Summer 2021, 330 Homes

SUMMER 2021

BARN SINGS AS NEW HOME

PHIL and JEN LOPEZ'S BARN HOME photo by Tim Wilkes

A JAW-DROPPING WATERFRONT RETREAT

TIPS FOR GROWING FRUIT AND VEGGIES AT HOME

A STUNNING POOL AND PATIO FINISH A BACKYARD

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contents summer 2021 | volume 3 | issue 2

dream house

10

JAW- D R O P P I N G LAKE HOUSE

22

MODERN BA R N H O M E

36

U N I Q U E ' 70 S T R A N S FO R M AT I O N

open air 8 INDOOR-OUTDOOR ROOM 16 GARDENING TIPS 42 STUNNING PATIO

fresh design 20 PALMER MARKET 32 SWEET MODERN

space lift 28 FUN FINISHED BASEMENT 48 SLEEK KITCHEN UPDATE

smart tech 46 SECURE YOUR HOME

on the cover 22 | FAMILY TREE | photo by Tim Wilkes

welcome

by COLIN BAKER

COOL F I N ISH Finally tackling long-needed projects feels great.

a supplement to Akron Life magazine Publisher COLIN BAKER

cbaker@bakermediagroup.com

M

y house was built in 1931. I love the charm and solid construction that comes with houses built during that time. But there have been some setbacks, like the lack of central air conditioning. The previous homeowners said they never needed air conditioning because the house stayed cool. I should have taken into consideration that they were from the South.

The first year we lived there, it was miserably hot. The problem with an older home like mine is that there is no ductwork.

We have a boiler and use steam for heat. Most modern air conditioning units are retrofitted to your furnace and use the existing ductwork. A neighbor of ours who has a similar house said that they use large window units on each floor, and that works for them. That seemed like an easy, temporary fix.

And it did work for a while.

This year we decided to install air conditioning in our whole home. It was quite an undertaking. It seemed like the company had every truck they owned parked in front of our house each day.

Contractors were coming in and out all the time.

My wife currently works

Creative Director WILLIAM L . TECKMYER III

from home and is on live videos most of the day.

Sometimes the sawing and pounding were so loud she could not hear. I realize that happens in construction projects. I have a good friend who is a contractor, and he told me that homeowners are happy when you first come, but you can sense quickly when the homeowner wants you to wrap up and leave.

Luckily, we never got to that point because they were on schedule. There were a few little problems, but the issues were fixed, and I am overall happy with the service.

Of course, immediately after we had it installed there was a stretch of several weeks of temperatures in the 40s and 50s when we didn’t need it.

Despite the challenges, the project was worth it. I hope you get inspired by the local dream homes, remodels, shops and landscaping projects featured in this issue of 330 Homes and take on a project of your own.

It’s never fun to have your house torn to pieces or deal with cleaning up sawdust, but as I sit in the cool air this summer, I doubt I will remember the hassle of the construction.

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33O HOMES summer 2021

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 T Y L A R S U T TO N

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

sales@bakermediagroup.com Circulation

circulation@bakermediagroup.com 330-253-0056, ext. 104 Editorial Interns W YAT T LOY M O R G A N M C G R AT H Photography Intern RYA N N E LO C K E R

summer 2021 | volume 3 | issue 2 33O HOMES is published by Baker Media Group, LLC, 1653 Merriman Road, Suite 116, Akron, OH 44313. Copyright 2021©

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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fresh design

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open air

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smart tech

by LYNNE THOMPSON and photos by ADDISON JONES PHOTOGRAPHY

AL FRESCO

An indoor-outdoor living room extends time in the fresh air.

E

GRILL STATION: A range hood

ven fourseasons rooms can be uncomfortable on the coldest and hottest days of the year.

So when husbandand-wife business owners bought this 9,000-square-foot mountain-modern Boston Heights home with a 620-squarefoot indoor-outdoor living room in 2021, they wanted to make it truly usable yearround for hosting large business events and intimate family gatherings.

“It allows you to use it in the winter, connected to the house as an extension of the home,” Smith says of the result. “And it can be an extension of the home or the outdoors in the summer.”

COUNTER BARS: Modified

are made of material that will dry

aluminum-clad garage doors

out within four hours if they re-

Hudson-based interior designer Laura Yeager Smith remodeled the living room, a natural passage from the house to the outdoor pool and patio, into a comfy, durable space boasting a woodburning fieldstone fireplace, radiant-heat flooring, air conditioning and ceiling fans.

roll up to reveal windows above

ceive a hard rain,” Smith says. And

twin poolside-terrace counter

the frame covers, like the cushions,

bars. “Guests can sit at those

are covered in an acrylic Sunbrella

over the Lynx gas grill vents smoke outside so the homeowners can comfortably barbecue even on the coldest days — with all doors and windows closed.

