —

feature in Tim Carr

and drilled holes in the

and Cindy Bach’s

hull so rainwater could

backyard is a terrace

drain through it. A

bar table made from a

carpenter friend made

1956 Lippincott Comet

a bar top to cover the

sailboat the previous

cockpit, then mounted

owner had managed

the boat on 6-inch-by-

to refinish. The couple

6-inch wooden posts.

removed the mast and boom from the 16-foot vessel — they used the former to make a newel post and the latter to craft a handrail for the staircase from the house’s first floor

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“The thing we really liked about that sailboat was the top of it was flat,” Carr says.

“A lot of the boats are curved [or] humped.

They would not make a very good bar.”

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by LYNNE THOMPSON and photos by ISO PHOTO STUDIO, JACQUELINE ZEMA

F R E S H L O OK

Converting a laundry room from forgotten to cozy.

T

he Summit County center-hall colonial was built in the early 1990s with a laundry room that was little more than a pass-through from the garage to a back hallway. But Katie Heinz, owner of Interior Design Studio in Medina, found the couple now living there was using it as a de facto drop-off point for outerwear and anything they and their two sons happened to have in their hands.

“It was a cluster of disorganization,” she recalls. “It’s a big space, but it’s got this window in the middle of one wall. The only closet you saw in there was to the left of the sink. …

And the tiny closet was being used for the vacuum, the cleaning products, that kind of stuff.”

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Heinz converted the space into a well-appointed “landing zone” with updated decor that complemented the interiors being installed in the rest of the house.

She describes some of the room’s highlights.

T H E WA L L PA P E R : Heinz covered the walls, which a previous owner had spongepainted in splotches of pink, mauve, gray and green, with a gray paper boldly trellised in white “to create some excitement.” “It’s a vinyl-coated wallpaper, so it’s super durable,” she adds. “You can wipe it down.”

T H E C A B I N E T RY: The existing pickled-oak cabinetry was painted the same bright turquoise found in an abstract mural in the neighboring kitchen, and the color pops in the space. “Even though the wallpaper is very graphic, it’s still neutral — there’s no color in the room,” Heinz says.

T H E B U I LT- I N S : Contractors built a coat locker and shelves to place laundry baskets in dead wall space, then painted them a clean, crisp white. The family uses drawers underneath the shelves to store workout gear and the dog’s leashes, the gray canvas bins in cubbyholes above to stow seasonal gear. “We added a bench below the window so they could [sit down and] take off their shoes,” Heinz says.

“Those [wire] baskets under the bench … are for either their shoes or hats and gloves.”

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by LYNNE THOMPSON photos by ADDISON JONES PHOTOGRAPHY

NOT-SOEMPTY NEST A couple upsizes in style.

A

t a time when most emptynesters downsize, Ann and Barry upsized from their 5,800-squarefoot Hudson Southern colonial — in a big way.

The 8,173-square-foot stone-and-shakeshingle home the husband-and-wife business owners commissioned Prestige Builders to construct on 2.4 acres overlooking the Cuyahoga Valley National Park is a kind of mini resort.

A stone path leads from the back of the house, past a ter-

raced dining area, to an in-ground pool, spa and open-air pavilion complete with a woodburning fireplace and big-screen television.

years will bring more grandchildren.

“It was just very, very important to us to be able to have our children, when they come home, be comfortable,” Ann says. Although Barry swims laps in the heated pool until the outdoor temperature dips below 22 degrees, it was built with the younger generations in mind. “We wanted the kids and grandchildren, when they can come to our home, to feel like they’re coming almost to a vacation [spot],” Ann says.

The couple built the five-bedroom, 5 1/2bath residence to entertain a growing family while allowing them to age in place.

They’ve long hosted a Christmas celebration attended by approximately 50 relatives.

Their three adult children and their families visit frequently for at least a long weekend at a time, and Ann believes the next few

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Ann and Barry enlisted Laura Yeager Smith of Laura Yeager Smith Home & Design in Hudson to develop interiors in shades of gray, beige and blue that exude what friends have described as “comfortable elegance.” Oldworld details such as hand-hewn pine-wrapped trusses and hardwood floors complement the exterior and provide a sense of permanence, even when combined with more contemporary furnishings and fixtures. Color is introduced with furniture and accessories, such as throw pillows and lamps.

“Should we want to change our scheme a little bit … we could just change out a few pieces and create another look,” Ann says.

To Ann, the kitchen is the heart of the house. Smith extended a weatheredbrick backsplash to the top of two walls and installed a metal hood shroud “supported” by decorative corbels and finished with fluted molding. The backsplash,

glazed oyster cabinetry and white quartz countertops extend into a prep kitchen/ pantry tricked out with an island, sink, freezer and second dishwasher.

