Summer 2022, 330 Homes

SUMMER 2022

TEXTURES POP IN COLORFUL R ANCH

CHERYL and JIM NILSEN'S STRIKING FAIRLAWN DREAM HOME photo by Tylar Calhoun

CHARMING YARDS MATCH A HISTORIC HOME

A CONTEMPORARY AKRON STANDOUT

MYSTICAL MIRDINARA DECOR ADDS WHIMSY

contents summer 2022 | volume 4 | issue 2

dream house

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R EFI N ED R I C H FI ELD H I D E AWAY

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CO NTEM P O R ARY STAN D O U T

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Q U I R K Y CO LO R FU L R AN C H

open air 08 CHARMING HISTORIC YARDS 28 TIERED TERRACES

fresh design 10 WHIMSICAL MIRDINARA DECOR

space lift 18 LUXURIOUS KITCHEN 38 GIRL'S BOHO BEDROOM

SUMMER 2022

on the cover 32 | PERFECT MIX | photo by Tylar Calhoun

TEXTURES POP IN COLORFUL R ANCH

CHERYL and JIM NILSEN'S STRIKING FAIRLAWN DREAM HOME photo by Tylar Calhoun

CHARMING YARDS MATCH A HISTORIC HOME

A CONTEMPORARY AKRON STANDOUT

MYSTICAL MIRDINARA DECOR ADDS WHIMSY

welcome

by COLIN BAKER

A DDI NG VA LU E Home renovation projects can strengthen your assets as we deal with inflation.

a supplement to Akron Life magazine Publisher COLIN BAKER

cbaker@bakermediagroup.com Creative Director

M

ost of us have felt the effects of inflation. It seems to be a common topic of conversation among friends, like complaining about the Cleveland Browns or Guardians.

Once you start feeling the pinch at the gas pump and in the grocery checkout line, it’s easy to start looking at home improvement projects and think, Maybe I should wait — for some things at least. Obviously, if you have water pouring from the ceiling you should put down this magazine and call a plumber.

For me, inflation or no inflation, I have a rule: I don’t fix electrical, and I don’t do plumbing or roofing. Everything else I’ll give a try. It doesn’t always work, and I have had to call a few people to fix my mistakes. As someone who has built race cars, I think that gives me the experience and know-how to fix anything. That isn’t true of course, but that’s what I tell myself.

The double whammy many are experiencing is that the cost of borrowing money has greatly increased. To slow inflation, the Federal Reserve has and will likely continue to raise interest rates. We are most likely headed into an economy we haven’t seen since the 1970s, which was a difficult time.

The good news is that if you own a home, it’s now worth a lot more, especially if you have an updated space. In this issue of 330 Homes, get a look inside a Richfield home remodeled to a more open and modern space,

a renovated colorful ranch in Fairlawn, a yard remodel that complements a historic Hudson home and more.

Having an asset like a home is a great way to protect yourself from inflation because assets appreciate while the dollar is worth less. Investing in that asset is one of the best payoffs you can have, because not only do you get to realize the increase in value, but you get to enjoy the improvement of your property along the way.

I could go on and on about the economy. I’m not sure why, but I’m somewhat of an economics nerd. I wish my college economics teacher could see me now. Maybe he would revisit the B he gave me.

As an amateur stab at forecasting, I think there will be supply chain relief in the future that will help some of the material costs go down. I also think that interest rates will continue to go up until inflation gets under control.

I can’t see interest rates getting back to where they were in the 1970s because borrowing makes the world go around. I could be horribly wrong. I hope I am.

You might be thinking, Do I wait on buying or on a big home improvement project? That is your call, and everyone has their reasons. But it can help add value to your home and help you enjoy it, which is important.

Maybe this issue of 330 Homes can inspire you and help you decide what to tackle next.

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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 Photographer TYLAR CALHOUN 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

summer 2022 | volume 4 | issue 2 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.

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by ALEXANDRA SOBCZAK and photos provided by SUNCREST GARDENS

TIME CAPSULE

A historic home gets picture-perfect yards to match.