The grill was built into cabinetry

The following are some other features that make it a yearround hangout.

stained the same black as the

LACANTINA DOORS: The glass

drawers. “You can have your

hood shroud and flanked by a beverage center and refrigerated

doors between the kitchen and in-

hamburgers, hot dogs ... in that

door-outdoor living room collapse

drawer, really easily accessible to

and stack in the wall. “It feels like

the grill,” Smith says.

a seamless transition between the two spaces when they’re open,” Smith says. The effect is enhanced by the large-format medium-gray porcelain tile floor and reclaimed-barn-wood-style ceiling cladding and beams from Olde Wood in Magnolia, Ohio.

FURNITURE: The fully upholstered sectional, daybed and pouf ottomans by Lee Industries, designed for indoors or outdoors, can stand up to everything from ketchup spills to dripping-wet bathing suits — they have builtin sloping drains. “The cushions

stools and mingle with the people

fabric that can be removed and

who are inside,” Smith says. She

machine-washed.

also installed cabinetry topped with weather-resistant leathered granite and an under-counter True beverage center for mixing drinks.

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33O HOMES summer 2021

open air

33O HOMES summer 2021

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dream house

by KELLY PETRYSZYN photos by PIXEL PERFECT PHOTOGRAPHY

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33O HOMES summer 2021

dream house

LAKE LANDING A couple finally gets

the Portage Lakes house they’ve been wanting.

F

or over three years, Kevin and Peggy Gaffney searched for properties right on the Portage Lakes.

They’ve always been drawn to the lakes for boating and dining, and while they have lived nearby, they’ve never had a house at the water’s edge. Then they found the perfect 6,900-square-foot home on a 300-foot bend of Mud Lake and moved in during June 2018 with their goldendoodle, Finbar.

“Where it was and everything really drew us to it,” Kevin says. “I wanted someplace that had privacy and parking, which is hard to get on Portage Lakes.” With the three-bedroom, fourbathroom house being on a double cul-de-sac lot and having a three-car garage, there’s plenty of room for their big families with kids and friends to visit.

The house did, however, show that it was built in 1983 with oak everywhere, pink carpet and tile in the owner’s bedroom and bath, a frosted window with a duck scene in a loft and carpeting in the great and dining rooms. They enlisted Green-based Shultz Design & Construction to remodel the basement and owner’s bedroom and bath in 2019. In the bedroom, they redid the fireplace in a stacked stone for a natural lakeside feel and expanded the walk-in closets with custom his and hers racks.

Flooded with light from two existing skylights, the airy bathroom got new blue Amish-made, quartz-topped cabinets with gold hardware for a touch of warmth and a new custom walk-in tile shower with a wave mosaic.

In the basement, a room with a broken-down hot tub got upgraded to a cigar lounge

33O HOMES summer 2021

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11

and wine room — an idea Peggy got from a North Canton Parade of Homes tour that suited the couple, as they are wine club members and Kevin enjoys stogies.

“We have our guys there to watch some football games, smoke a cigar,” Kevin says.

The best part is they installed an Echols Heating & Air Conditioning ventilation system, so there’s zero smell or smoke leakage.

By February 2020, the Gaffneys had moved into a rental so Shultz’s team could return for an overhaul of the main floor and upstairs. But construction revealed major hazards.

“We found a significant dip in the floor and some undersized framing,” says Darren Shultz, vice president of construction for Shultz. “It never had the proper support under it.”

dream house

To remedy it, they cut into the new cigar lounge and the home’s slab foundation and added new footing with steel columns to jack up and support the structure. They then resealed the lounge.

Another hurdle came after a stormy night when the team noticed water leaking from the great room windows and soaking the carpet. “We started taking off siding and … finding massive rot all over the outside of the house,” Shultz says.

The Gaffneys agreed to have nearly all of the windows and doors replaced

and the siding redone in a slightly darker James Hardie fiber cement siding. Installing larger floorto-ceiling windows with darker exterior frames woke up the previously dim great room. They replaced nearly all the first-floor flooring with white oak for a light, cohesive look.

The previously heavy oak three-story foyer staircase got thinned out as a staircase with custom-fabricated, powder-coated ironsteel railings topped with oak by Finelli Architectural Iron & Stairs in Solon.

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“The outside of the home is the modern aesthetic.

We wanted to try to bring some of that inside,” Shultz says. Up the stairs leads to a catwalk connected to the loft, where a wall got knocked down to turn it into an open, brighter area.

Down the stairs leads to the basement, with the cigar lounge, a koi pond and bridge, a conversation pit and a sunken bar.

stucco with a linear gas fireplace accented by an elegant gold chandelier and pairings of burnt orange and royal blue statement chairs.

The step-up dining room got a face-lift with a stunning live-edge marble Arhaus table and an Amishmade wet bar, topped with live-edge Cambria quartz, to match. But the view from the larger windows outshines all the finery.