“It’s really the area where you can get things ready, have a little bit more clutter or prep when you’re having people over,” she says. “Then your kitchen’s not blown up.”

The dining area has an orb-shaped iron chandelier and is posh enough for formal entertaining yet durable enough for everyday use.

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A maple trestle table is stationed atop a multitoned cream, chestnut and gray wool rug.

Hanging white barn doors slide closed to separate the dining area from the neighboring den.

Smith chose the same weathered brick in the kitchen backsplash to face the curving great room fireplace, a focal point flanked by coordinating artworks. Each hangs over a chest wrapped in slateblue grass cloth. “[The pieces] add more texture

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and color, mix materials,” Smith says. “We didn’t want everything to be wood.” Sofas upholstered in a woven Crypton fabric and English armchairs covered in a grayand-white pattern are augmented by a tuftedleather ottoman that doubles as a cocktail table and two white cut-velvet counterparts.

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CLOSER LOOK: The foyer of Ann and Barry’s home is as wide as the great room it adjoins, a feature that accommodates many arriving guests but made it harder to differentiate in an open floor plan. Interior designer Laura Yeager Smith accomplished the task by installing white paneled wainscoting that extends nearly to the top of windows flanking the arched double doors, then covering the remaining drywall with blue grass cloth wallcovering.

“We designed a custom-scaled rug for that area,” Smith adds.

“We wanted it to be wide enough … so all the guests could step on [it].”

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“We did a custom scale on those sofas to maximize seating in that room,” Smith says.

Picture windows overlook a covered terrace topped by the same pine tongueand-groove construction and floored with the same natural bluestone as the pool pavilion. Smith notes that the swivel armchairs and twinchaise sectional are covered in Sunbrella fabric that can be removed and washed.

The same brand was used to cover the pool pavilion’s furniture and made cabana draperies that block elements ranging from hot afternoon rays to chilly fall breezes.

Other notable nooks include a laundry room finished in a bold floral print to make the designated task more enjoyable, and a lowerlevel wine room that Ann estimates can store 200 bottles.

Barry insists the place isn’t too big.

“We use every single room in the house,” he declares.

One wonders, however, if he and Ann may eventually regret creating a place no guest in their right mind would ever want to leave.

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by MICHAEL NIED and photos provided by KNL HOMES

TA L L OR DE R

A unique floor plan adds dimensional flair to this single-story home.

R

anch homes sprawl across the property they occupy, but there’s a caveat to one-story living. These dwellings can come across as vertically challenged, and in turn, dim inside.

That’s hardly the case with the 3,450 squarefoot Wadsworth home Todd Folden, president of KNL Homes, constructed.

The new build boasts 10-foot ceilings throughout and soars even higher in the roughly 450-square-foot foyer and great room. A color story of white and soft gray makes the space feel open and airy.

Custom finishes such as wide-plank hickory flooring and granite countertops in the kitchen add a sense of luxury.

The design is cutting-edge and clean with an elevated, rustic feel. Folden, whose goal is to always “be ahead of the curve,” showcases his 38 years of expertise in the decked-out model home that will be up for sale and is great for a family looking to downsize.

Thanks to its open floor plan, many of the home’s features are on full display as you enter through the foyer.

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the

d e ta ils

C E I L I N G : Talk about a view that has you looking up. The towering heights of the foyer’s cathedral ceiling are emphasized by a decorative vault system, which runs the length of the space. The KNL Homes team constructed the beams and stained them a cool-toned brown. “When people walk in, they get that sense of the detail and the amount of workmanship,” Folden says.

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the

d etails

W I N D O W S : Natural light makes even the smallest areas feel more welcoming. Extra-large clerestory windows bathe the home in sunlight.

Rounded tops mimic a motif repeated on the French doors and in archways that lead to other rooms.

FRENCH DOORS: This detail creates a serious statement in the foyer and from the street. Black iron French doors add weight to the color palette and pair with a dark soffit and roof outside. Custom-designed in Texas, the doors weigh approximately 1,800 pounds and took a team of six to install. They also carry sentimental value to Folden.

“We had a similar door in our past house where we lived, and we loved it,” he says.

F I R E P L A C E : Ohio’s chilly winters make this feature a welcome luxury.

A floor-to-ceiling fireplace further emphasizes the home’s verticality. The fireplace is faced in 2-inch stone, which nods to Folden’s stylish modernyet-rustic aesthetic. It’s the sort of element that begs you to cozy up with a plush blanket and a good book.