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he front and back yards could make charming counterparts to this late 1800s Hudson home. That’s what the homeowners had in mind when they enlisted the help of Suncrest Gardens in Peninsula.

“Part of the design of an exterior space is related to tying the hardscape and the landscape back to details on this historic home,” says landscape architect and project manager Cathy Serafin.

the homeowners, who have two young daughters, to spend a lot of family time outside — a private outdoor retreat with historic touches despite the bustling downtown location of the home.

She also aimed to create a space that would allow

From the sandstone slabs from the original

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construction forming a path to the wraparound porch in the front to the 650-square-foot back patio overlooking the playset, Serafin’s design seamlessly connects the home to these family-friendly outdoor spaces. She explains some of those connections.

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the

d eta ils

A R B O R : This creative wooden arbor with Brussels dimensional piers and limestone caps not

PAT I O : The homeowners’

only provides a complementary

previous house had a backyard

way to visually break up the

that was only 11 feet deep, so

backyard but also serves as a

they wanted a spacious patio

connection between the lower

where their family could hang

lawn and upper lawn, while not

out. Serafin delivered with a

blocking the view of the playset

22-by-40-foot area made of

from the patio or house.

blue-gray slate pavers and surrounded by contrasting red-brown mocha pavers.

“Because the lawn was fairly expansive, we actually cut that lawn in half and added a low

“They have these pitched roofs,

seat wall and arbor detail that

so we tried to pick up those

mimics the shapes that we used

angles from the rooflines in the

in the patio,” Serafin says.

patio,” Serafin says.

It’s illuminated at night, which

The space is complete with

fits right in with the uplit trees

dining and lounging areas for the

and lit steppingstone path. And

family. Both nooks are backed

the house isn’t left in the dark

by low seat walls capped with

— roof peaks are

limestone — a material chosen

also lit with warm

to complement the original

light washes.

house construction —which match the planters in the front

P L A N T S : The

yard. The sandstone path and

plants chosen

upright barnstone displaying

for the yards

the home’s address, both in the

bolster the cozy

front yard, were also chosen as

and timeless

nods to the home’s history.

atmosphere.

S E C R E T H AT C H : Despite

“Landscaping-wise

having their dream patio, the homeowners wanted to make sure the small deck on the back of their house still got used.

There used to be Bilco cellar doors with access to stairs to the basement there, but Serafin and her team covered that entrance with movable decking to maximize deck space.

“We went right over that Bilco with a deck hatch that lifts for access into the basement,” Serafin says. “But when you see it, you don’t see any of that.”

we kept a very clean palette but tried to use a lot of historical plantings like rhododendrons, boxwoods and fragrant viburnum.”

Serafin says.

The homeowners especially love purple, so dwarf Korean lilacs flank the stairs to the front door and sweetspire, false plum yew and more provide interest throughout the yard.

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by KELLY PETRYSZYN and photos provided by DINARA MIRTALIPOVA

FA I RY TA L ES

Illustrations by a Sagamore Hills artist make everyday items enchanting.

g et t h e loo k MERMAID WA L L PA P E R A N D B E D D I N G , $225 A N D $175 Mirtalipova first drew this pattern while telling Sabrina stories about mermaids and their underwater escapades.

“She asked me to draw mermaids over and over,” she says. She partnered with Hygge & West to make the nautical

A

fter leaving her hometown of Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Dinara Mirtalipova longed for its culture. She settled in Ohio about 15 years ago and pursued freelance art after she had her daughter, Sabrina, and left her job in illustrating and hand lettering at American Greetings. The Sagamore Hills-based illustrator found her way back to her multicultural roots through her art.

“I realized how deeply I missed all those little nuances,” she says. “It was the greatest desire grabbing a pen and paintbrush,

… drawing some of those moments from my childhood. Lots of them involve storytelling, like folklore, songs, pattern.”

Mirtalipova explains that the central Asian region where she grew up was a crossroads of many cultures and the lush patterns and motifs that come with them. “My family celebrated textiles,” she says.

“It was not only dresses but also interior designs like wall coverings, carpet, kitchen towels, mattresses — basically everything.”