Designers kept that modern look in mind when “We see the sunrise. And reworking the black-andgold hearth fireplace in the the sunset is unbelievable,” Kevin says. “All the reflecgreat room. With the firetions coming from behind place stretching two stous on the house across the ries, it needed to be subtle. lake is so cool.”

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33O HOMES summer 2021

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dream house

The breakfast nook is equally as impressive with a live-edge marble circular table — surrounded by three floorto-ceiling windows and two overhead Velux skylights replacing an old leaking one.

The previously all-oak kitchen was small for the large house, so relocating a pantry and coat closet opened up space for new sideby-side stainless-steel Thermador ovens, a hidden walk-in pantry behind a sliding barn door and new Amishmade, quartz-topped white cabinets. There’s a waterfront look with a four-seater light blue island and a wave tile design in the backsplash over the ovens.

The surprises turned the project into a comprehensive remodel, so the couple didn’t move back into their dream lake house until last October.

The pair are looking forward to their first summer living right on the water and enjoying resort-worthy outdoor amenities: a large pool, a life-size chessboard, a sandy Tiki bar, a practice green, a kitchen and a dock for their red pontoon boat that they take to nearby restaurants.

“It feels great,” Kevin says. “We see the lake.

It’s so open now. This is really lake living.”

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33O HOMES summer 2021

dream house

CLOSER LOOK Nearly all of the remodeled spaces are finished in clean whites and grays, but the couple went bold on a bathroom by the kitchen. The design started with a striking blue vessel sink on a black vanity.

“It’s something that caught our eye,” homeowner Kevin Gaffney says. “We want to jazz it up a little. Everything else is real light. We went real dark in there.”

Other dramatic elements include a black toilet, gold hanging pendant lights, a palm frond print wallcovering and porcelain tile with the appearance of Shou Sugi Ban charred wood.

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space lift

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fresh design

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open air

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smart tech

by KELLY PETRYSZYN and photos courtesy of AMY DRAISS at DAYTON NURSERIES

RIPE PICK

Grow a fruit and vegetable garden with these pro tips.

TRY it OUT WORK THE GROUND Just like us, plants need to breathe. It’s best to plant fruits and veggies in raised beds with a depth of at least 1 foot for water and air flow.

“Raised beds will produce more than a nonraised bed because of the extra drainage,” Dayton says.

“Roots need air.”

Fill the beds with organic matter like compost, cow manure or nutrient-rich sweet peet, which is a composted horse manure.

To apply, spread on a 2-inch layer and use a rototiller to work it 6 inches down.

“That will provide a slow-release nitrogen. The plants will do exceptionally well,” Dayton says.

Before planting, also spray around beds with a glyphosate fertilizer

B

etween the convenience of fewer grocery trips and the satisfaction of enjoying the fruits of your labor — literally — many at-home fruit and veggie gardens have taken root during the pandemic, and budding gardeners continue to pack nurseries.

“It’s increased from last year. Last year was a banner year,” says Tom

Dayton, president and owner of Dayton Nurseries in Norton. “It augments people’s pleasure in life with good eating, so it makes perfect sense,” he says.

Maintaining a produce garden takes a lot of care and planning. Dayton offers a few tips on how to have a successful harvest.

like Roundup to control weeds.

When planting heat-seeking produce, like peppers and tomatoes, wait for temps above 50 at night. It might be later than you think.

“Many people think Memorial Day is the last day to plant a garden — that’s not true,” Dayton says.

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33O HOMES summer 2021

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open air

Because some of those types of plants can be lost to diseases, he recommends planting some around Memorial Day and then more two to three weeks later up until the Fourth of July. If you plant earlier, cover them on chilly nights with a frost blanket.

Potted herbs, like cilantro or basil, can be taken in the house if it’s cold and can also be purchased into the summer.

Make sure your pot has drainage, and consider a Smart Pot that’s made of cloth for better aeration.

“They work better than a pot

TO T H E T E ST

because the sun does not heat up the root so much,” Dayton says. “It provides more oxygen …

white coating. The solution

for better growth.”

is the organic fungicide

After putting in an entire

calcium chloride, which

NOURISH IT

summer of work, harvesting

makes up ice melters like

is rewarding. Every plant

Newbies might want to water

Dowflake. Dayton advises

is on a different harvest

constantly. But plants need the

mixing 2 1/2 tablespoons

schedule according to its

E AT U P

opposite: Dayton recommends

into 2 gallons of water and

care tag, so write it down to

about one watering a week —

spraying it on susceptible

keep track. Tomatoes and

plants twice a week.

peppers are ready when

If some plants are disease-

they turn a ripe color. Watch

ridden, pull them out, so

squash, cucumbers and

it doesn’t spread. Also, as

beans carefully, as they are

“If the foliage is wet at night,

weeds sprout, regularly

by your preference.

fungus problems can develop,”

hand-pull them.

“You can take it at different

In addition, spray an

stages according to your

two if it’s extremely dry. Plants in beds need a total of 1 inch of water weekly, and watering in the morning is best.