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

ONE -OF-A-K IND DESIGN MBS Interiors is a full-service kitchen and bath design center in Canton, Ohio. Make your kitchen and bath sparkle with expert designs, products, and services with MBS Interiors. One of the best ways to save money on your renovation is to seek the help of an MBS Interiors Kitchen and Bath Designer! Getting professional help will save you money by avoiding costly mistakes that only a professional can foresee. Our kitchen and bath designers are professional, trained, and most importantly: experienced. Designers know what to expect and are well aware of common obstacles. They will guide you along the way, keeping in mind your ideal investment and timeline.

In addition to our professional design services, we offer the highest quality semi-custom cabinetry from Kraftmaid, StarMark, Ultracraft, Merillat and MidContinent. MBS Interiors is proud to offer you one-of-akind designs that represent your style. Book your design consultation with MBS Interiors today and work with one of our expert designers to create your dream kitchen or bath. You deserve to love the space you live in!

MBS Interiors 4426 Whipple Ave. NW, Canton 330-409-9343 modernbuilderssupply.com

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by ALEXANDRA SOBCZAK photos by NANCY VANDERVOORT, N. VANDERVOORT PHOTOGRAPHY

L ASTI N G P E AC E There's something for each family member in this Silver Lake house.

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I

t’s the perfect “forever home” for a Silver Lake family — everyone has their own space tailored to their interests, and there’s plenty of room for family time.

“It’s a total offset to a busy life,” the husband says.

“Out here in the backyard, I have a beaver dam. They’re swimming. The bats are flying. … We have geese, ducks, turtles.”

The husband jams out on guitar in his soundproof music studio, the wife appreciates the views from her dream office and their adult son has a high-tech model train room and an entire in-law suite where he has his own space.

“We’ve always loved the water,” the wife adds.

“This is the first time the three of us have actually been able to live in peace, where there’s something for everybody,” the husband says.

The project, which was originally a first-floor remodel but turned into a demolition and new build, let the talents of interior designer Julia Schumacher and general contractor Don Brown of D.F. Brown Construction shine. The two of them worked together to design a home that exceeded the homeowners’ goals.

Beyond wanting to upgrade to a spot where they can all have their own space, the homeowners had another goal — taking advantage of the picturesque Silver Lake views.

From the great room, they point toward Silver Lake, visible through the windows facing the street, and then they turn toward the back of the house, where there’s an up-close view of the 24-acre Crystal Lake right beyond the backyard.

Those views are brought into the house through large black-framed windows and natural tones.

“The use of natural materials, of wood floors, big windows and then the palette — it’s all very neutral, nice, simple wood tones and white,” says Schumacher, the owner of Akron-based Schumacher Designs. “Thinking of light and nature were the driving forces for the design, and timelessness.”

That vision shines in the open-concept great room and kitchen, starting with the quarter-sawn oak cabinetry flanking the 16-foot cast stone fireplace.

“We wanted a huge fireplace, something tall to hold up this side of the room,” Schumacher says.

Quarter-sawn oak beams break up the ceiling while visually connecting the fireplace to the range hood and quarter-sawn oak kitchen cabinetry on the opposite end of the room. Nearby, a quartz-topped island is set with seven chairs, and a walk-in pantry/food prep area completes the kitchen.

An adjacent breakfast nook features an oak table from the husband’s parents and some green cabinetry for a pop of color.

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Soft indirect light shines upward from light coves, which, along with the white walls, create a non-cluttered, calming atmosphere. Throughout the rest of the first floor, the white walls, black doors, trim and windows and hickory floors weave the space together.

Those trim details carry through to the wife’s office — her dream space. Sliding doors separate her space from the rest of the main floor, while a fluffy light fixture floral in appearance and square downlights augment the room’s natural light. The walls are pale pink, and a piece of floral art

by Columbus artist Susanne Dotson provides summery color no matter the season.

“On a gray day, you have Mother Nature,” Schumacher says.

The wife loves the space, where she has a great view while remaining close to the action in the great room.

“It’s private. It’s feminine. It’s something I’ve always wanted,” she says.

Overall, Schumacher and Brown ensured the main floor flowed seamlessly, while still integrating the family’s personal touches.

“We wanted open, kind of eclectic,” Schumacher says. “Downstairs, it is more like a lounge and an Irish Pub.” After descending, you enter a living space complete with cozy furniture, a fireplace and framed guitars on the walls. A one-of-a-kind Don Drumm guitar sculpture rests in the corner.

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CLOSER LOOK:

Nearby, a soundproof music studio filled with guitars and customizable LED lights provides a spot for the husband to play.