The rich illustrations from her Mirdinara line depict mythical worlds and flour-

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ishing nature. They don’t reference specific stories but rather are modern renderings of dreamlike recollections of her past.

“It’s just from memory, whatever comes to my mind or to my heart,” Mirtalipova says.

Her whimsical art is on everyday items that have been sold through international retailers such as Godiva chocolate boxes, Italian boutique iBlues dresses, Crate & Kids toys, Afternoon Tea cups and more. She tells the stories behind some of her items that you can use to enchant your home.

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pattern into bedding and wallpaper, which was featured on the TV show, “Succession.” How to Style: Mirtalipova used the pinkand-gold mermaid paper as an accent wall behind Sabrina’s desk (pictured).

“That wall isn’t too overwhelming,” she says.

“At the same time, it creates a point of interest.”

T E A T O W E L S , $24 One of Mirdinara’s first products, the tea towels were first made by carving patterns out of lino block, hand stamping and sewing each one. The soft,

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absorbent cotton towels are so popular that they are now mass produced, and Mirtalipova gives them as host gifts, including a versatile black-and-white floral one (pictured). How to Style: “When I’m having guests, it makes a nice accent to have a platter on or display food,” she says.

A R T P R I N T S , $100 These giclee art prints are reproductions of her original art made using gouache opaque waterphoto by Hannah Crowell and Seamus Payne

based paints and are printed on high-quality cotton paper with light-resistant inks. Mirtalipova enjoys exploring local parks with a sketchbook and loves her “Summer Flowers” 24-by-18inch piece (pictured) that features red blooms on a green background. “After a long winter, we are still thirsty for green and some sunlight,” she says. “Nature’s awakening is exciting.”

P L A N N E R , $15.99 Find a new Mirdinara 17-month weekly planner each year showcasing elements of her latest work. photo by Francois Gagne

Her 2023 version (pictured) is out this month, featuring pink, white and red flowers on a black background.

The design recalls an item from her childhood: black floral Russian lockboxes.

“My grandma used to have those,” Mirtalipova says.

“The colors look bright and happy on black.”

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by MICHAEL NIED photos by ANDREW JORDAN PHOTOGRAPHY

REFINED HIDEAWAY A rustic Richfield home brings the Pacific Northwest to Ohio.

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K

athy and Jim Donchess bought their Richfield home in 2013 after falling for the late’80s hideaway nestled in the woods. The threebedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom ranch, however, needed work. “We were so happy with not having our neighbors so close,” Kathy muses. “When we moved into the house we were like, Oy. The functionality was lacking.”

They set about remodeling the approximately 2,500-square-foot home in a contemporary rustic style. The kitchen was first. After that, Kathy’s interior designer Rita

Muckensturm recommended the Stow-based Anthony Slabaugh Remodeling & Design for a 2015 bathroom renovation. It became the first of five remodeling projects designer Nick Boka did for the couple with Muckensturm handling furnishings and other design elements.

Getting to know the spouses helped Boka bring their visions to life over the years. “She stretches me as a designer — just really unique, custom things that she wants and ideas that she has,” Boka says. In 2016, he utilized materials like reclaimed barnwood

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to update a mudroom, and a large exterior remodel followed two years later.

He explains that the goal for the exterior was “to bring a bit of that Pacific Northwest style to their home,” since Jim went to school in Oregon, and the couple once considered moving there.

New brown siding and stonework create an earthy feel on the facade.

“It was all very gray before,” Boka says. A rich brown wooden truss in one of the eaves, new black-paned windows, a dark wooden front door and a geometric wooden deep brown gate add to the aesthetic.

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An extensive interior remodel started in 2020 on the home that was separated into closed-off spaces. “We didn’t have a gathering space,” Kathy says. Additionally, the kitchen butted up to the owner’s bedroom, which offered little privacy. Boka worked with Kathy to reconfigure the floor plan for a more open flow that also brought in natural light and created sightlines across the home.

A sitting room replaced the bedroom and is open to the neighboring dining room.

The step-down sitting room features oversized custom French doors —

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which open to sprawling back patios — and sloped ceilings with a chandelier and two skylights. Boka also carved out space for a half-bathroom.