Dayton says.

Learn what’s in your soil to best treat it.

With the science of soil testing, know exactly what your garden needs. In the fall, do a university soil test, like the $15 Penn State University one at Dayton Nurseries in which you mail the university a soil sample.

“The university soil test has what’s called the lime test index — that is the ability of the soil to resist change

organic fertilizer like Plant-

liking,” Dayton says. And

produce from containers into

tone once a month. For

be sure to thoroughly wash

beds, water them every other

potted plants, Dayton

everything.

day for a week to get them

recommends a liquid

The first few seasons will be

president and owner of

established. Potted plants,

fertilizer like Jack’s Classic

trial and error, but enjoying

Dayton Nurseries.

however, need watering every

20-20-20 at a rate of 1

your harvest is enough to

day. Water with a watering can

tablespoon mixed into 1

keep many gardening. Dayton

When you first move your

or wand attached to a hose for a

gallon of water once a week.

likes taking that first bite of

gentler spray.

Fertilizers help plants get

something you grew yourself.

Many fruits, veggies and

nutrients.

test,” says Tom Dayton,

It also determines your soil’s pH, which is ideally between 6 and 6.2, as well as other measurements like phosphorus and potassium

grew a garden and provided

levels and tips on how to

vegetables for sale since I was

bolster its health.

“You would need to supply

and rosemary, are prone to

them with a low-level

diseases like powdery mildew

fertilizer, or they won’t

12. It provides great pleasure.”

and gray mold that looks like a

produce,” Dayton says.

|

cannot get that in a home

“It’s amazing,” he says. “I

herbs, such as strawberries

18

or its buffer capacity. You

33O HOMES summer 2021

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space lift

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fresh design

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open air

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smart tech

by ALEXANDRA SOBCZAK and photos by RYANNE LOCKER

F ROM US TO YOU

A shop curates custom furniture and modern farmhouse decor for your home.

GET the LOOK

W

hen Hunter and Amanda Palmer opened Palmer Market in Louisville in 2019, they filled the shop with furniture, antiques and decor.

They kept getting requests to customize the furniture.

Hunter, who had been interested in woodworking, decided to solve that problem.

By request, he began reworking the furniture they had in stock to custom fit people’s homes.

“We were trying to find a way to be creative with that and share it with other people,” Amanda says.

Now, he makes furniture like bookcases, benches and dressers, and other staffers at Palmer Market make signs out of metal, vinyl and wood customized with family names and quotes. The store also has a variety of antiques like crocks

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and handcrafted items like hand-poured soy candles.

to find places for the items and put personal stamps on their homes.

“We’ve been … incorporating different things that we enjoy having in our own home,” Amanda says.

“I hope that it brings them joy,” Amanda says, “and then encourages them to be creative with it in their own home.”

Most of the store is filled with neutraltoned modern farmhouse pieces. She hopes that makes it easier for customers

33O HOMES summer 2021

Amanda recommends some Palmer Market pieces to help you feel at home.

fresh design

S H E LV E S : Typically

B I C Y C L E TA B L E :

B AS K E T S : The

P L A N T S : It may be

C O U C H : The Palmers

made of oak, cherry or

While searching for

handpicked neutral

tough to tell, but the

got an antique couch

walnut, the shelves are

antiques out of state,

seagrass or wire

eucalyptus, peonies, tulips,

from someone in town, and they added their own

often built by Hunter.

Palmer Market found a

baskets are from a local

dahlias and other plants

“It’s appealing to your eye,

one-of-a-kind piece, an

wholesale company, and

in the shop are artificial.

take. “We recovered it

but then you can also

antique bicycle topped

the Palmers choose ones

“They’re fun and easy to

with the cowhide, because

store things in it that are

with a butcher block

with some character and

just add something small

we thought it would add

useful,” Amanda says.

where the handles and

texture. “They have the

to a space to add a little

a super fun dimension,”

They can fit your space,

seat would have been.

tassels on them to add

bit of color,” Amanda says,

Amanda says. How to

whether that be under the

How to Style: Amanda

dimension,” Amanda gives

adding you can put one

Style: She says that if

TV as an entertainment

recommends using it as

as an example. How to

stem in a vase or a whole

treated with sealant to

center or as a sofa table

a table behind a couch or

Style: She enjoys filling

bouquet in a crock to

prevent watermarks or

accented with decorations

as an island in the kitchen,

them with greenery and

brighten up your kitchen,

wearing down the wood,

that you swap seasonally.

where it would really

flowers but says others

bathroom, dining room

couches could be used

“It will last forever, and it

stand out. “It’s a good

use them in the bathroom

or living room. Check the

outdoors, but they could

will never really go out of

height for people to kind

to store towels, in a

market’s social media

also be used as is on a

style,” she says. “But you

of hang around and then

common area to hold kids’

for visits from its flower

covered porch.

can change what’s in it

put snacks [on],” she says.

or what’s on top of it all

toys or even on a shelf,

bicycle cart, from which

empty, purely as decor.

you can make bouquets or

Shop in-person, 228

buy ones premade of live

E. Main St., Louisville,

cut flowers.

thepalmermarket.com

the time.”