“This is my little sanctuary,” he says, as his wife likens him to Jimi Hendrix.

Across the space, the Irish-pub-inspired bar with knotty alder trim draws attention. There’s a geometric tin ceiling, a mirror television and speakers in the walls — perfect for gatherings and Browns watch parties. A picture of the husband’s dad looks over the bar, a nod to the Irish family’s history.

The downstairs

ect with general

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contractor Don

intricate grape-

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adorned custom iron

Construction. “It

gates, exposed stone

was all ideas that

and iron racks for

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and then finding

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the right sources to

“In our design meet-

A nearby door leads to an outdoor space with a kitchen, grill, pizza oven and enough seating for 20 guests. Although the space is perfect for game days and fun parties, the family still wanted to put focus on how they would use the house in the future.

The couple plans to age in place, with amenities to make everything accessible, from the low kitchen appliances to an elevator and the walk-in shower. And just as they thought of the future, they also wanted to connect their forever home to the past. They kept some things from their old house — bricks in the wall by the bar and a sketch the husband drew under some old wallpaper. There’s also a jar of smooth glacial sand collected from the land their new home was built on.

Overall, it’s a perfect fit for the family.

“It’s a dream come true,” the wife says. “We are just so happy with it.”

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implement them.”

ings, we knew we

The room full of cus-

wanted the open-

tom finishes wasn’t

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and … to be able to

for the new build,

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but it fills the space

Julia Schumacher,

under the front porch

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ful way the couple

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

TA K E T H E “ B L I N D E R S ” O F F – W E ’ R E N O T W H AT W E U S E D T O B E !

It’s Blinds 2022 and The Interior Design Studio can bring you the latest! No, they are certainly not your grandmother’s blinds.

No longer is it simply a choice of size, color, and type; Blinds have entered the world of technology in a way that brings the smart car parking itself some competition, relatively speaking.

Customize a few settings using a slick app on your phone and — wahla! Your blinds in the living room automatically raise just in time to reveal the sunrise as you drink your morning coffee.

Come home in the dark after a long day at work and the blinds have automatically closed for the privacy you need to curl up in your jammies with a glass of wine and some Netflix binging.

If that weren’t enough – sitting in your home office to work on a late-night project and feeling a little left out from the family?

Simply gaze at your kid’s favorite artwork designed on the shade covering your office window. Let’s face it - their artwork is no longer for the refrigerator only!

At Interior Design Studio, we pride ourselves on not only great design but making sure we are up to speed on all of the latest technologies and trends in the marketplace. We’d love to help you create your blind oasis!

Interior Design Studio 207 S. Court St., Medina 330-725-7623 interiordesignstudiooh.com

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by LYNNE THOMPSON and photos by JIM CELUCH

MID - C E N T UR Y A P E R I T IF It's not your average cocktail bar.

T

his Massillon couple wanted a dedicated space in their 4,650-square-foot residence for guests to mix and mingle, perhaps before sitting down for one of the elaborate dinners they like to prepare. Betsy Casey and John Mizener, design consultants at North Cantonbased Rembrandt Homes, came up with an eclectic, mid-century modern cocktail bar that eclipses the average home wet bar in size and style.

“This room is all about materials and finishes and how they interact — a conversation between the organic and geometric,” Casey says.

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space lift

F I R E P L A C E : Casey, Mizener and the homeowners chose to face the fireplace in Soho Studios’ Baroque Sequin Gun Metal, an elongated hexagonal ceramic tile finished to look like polished gunmetal that supplies the desired dimension. “The natural light from those big, open windows reflects off of the tile,” Casey observes. The result is a subtle but striking variance in metallic tones.

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C A B I N E T RY A N D H A R D WA R E : A pair of brass handles, each one-half of an octopus, accentuate a cabinet in the fireplace-flanking built-ins painted Sherwin-Williams Hunt Club. This color serves as a bright foil for Sherwin-Williams Tricorn Black walls. “[The clients] wanted a bold color,” Casey says, “and green is one of their favorites.” The handles, ordered online from Indonesia, reminded them of an antique pair they saw while in France. “They do love the sea,” Casey says, “so they wanted to bring that into the space.”

B A C KS P L AS H : Casey suggested extending Artistic Tile’s Tambourine Traps Gillespie Green Mosaic — an arrangement of polished- and matteglass trapezoids ranging in color from spring green to turquoise to emerald to almost-black — from the steel-gray leatheredgranite countertop to the ceiling.

Mizener added two brushedbrass sconces to the wall. “That creates more of a dramatic effect, with the light bouncing off those tiles,” Casey says.