Kathy’s transitional aesthetic is reflected in the finishes and furnishings that blend modern and traditional elements. She incorporates updated family heirlooms into many rooms. For example, her great-grandmother’s hutch pairs with an antique dining set that was refurbished

by Rustewelle and Barker in the dining room. The table and most of the banquette boast a distressed gray finish. The banquette’s legs and chairs, however, remain natural to complement the hutch.

Rustic decor like a distressed rooster lamp and a wire plant holder contrast with crystal detailing in the chandelier and handles on the banquette.

Light paint grounds a neutral palette.

Engineered maple floors run throughout most of the home. The wide planks speak to a modern aesthetic, and the grain, which is atypically varied for a maple, adds character.

Similar finishes carry through to the owner’s new suite, which is hidden away behind custom barn doors.

Inside, a bed with an upholstered headboard

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faces a wall of windows with French doors that open to the patio. Floorto-ceiling drapes with a design of greenery can be shut for privacy.

Meanwhile, the renovated bathroom is airy, even with a smaller footprint than the original en suite.

“We needed to be efficient with that bathroom space,” Boka says. They did away with an existing tub in favor of a glamourous shower. It’s glassedin with a rainhead fixture, trough drain, bench and two different tiles.

Renovations are ongoing.

The home is in the midst of a partial basement remodel with chocolate brown decorative handpoured epoxy flooring, cedar-wrapped structural posts and large windows.

Kathy and Muckensturm are already talking furniture to maximize seating. The Donchesses are also thinking about turning the rest of the basement into a workout room with a sauna and third full bath.

It’s a work in progress.

While they didn’t initially see it as a forever home, the renovations changed that.

“Our home is brighter, and much more functional and comfortable for not only ourselves but our sons who visit, guests and gatherings,” says Kathy. “This house is unlike any other we’ve owned or have seen elsewhere, and we like that uniqueness about it.”

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BEFORE

CLOSER LOOK The homeowners’

Homeowner Kathy

original bathroom

Donchess says she got

featured two pedestal

the idea after seeing a

sinks flanked by slim

photo on Houzz. “When

closets. That layout

she sees something

pales in comparison

she likes, she wants

to the updated vanity,

exactly that,” says

which boasts double

Nick Boka, a designer

sinks, an expansive

at Anthony Slabaugh

alba vera marble coun-

Remodeling & Design,

tertop, pristine white

adding that he reached

cabinetry, a modern

out to the architect

subway tile backsplash

who designed the

and two mirrors.

original wooden arch

An elliptical arch tops off the vanity.

to master the details.

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by MICHAEL NIED and photos by CELUCH CREATIVE IMAGING

B R IGH T L U X UR Y

A newly conjoined kitchen and dining room enter a contemporary era.

A

homeowner’s tastes can change so much that even a custom build will eventually be due for an upgrade. Dan West of Canton-based Dan West & Co. provided just that for a 25-year-old home in Canton.

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“When they remodeled it, they wanted it to be a different house,” he says. West reimagined the first floor and lower level by renovating the entryway, living room, home theater, kitchen, dining room, owner's bedroom and bathroom and office.

Changes are particularly evident in the luxurious kitchen and dining room, which became conjoined after West removed several walls. He unified the space with a soft charcoal, cream and soft gold horizontal striped vinyl wallcovering. Here are other ways he tricked out the space with glamorous features.

C A B I N E T RY: Contrasting walnut cabinets make for an eye-catching design. The uppers have a transparent dark stain and lowers were left a natural walnut. A glass backsplash with relief details and synthetic onyx countertop emphasize the difference in tonality.

Matching cabinetry featuring tall pull-out doors turned an underutilized wall off the kitchen into a pantry, with concealed compartments such as one for the homeowners' spice collection.

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I S L A N D : A design of brass inlays on one face of the kitchen island adds a graphic pop. There is additional storage underneath a stovetop on the opposite side.

Waterfall edges cap off two sides, highlighting the beauty of the onyx countertops while also creating a striking focal point.

“We thought that would be a nice detail because when you look to the right, if you’re standing at the island, that’s the entry across from the stairs,” says West.