33O HOMES summer 2021

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dream house

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33O HOMES summer 2021

dream house

by ALEXANDRA SOBCZAK photos by TIM WILKES and LAUREN WOODS

FAMILY TREE

An 1895 New York barn is transformed into a modern Hudson home.

I

t took Jen and Phil Lopez missing out on the house they wanted to conceptualize their dream house.

“We found a home … that was an old barn conversion that we fell in love with,” Phil says. “It was already sold. And that kind of got Jen’s ideas going.”

Jen, the owner of Jen Lopez Design, teamed up with Phil’s brother, Chris, who is an architect, and they began searching for other options. They looked into Texas-based Heritage

Restorations, which restores timber frame buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries, and eventually decided to incorporate a barn frame into a new build.

The 1895 barn, originally from Schenectady, New York, was brought, disassembled, on a flatbed truck from Texas to the approximately 3.5-acre lot Jen and Phil had bought in Hudson.

It was a long time coming. Both Jen and Phil had grown up in historic homes from 1910 and 1820, respectively. “I missed the character of an older

33O HOMES summer 2021

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23

home,” Jen says. “But [Phil] was not excited about buying something historic, because he knew how much work they are and the upkeep.”

The barn frame in a freshly constructed house was a perfect fit, a way to blend old and new. The home’s exterior has a brand-new look with white James Hardie concrete siding, a metal roof and a sleek white paver patio, but inside, the olden beams that frame the four-bedroom, 4 1/2-bath house stand out in every room.

dream house

“It was exciting for us to think about how we could incorporate this old barn, but make it feel modern and not farmhouse,” she says.

The frame’s exposed hemlock beams are on the ceiling, formed into railings and supports surrounding a threestory staircase, used as shelves in the owner’s bathroom and more.

Eighty-five percent of the beams are original, and ones that couldn’t be used because of rotting and other issues, Heritage Restorations replaced with wood that was the same age and species.

“It was important for us to do that, take the extra time and expense to keep the character consistent,” Jen says.

concrete floor, velvet couches and a black-brown 11-foot fireplace with steel plates. Vertical space under the floating staircase is dedicated to wine storage, with brass pins attached to the wall for single bottles.

From the living area, you can see the kitchen’s black tile walls and spacious geometric island next to the dining area with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the backyard.

Throughout the interior, a neutral color palette of black, gray, cream and white complements the beams, while remaining minimal and timeless, Jen says. “We try very hard to just let the barn speak and to keep everything “It’s all open all the time, else quiet,” she adds. the whole house, basically, When you enter on the unless you’re in your bedsecond floor, the openroom,” Jen says. concept space invites you in with rugs on a heated

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The openness extends to the fresh air, as accordion doors push back, connecting the interior to the outdoor entertainment area.

Under an overhang supported by barn beams, there’s a black metal woodburning fire feature, which allows for an intimate gathering. “There’s a lot of wildlife out there,” Jen says. “It’s nice for us to grab a cup of coffee in the morning and light a fire on the weekend and sit out.”

And for outdoor gatherings, either with their two kids or with family and friends, the

33O HOMES summer 2021

couple can turn on a twosided gas fireplace with a concrete finish so that everyone in the yard can enjoy it.

They have had a band perform on a stage they’ve built on the grass and have had family over to eat at the long table on the patio.

And although there isn’t live music inside the house, the couple’s love for music is also present in Phil’s modern rock-and-roll-themed office, which is in the loft. It has an attached balcony, where Phil can take his work calls, a gas fireplace, bold purple

dream house

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CLOSER LOOK

velvet chairs and a black bookcase with outwardfacing music-focused books, some with rock stars’ faces on the covers. “I wanted them to be spaced out so that it looks like art,” Jen says.

There is also a lineup of autographed guitars, with signatures such as Steven Tyler, Sammy Hagar and Lenny Kravitz.

In the dining area, there is a walnut-finished Wrensilva M1 record console, mimicking a classic ‘60s stereo, with a vinyl player and record storage under the hood, along with Sonos speakers that play throughout the house and outdoors. Jen Lopez, owner of Jen Lopez Design, has used it to play tunes

by Aerosmith and Lenny Kravitz.

These kinds of details make the historic barn genuine and personal to the family, and it’s a place they hope to stay forever. They have an elevator to accommodate guests and their future older selves, and they see it as a place that their kids can always return to.

The wooden console is highlighted by the geometric Phillip Jeffries Fretwork wood pattern wall covering behind it and accompanied by a station for mixing cocktails.

“People can come and put on what albums they want as we're sitting here making a cocktail,” she says.