T H E C H A N D E L I E R : The fixture, which drips clear, white and gold blown glass droplets, is a souvenir of the homeowners’ honeymoon stop on Murano, an island in Venice, Italy, known around the world for its glass.

“They were walking through one of the shops there, saw this extremely beautiful chandelier and just fell in love with it,” Casey says. “They purchased it and had it sent back to the States.”

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by BRENDAN BAKER and photos provided by ARCHITECTURAL JUSTICE

T R E N DY T E X T U R ES

Kitchen designs are evolving to cleaner, more elegant materials.

K

itchen remodeling is one of the best ways to increase the value of your home. Frequently, the remodel cost is offset by your home’s new market value. But what inspires homeowners to undergo a remodel is usually more abstract.

Do you want to increase the size of the kitchen, add improved storage or just bring it up-to-date with colors, textures and appliances? These are just a few of the reasons we can think of, so we talked to some kitchen pros to find out what trends are in this year.

“Quartz is the majority of what we do today,” says Jimmy Domer, the general manager of Hartvillebased Top Advantage Surfaces. “Our main brand is Cambria quartz, which is manufactured right down the road in Kent.”

And the love of quartz is widespread — it’s one of the most popular materials on the market right now.

“The progression went from Corian, the acrylic stuff, to granite — and granite is still popular, but more of the high-end granites — to quartz,” Domer says.

Top Advantage sees a lot of whites and grays used in kitchen countertops and backsplashes today. “More homeowners like the natural look of the veining,” Domer says. “So now you see a lot of white countertops with gray veins or gray countertops with white veins.”

A drawback of granite is that it is porous, and there’s some maintenance involved, like resealing. That’s because it is cut from stone instead of being manufactured from powder-like material.

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“Quartz is so nice because it’s non-porous and smooth,” Domer says. “You can put raw chicken on it, clean it off with soap and water, and not have to worry about any bacteria lingering in the grain.

And it doesn’t stain.”

Cambria quartz uses 93 percent quartz and 7 percent proprietary resins, according to Domer.

"When quartz is made it has the consistency of cookie dough, they spread their

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color and everything into the mix. It is then compressed and heated, and when it comes out it is in a hard slab. After this step, it is diamond polished to a matte or polished finish," says Domer, adding that Cambria can make many designs and use many colors, so their possibilities are nearly endless.

“Five or six years ago, we were doing a lot of beiges and tans predominantly.

Now the trends are leaning towards whites, and a

fresh design

clean look, a lot of modern farmhouse stuff, where you match the old with the new, and some modern rustic is the new trend we see.”

Domer laughs but says that shows like Fixer Upper on HGTV can significantly influence trends.

“A lot of people are getting their countertops replaced now, and we can also carry it over to the backsplash,” he says. “We call it a fullheight backsplash, and they’ll put it up the wall.

Then we’re also doing a lot of islands. So [homeowners] have their perimeter and a big island focal point in the center. And we can waterfall [the quartz] down the side of the cabinet or island.”

From counters to cabinets and other accents, James Justice, owner of Architectural Justice in Medina, says another hot thing in kitchens right now is metal. “The metal just adds something different to the kitchen,” he says.

Justice says the accents come in six different finishes, including gunmetal black, white, nickel, urbane bronze and raw steel.

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Architectural Justice manufactures the metal product line at its Medina location, which includes a showroom for people to see how it looks in a concept kitchen. It also offers fullservice interior design, and he notes that the trend is leaning more toward elegance than industrial.

Justice also adds that cabinet designs are moving away from ornate patterns. “We see a little swing back towards some natural woods but with a more modern look,” he says. “The trend is moving away from the traditional stuff, which has a lot of edging. In a modern look, you may have flush doors and things like that.”

Like other details in the kitchen, flooring trends are also changing. Engineered products that are as good as natural wood are in, and you often can’t tell the difference between engineered and solid hardwood.

“A lot of flooring is still the really wide plank. But it is engineered hardwood. [Manufacturers] have changed the way they’re making high-end flooring; they’re actually cutting it like a real plank on a sawmill.

Justice recommends that customers who are thinking of remodeling take photos of their kitchen and talk with design experts.

“We work through the entire design, creating 3D renderings with their budget in mind,” he says. “Then they can move forward completely

with us or partially. Usually, we end up doing the entire job, nine times out of 10.”

The magazine of The 330

VOLUME 19 | ISSUE 5

MAY 2021

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TRUST OUR FAMILY TO POWER YOURS Residentail / Commerical / Industrial Northeast Ohio Electrical Contractor

ELECTRIC 330-644-4454

3783 State St., Akron