L I G H T I N G : A cluster of globed lights hangs above the island and contrasts with a linear, gleaming chandelier above the dining room table. Both accent a recessed lighting system. “To me, lighting is the most important element of any design,” he says.

“You can have the most striking colors and wood finishes. But if you don’t have it lit properly, you’re going to lose it.”

C O L O R S : The warm but neutral colors in the kitchen are enlivened with pops of electrifying blue, brilliant scarlet, vibrant saffron and grounding black in the dining room. White Baker chairs pop against a custom rug featuring a colorful abstract print that complements geometric art on the wall with elevated contemporary flair. “I love to use primary colors with lots of whites and soft silvers and grays,” West explains. “That never goes out of style.”

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by LYNNE THOMPSON photos by TYLAR CALHOUN

STAND OUT A unique Akron house has been home to generations of a family.

M

arcia and Ken Harris had planned to downsize from their six-bedroom, fivebathroom Northampton Township residence after their four children left by building a smaller house on the property’s 14 acres.

That plan was scrapped by a contemporary cedar-sided home they spotted during a 2003 drive in the Merriman Valley area in Akron.

Marcia admired the three-bedroom, four-

bathroom structure that was an architectural rebel in a neighborhood of early 20th-century Tudors. It was built by local contractor Fred Zumpano 16 years earlier. Its 3,700 square feet sat on a half-acre with a wooded backyard featuring a charming arched wooden bridge over a brook that actually babbled, all accessed from a walkout basement — and it was for sale.

“I said, Boom! There’s my house!” remembers Marcia, a retired reading

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specialist at Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts.

Architectural Options owner Kevin Bowie oversaw a much-needed kitchen and owner’s bathroom remodel — “The shower was pretty much falling through the garage,” Marcia recalls — and an update of the sunken living room fireplace. Marcia had the kitchen finished in dark granite-topped maple cabinetry and an off-white subwaytile backsplash.

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Ken, a general surgeon, retired a few years later, and in 2008 he and Marcia moved to North Carolina. They sold the house to their daughter and son-in-law, but the couple missed life in Akron. By 2017, their daughter had her first child and her family wanted a bigger house.

The Harrises bought the home back, and Marcia embarked on a second round of remodeling that further enhanced her style that is earthily warm and welcoming, yet clean and uncluttered with striking art.

“I’m bordering, decorating-wise, as a minimalist,” she says.

Bowie reconfigured the lower-level laundry room to accommodate a second half-bath and added a screened-in porch off the lower-level deck. To increase wall space in the den, contractors ripped out the fireplace. Marcia furnished it with a prized black-leather Eames chair and ottoman, and a tailored accent chair upholstered in an abstract pattern that picks up the striped rug’s burnt orange, beige, browns and greens.

CLOSER LOOK The taupe tile that surrounded the living-room fireplace and covered the hearth was out of place stylistically in this ’80s-built Akron home.

Architectural Options owner Kevin Bowie replaced it with a surround of slate tile handsplit to reveal natural color variations ranging from gold to cream with hints of green.

Marcia had the hardwood floors refinished and the walls painted in pale neutrals that change with the light — gray to green, tan to yellow, yellow to creamy white.

“I like it very neutral so your art is what pops,” she says.

A prime example of that effect is in the living room, where Akron artist John Sokol’s “Departure” hangs over the fireplace. The painting, which Marcia says was inspired by a story about a Chinese fisherman who fell out of his boat and drowned, holds great meaning for her — she sees it as a symbol of her and Ken’s departure from North Carolina. Its colors 24

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dictated the brown upholstery on the sofa and easy chair, the gray carpet, the gold faux-fur sofa throw pillow and the gold area rug. The travertine-topped black-metal coffee table is crowned by a quintet of pears from Zeber-Martell Gallery & Clay Studio in Akron, and light pours in from large two-story woodframed windows.

In the dining room, a painting of a woman collapsed on a sofa, shopping bags at her feet, presides over a teak-topped metal table flanked by leather chairs on three sides, a teak bench on the other. Marcia’s local artist friend Bonnie Simmers painted it for her as a gift.