This project, a callback to Jen’s first job on a farm when she was a teen, ultimately launched her career in interior design. “It was everything,” she says. “I really enjoyed it and knew that this is what I wanted to do going forward, instead of just dabbling in it.”

Connecting not only historic and modern elements, the house also links Jen and Phil’s past and present selves.

“I’ve always had an affinity for farms. So for me, there’s just something that feels like home,” Jen says. “There’s a lot of love here.”

“It was kind of a perfect fit,” Phil says, “from where we grew up, as well as where we’re calling home now.”

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

T E S TA R E A LT Y S AV E S SUMMIT COUNTY RESIDENTS THOUSA NDS We all know of someone financially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. While so many industry sectors have been hit hard, one of the bright spots has been the residential housing market.

“Summit County has seen a 32 percent increase in home sales in November and December of 2020 over the previous year. During that time, the average days on market fell from 69 to 40,” says Testa Cos. president Joel Testa. “The real estate industry has been one of the few around that has managed to thrive during these very difficult times. Because of this, we feel a moral obligation to our community to give back.”

Testa’s real estate firm has announced a program called “Community Strong,” which went live in 2020. If you have a home to sell in Summit County and are looking to buy another one in that same area, it is willing to list your home and assist you in purchasing your new home for free. That’s right — free. Testa is quick to point out that as much as it sounds too good to be true, there is no catch to the program.

“Our agents earn our fee from the seller of the new home our buyers purchase.

So, there is already no cost to the buyers for our service,” he says. “By committing to let us help you with that transaction, we are willing to list your house for sale at no charge.”

Testa sees this as a way to not only give back to the community but also to invest in future clients.

“We aren’t just offering this to families that need to retain as much of the equity in their house as they can when they sell,” he says. “We are hoping that aff luent sellers see the value and become new clients for life. So far we’ve managed to save some clients tens of thousands of dollars in each deal.”

For more info, contact Cassie Testa, director of residential sales and leasing at Testa Real Estate Group at cassietesta@testacompanies.com or 330-945-HOME. Testa Realty 330-945-HOME testacompanies.com

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by VINCE GUERRIERI and photos by TYLAR SUTTON

GROUND UP

A basement gets finished as a fun hangout for a cultured couple.

T

he plan was always for this Bath Township home, custom built in 2001, to have a finished basement.

But the homeowners didn’t get around to it until recently, which led to some inauspicious timing.

They started meeting with Medina-based designer Dena McLaughlin and Tim Englert Construction of Wadsworth in late 2019, and the contract was signed March 11, 2020 — right before Ohio shut down amidst the COVID19 pandemic.

“We waited a month and said, If you’re comfortable, we can start,” says vice president Justin Englert.

The space had outdoor access, so the workers could social distance from the homeowners, and the project took much longer than usual.

At 2,300 square feet, the basement could accommodate a large open common area with alcoves that fulfill the homeowners’ must-haves — a workout room, bathroom, TV area and game lounge — while affording ample space for a distinct design incorporating the couple’s “love for old things” from travel relics to castle motifs, all in neutral tones. “It really was a dream project,” McLaughlin says.

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the

details

F U L L B AT H : The angular design of the foundation brought challenges but also opportunities, like the addition of a new 140-square-foot full bathroom — with 50 square feet being an angled walk-in shower, featuring a rainfall showerhead and tan ceramic tiles with a mosaic band.

“It’s bigger than a lot of bedrooms,” Englert says.

The space is finished with a natural stone vessel sink and a trio of Edison bulb pulley light fixtures.

A C C E N T S : As a whole, the basement has a castle feel. The nature-inspired decor includes a stained liveedge tree game room shelf, a stacked stone statement wall behind the TV and cultured stone accents to complement the home’s stone and stucco exterior. The game room’s door archways have stone accents to match the upstairs.

“It was one of those projects where I got to use all of my creativity,” McLaughlin says.

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the

details

B A R : The basement was roughed in for a bathroom and bar, but more plumbing, HVAC and other technical upgrades had to be installed and some structural posts had to move. Downtown 140 in Hudson, the couple’s favorite restaurant, inspired the vintagestyle bar that features cultured stone on the front, a granite-top bar, custom board-andbatten paneling and custom distressed cabinets with lion’s head moldings. The leather barstools with nailhead accents and most of the other basement furniture are from Leopold’s Fine Home Furnishings in Brecksville.

GAME ROOM: The well-traveled homeowners are wine connoisseurs, and the game room especially reflects that. Beyond air hockey and PingPong tables, there’s a dartboard mounted on striking wall art made of reclaimed wood from wine crates the couple gets delivered.

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sponsor e d conte nt

BE A MIR ACLE M A K ER Shana Kim is passionate about supporting kids in our local community. Join Shana in supporting our local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

For every transaction of buying or selling a home, Shana will make a donation that helps support medical research initiatives and provides lifesaving care to local kids.

Put your money where your miracles are! Work with Shana and give kids every chance to get better.

More than 1 million wishes have come true through over $1 million that has been donated through RE/ MAX Crossroads to local children’s hospitals.

Globally make a difference in children’s lives with Shana as your local, national and global real estate agent serving over 85 countries with over 40 languages and 60 currencies. Selling, buying, building and relocating can bring miracles to our community!

Call Shana Kim today.

330-618-7848 salesbyshana@gmail.com

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

SUMMER CLEANING WITH P E R F ECT P OW E R WA SH It’s the time of year for power washing. This season, let our team of expertly trained technicians help keep your home looking perfect with these services.

House Wash: Restore your siding with our soft wash process that safely removes dirt, mildew and algae.

Roof Treatment: Get rid of black streaks, algae and moss at their roots with our safe, low-pressure treatment.

Concrete Wash and Seal: Extract built-up dirt from the pores of concrete surfaces while protecting against cracking and chipping.

Deck/Patio Wash: Make your outdoor space barefoot friendly by removing dirt, mold, mildew and algae.

With 20 years of experience and nearly 100,000 satisfied customers, Perfect Power Wash can be trusted with your exterior home cleaning needs. Call today to get a free quote and schedule.

Perfect Power Wash 3443 Summit Road, Norton 330-349-5024 perfectpowerwash.com

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by KELLY PETRYSZYN and photos provided by SWEET MODERN

SECON D L I F E

A midcentury modern store preserves the history and quality of vintage furniture.

GET the LOOK

W

hen Adam Krutko and Ronald Higgins were looking for midcentury modern furniture to fill their Highland Square home, they were disappointed by reviews of new brands that said the pieces didn’t hold up. They decided to go vintage and found pieces that needed work. They researched affordable ways to fix the wood and upholstery, and it felt like an opportunity.

Higgins had extra office space in Akron he was renting for his web development company, and they used their newfound skills to open Sweet Modern, a vintage midcentury modern furniture store, in December 2018.

“The goal was to have vintage furniture but not leave you wondering how you’re going to get it recovered, refinished or delivered,” Higgins says.

Sweet Modern’s showroom has refinished

pieces, while the warehouse has furniture that can be custom refinished upon purchase by craftspeople with expertise in upholstery, metalwork, woodwork and caning. The couple picks the furniture from auctions, flea markets and contacts nationwide, and likes midcentury modern furniture for its quality hardwood frames and versatility.

“The style of midcentury modern furniture — clean lines, simple profile — mixes well into any kind of setting,” Higgins says.

Each piece has a unique history, and they love preserving it.

“A lot of people — we buy the furniture they grew up on,” Krutko says. “It makes families so happy that this piece they loved is going to be loved again.”

The unique inventory is always changing, but here are a few pieces Sweet Modern has redone.

C R E D E N Z AS , $895- $3,595 This massive 9.5-foot custom floating Danish modern credenza doubles as a buffet. The team added magnetic drawer latches and sturdier French hooks, lightly sanded spots of wear out of the wood and applied Danish oil. “We want to leave a bit of character,” Krutko says. How to Style: Credenzas can be stylish and functional for a dining room or living room.

“There’s storage in it that’s vertical that could be used for records or serving trays,” Higgins says.

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C O U C H E S , $2,200 & UP This funky ‘70s striped couch was taken from upstate New York to the disappointment of a little girl who didn’t want her Mommy to sell it, so Sweet Modern made the girl a throw pillow out of some extra fabric and selected a similar highquality fabric to reupholster it in. “We really took time to find a fabric that we felt honored the over-the-top nature of that original fabric with these big bold pink, purple, brown and orange stripes,” Higgins says.

How to Style: The team can upholster couch cushions with a pattern on one side and a complementary solid color on the other, so you can flip them for a new look.

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DINING SETS, $1,495-$3,495 Featuring alternating stripes of rosewood, walnut and butternut on the table, this dining set has been reoiled, and the chairs have been re-caned and reupholstered in high-end charcoal leather.

While one of these sets is in the couple’s home, another is available in the showroom.

How to Style: At their home, a mahogany credenza complements the reddish rosewood in the table. “The wood on the table can serve as a bridge between multiple kinds of wood within the same room,” Higgins says.

D E S K S , $1,000 & UP Higgins was lucky to inherit a desk by influential designer Jens Risom from a former co-worker, who found it at an Akron Goodwill. The pair bought some items from Risom’s daughter in Connecticut, and she told them stories about how workers would get wood right from the forest. “When we find a piece of furniture by her father and redo it,” Higgins says, “we take pictures and send it to her so she can enjoy it.”

Shop online or in person, Friday and Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. or by appointment, 2 N. Summit St., Akron, 330-923-9230, sweetmodern.com

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sponsor e d conte nt

GET ORGA NIZED W ITH A CUSTOM UNIT F ROM CLOSET FACTORY Let Closet Factory help transform your home into an organized oasis that will be the envy of your friends!