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He recalls arranging a double band of 4-by-4s surrounded by a band of 12-by-12s on the floor with homeowner Marcia Harris and a tile installer to achieve a sort of abstract pattern. “We picture-framed it with custom trim that we made on-site,” he says.

A new hearth was constructed from limestone and installed atop a wooden base that complemented the existing woodwork. Marcia decided against replacing the traditional wooden mantel.

“I would prefer to have art above the fireplace,” she says.

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“For 35 years, I’ve collected shopping bags as examples of graphic art,” Marcia says. She and Ken only use the room for holiday meals and birthday parties for their eight grandchildren.

The existing half-bath was outfitted with a modern granite-topped version of a washstand with a pale-blue Kohler vessel sink. But Marcia didn’t update the owner’s bath until recently — she calls it her pandemic project.

Only the round whirlpool tub survived. A crack in the floor prompted her to replace the tile with a heated ceramic selection that mimics slate. That inspired her to update the cabinetry with a paintedtaupe counterpart topped with white quartz and a square vessel sink. There is more art: a collage of photographs detailing “The Gates,” from Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s 2005 art installation in New York City’s Central Park.

Marcia has to leave her beloved home again, this time for a single-story Stow condominium, and she is working with Berkshire Hathaway real estate agent Leslee Salhany to sell the house.

As much as Ken enjoys maintaining the backyard, he doesn’t like climbing steps. She’d like to see a young professional buy it — someone who will love its individuality as much as she does.

“I like the quirkiness, the different architectural elements,” she says. “It’s just my style.”

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by KELLY PETRYSZYN and photos provided by KGK GARDENING & DESIGN CORP.

STEP BY STEP

A sloped backyard becomes an entertainment oasis with tiered terraces.

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he Hudson homeowners had a steep obstacle to attaining their dream yard — a 6:1 slope. They originally overcame that with a wooden deck, but they wanted more entertaining space on their half-acre lot.

They enlisted KGK Gardening & Design Corp. to overhaul their landscaping and seamlessly connect it to the full-scale modern renovation that was underway on their about 4,000-squarefoot house.

“The goal for the client was to have as much flat space as possible,” says landscape architect Derek Kuryla, “to create two living spaces, one with a fire pit, one with a dining terrace.”

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The solution was removing the deck and replacing it with a patio and tiered terraces separated by vertical walls and steps. Each terrace offers an entertaining area with a different function but ties to the other through ambience.

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“It’s more of an intimate setting,” Kuryla says.

He tells us how KGK transformed the small, sloped yard into an open oasis.

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TERRACES: A new patio connects a screened-in porch room in the back of the house to the new tiered terraces KGK constructed.

The 2.5-foot-tall dining terrace features a table with wicker chairs and a stainless-steel grill, and below it, the 1-foot-tall fire pit terrace with Adirondack chairs is wedged into the sloped lawn. Both terraces are enclosed in vertical walls faced with Pennsylvania bluestone that has size variations and rugged textures.

The horizontal bases

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of each terrace and the patio are made from smooth rectangular pavers, a look that repeats in the pathways around the home to set a cooltoned color palette.

“They had blue accents in the house. They wanted to pick up that softness,” Kuryla says.

The bluestone continues in steps down to the lawn and smooth steppingstone paths leading to both sides of the fire pit. “That was an easy way for us to create an informal access to the back,” he says.

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T R E E S : The small lot was covered in overgrown trees that blocked views and made it feel crowded, so KGK cut some down to gain space and sunlight.

“The biggest transformation was when those were removed,” Kuryla says. “It really opened up their yard.”

For privacy, a contractor added a black metal fence in back, and KGK planted evergreens and cherry trees.

Along the front walk, a kousa dogwood was kept for interest in early summer while gorgeous magnolias were added on each side of the new, smaller driveway to offer beauty in spring.

FLOWERS AND S H R U B S : The boxwoods surrounding the dining terrace act as a safety barrier and provide a display of green year-round. “It will grow into more of a hedge row,” says Kuryla. For vibrant colors in the warmer months, there are perennials like pee wee oakleaf hydrangea shrubs with a blush hue and purple salvia caradonnas in the bed next to the back stairs. The homeowners added pink petunias in planters at the top of the stairs. “It anchors each side of the steps and gives it a little bit of color,” Kuryla says. “It really plays with the symmetry of the house.”

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L I G H T S : To accent the stunning landscaping at night, KGK added uplights along the paths, recessed lighting under the stairs and spotlights on some trees — all soft light, not too bright. The project is capped by a fountain on the patio that KGK made that features a delicate stream of water bubbling out of a lit-up boulder, which adds to the ambience and view. “She has her office on the other side of the screened room, and they wanted to look down and have something to see,” Kuryla says. “[It] also creates a little bit of noise when you’re sitting out on the patio.”

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by BRENDAN BAKER photos by TYLAR CALHOUN

PERFECT M I X

Patterns, colors and art make a ranch distinctive.

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heryl and Jim Nilsen, who met in the second grade at Bath Elementary School when they were 8 years old, got married in college. The retired couple celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last year and finally found their forever home in a quiet Fairlawn neighborhood in 2019.

The West Akron house they lived in for 34 years and raised four children in was too big for them. “It was a great house to raise kids, but then we decided to downsize,” says Jim. The 1967-built ranch that they bought has great bones in terms of layout and structure, says Jim. Thankfully, the previous owner changed the closed layout. “He had opened up a lot of the walls that you traditionally find in an older ranch home," says Jim. "It was pretty open between the kitchen, dining room and living room — that made it a nice space to work with.”

In the 3 1/2 years Jim and Cheryl have lived in the ranch, the couple has more than made the house their own. Jim did many of the renovations himself under the direction of his wife.

another 4 feet “to create a more usable space” and added a sandstonecapped knee wall. White rockers with neutral cushions and bright patterned pillows fill the porch. “[We] sit there in the morning and watch the sun go up and also in the evening,” says Jim, “we sit and watch people go by, talk to them.”

Jim recalls the house had “zero landscaping” when they moved in. “We had no lawn, a plethora of weeds,” he says. The couple added a new lawn and over 300 plants, trees and shrubs.

“It’s pretty nice now,” Jim remarks. They got a back paver patio installed, put out a metal dining set and added a firepit circle with metal seating.

In the kitchen, Jim swapped in new mission-style cabinet doors and drawer fronts with new hardware.

On the back of the house, they added a large room where there had been a screened-in porch. Jim redid the whole 17-by14-foot space himself,

“We have a rule. The outside is his and the inside is mine,” Cheryl says. “We have this collaboration with each other that we can see the vision.”

Coming from a condo before this home, Jim was excited to have a yard of his own. He pushed out the 4-foot front porch

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installing all new windows and doors and a gorgeous knotty pine on the walls.

“This is what we call the lodge,” he says.

They built out the basement with an office, half-bath and common area where Cheryl practices yoga and plays with their two grandchildren. In the half-bath, Cheryl’s bold style sings with patterns and color.

Vivid flowery paper covers three walls while one wall has a contrasting vertical white subway tile.

“I am the decorator, and he knows what I like — very eclectic,” she says. “I love colors. I love animal prints.

I love black and white.”

More vibrant wallpaper is seen throughout the house, and some of it is from the Akron-based Wallpaper Lady. While the various patterns add a plethora of textures, her designs are intentional and tailored down to every detail. In the living room, she used a family gift to inform her design.

Artwork by Itzchak Tarkay, an Israeli painter, hangs over a couch and several more of his pieces adorn other rooms.

Cheryl incorporated her husband’s Norwegian heritage into the dining area where they entertain family. “The wallpaper on the back wall of the dining area is a Norwegian design,” she says. “I wanted a little bit of a Nordic flair in there because of the color.” They painted the dining room chairs in matching pairs of green, blue, gold and tangerine and left two Windsor chairs natural wood.

On a small wall between the kitchen and dining area, Cheryl painted a side table green to match both rooms and left a black-and-white checkered pattern on the front drawer.

“I based the living room on a quilt that my mother-in-law made for my 55th birthday.

It’s bright colors,” she says.

“It opens the living space.

Colors make me happy.”

A black paper with white flowers from Anthropologie covers one wall. White sofas offset that and throw pillows match the quilt.

Zebra print chairs and a rug add more bold contrast.

A table is topped with cobalt-and-white Chinoiserie ceramic vases — and more matching ceramics are found throughout the house.

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It’s accented by a photograph their daughter took in Paris. More of those photos are in the den that has a fireplace and blackand-white checked chair and ottoman.

One of the stipulations when they moved in was to build Cheryl a walk-in closet. But there were only three small bedrooms. “I told Jim that the third bedroom was going to be my walk-in closet,” Cheryl says. “Jim sketched out how to do it.” He added wire shelving that could be removed by the next owner. Cheryl decorated it with a blue-and-yellow floral wallpaper, birdcages with plants, a Tarkay artwork, a cream-and-brown zebra print rug and a throw pillow on a yellow bench matching the wallpaper.

When the couple tells friends about how much work they’ve done to their home, the initial reaction is usually, Why didn’t you build a new house instead?

“It’s the location and size,” Cheryl explains. “It’s just the whole feel and atmosphere of the neighborhood.

And the house that we saw with respect to its layout had terrific potential.”

See the results of their work on the virtual Bath Volunteers for Service Distinctive Homes Tour June 1 to 12.

Cheryl and Jim’s vision made their house a perfectly tailored home as their long love story continues.

“We did the big house. We did the condo,” says Cheryl.

“We just wanted a forever home that was just for us.”

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by LYNNE THOMPSON and photos provided by ORA DESIGNS

T HINK P INK

A girl’s bedroom gets designed to grow with her.

T

he couple wanted to create a special room for their young daughter in the craftsman-style home they’d just built in Medina, a sanctuary that was both comfortable and beautiful. The child had sophisticated tastes for a preschooler, according to Medinabased Ora Designs proprietor and principal designer Bri Peacock.

She knew exactly what she wanted when her parents showed her Peacock’s inspiration photo board.

Here are some of the enduring flourishes Peacock added.

Peacock and junior designer Nicole Trueblood responded by creating a space that is hip yet age-appropriate in terms of durability and functionality. Peacock notes that the room can grow with the girl by periodically swapping out a few relatively inexpensive items — a feature that pays off in the long run. You “don’t want to be replacing their bedrooms every couple of years,” she says.

to be more creative in those spaces so that they appeal

the

d etai ls

PA I N T C O L O R : The home-

more to them and inspire them to be in them is important.”

B E D D I N G : Peacock injected texture by layering accent pil-

owners already had painted

lows covered in white faux

the room in HGTV's Mad About

fur from World Market and a

Pink, a blush shade Peacock

Dalmatian-spotted fabric from

says is more adaptable to the

West Elm on Pottery Barn

occupant’s anticipated chang-

Kids’ organic cotton jacquard

ing color preferences than the

Candlewick duvet cover. “That’s

typical little-girl pink. “That’s

something that’s important as

one of the benefits of going

far as making the room feel like

with a more subdued neutral

it has a lot of personality and

tone of the color — you’re a

interest without putting too

lot less limited with what you

much contrast in it,” she says.

can pair with it,” she says. “If

“All of the photos that she liked were the boho-chic ones,” Peacock says.

[children], as a parent, to read,” she says. “Anything we can do

she wants to choose to put

WA L L TA P E S T RY: The

yellow bedding in there, she

abstract woven-and-fringed

can. If she wants to go with

piece from World Market serves

a nice, gentle blue, she can.”

as a textural link between the hanging chair and bed. “Taking

H A N G I N G C H A I R : The

texture up the walls softens

Langley Street Iona chair ham-

spaces and makes them a lot

mock from Wayfair is con-

more cozy,” Peacock adds.

structed of a beige cotton rope that’s hand-woven macramestyle on a round frame and is the main draw in a reading corner augmented by floating shelves. Peacock’s remodeling crew hung the adult-size piece at a child-friendly height from a ceiling support using industrialstrength hardware. “You want

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