Our expert designers help create spaces that make it easy to stay organized. From glamorous walk-in closets that showcase your wardrobe to functional desks for virtual learning, an organized system will bring order to your life. We can also create the perfect mudroom to store backpacks and more. Our designs range from simple to spectacular and everything in between.

Closet Factory is the authority on custom storage and we design around you to create an organization plan tailored to your needs. We design, manufacture and install custom closets, home offices, mudrooms, garages, pantries, entertainment centers, wall beds and more! Our Northeast Ohio location has been familyowned and operated for over 22 years. That means you receive the experience you need with the personal touch you want.

Closet Factory 5305 Commerce Parkway W, Parma 216-362-4660 closetfactory.com

sponsor e d conte nt

T R E AT YOU R SEL F TO BET T E R WAT E R Vern Dale’s Water Center has been treating water in Stark and surrounding counties for over 60 years. Call us for: • Water Treatment Systems: We are the experts when it comes to treating your family’s water with equipment for the most challenging water problems. We offer a no-obligation free water analysis and 0 percent financing.

• Service: Our highly skilled technicians service most brands of residential water treatment equipment ranging from conditioners, filters, reverse osmosis and UV systems. We also pride ourselves on a quick response time.

• Water Coolers: We have the lowest water cooler rental price, as well as coolers available for purchase.

• Salt: We can load pickup salt for you, or we can deliver salt, carry it to your basement and load it into your tank. Ask about our Drop and Go delivery special.

• Bottled Water: We have the highest quality bottled water for pickup or delivery.

• Filters: We have a variety of whole-house cartridge filters and drinking water system filters available.

If you have a question or need, call us. Visit our website for online shopping and curbside pickup.

Vern Dale’s Water Center 3827 Kirby Ave. NE, Canton 330-455-9466 verndalewater.com 33O HOMES summer 2021

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dream house

by LYNNE THOMPSON photos by TYLAR SUTTON

TIME CAPSULE A remodel updates this split-level and preserves its ‘70s glamour.

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dream house

B

rian Steere knew the 1970s Merriman Valley split-level he purchased in 2013 was unusual, if not downright unique. When he was ready to remodel the 4,000-square-foot home’s gold-painted family room three years later, he received various pitches to bring the space into the 21st century by removing the distinctive stacked-sandstone wall behind the bar and the stacked-sandstone fireplace, and filling in the surrounding conversation pit. He loved that stacked sandstone was a signature feature that connected almost every house in the neighborhood, so he searched for remodelers who wanted to preserve the home’s architectural integrity. “[The] goal was to make some nice modern updates but not lose the charm of the house,” says the co-president of Tallmadgebased engineering-andmanufacturing firm Steere Enterprises and co-owner of Springside Athletic Club in Montrose.

Steere choose Adam Kilgore, an independent remodeling contractor who now owns Cuyahoga Falls-based Alair Homes, to marry the old and new, the rustic and sleekly contemporary. He initially was hired to replace the foyer and family room carpeting with engineered hardwood and swap out a family room post with a more unobtrusive support beam, but his

design suggestions were impressive, so he took over as interior designer too. Kilgore added a gated screen and rough-hewn cherry mantle to the fireplace, replaced the flammable conversation-pit carpeting with travertine tile and covered the pit’s built-in bench in a Berber weave. More importantly, he recommended swapping the nondescript paneled bar with a curving counterpart made of sandstone sourced from Ohio Beauty Cut Stone in Akron, stacked to match the wall behind it and topped with cherry, hickory and ash slabs.

“Somebody put a lot of effort into that stone back in the ’70s,” Kilgore says. “It might not look like something somebody would do exactly today.

But we also [wanted] to honor the style of the original house.”

Three years later, Steere called Kilgore back to renovate the kitchen, dining room and living room, next to the step-down family room. The lightpink kitchen, poorly lit by a single window and sliding doors to a deck, was walled off from the dining and living rooms. The dining room was too small for Steere to extend the antique wooden dining table inherited from his great-grandmother to its full 12 feet, a length perfect for buffets and big sit-down dinners. And the neighboring living room was nothing more than a “dead space” where his three dogs slept.

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“Those three separate spaces … were all too small for that size and that scale of a house, especially for the type of entertaining that he liked to do,” Kilgore says.

He combined the three rooms into one by replacing the load-bearing walls between them with a rustic cherry post and hand-hewn beams similar to the fireplace mantle and flooded the space with light by adding white-vinyl

casement windows where overhead kitchen cabinetry once hung. The lost storage was gained in the island and walk-in butler’s pantry. The latter was created by enclosing the eatin area at one end of the kitchen. “It gave [me] the opportunity to have a second sink and dishwasher for overflow,” Steere says.

It also gave his wine refrigerator, long banished to the basement, a proper home. Kilgore replaced the sliding doors to the deck

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with a single door and extended under-counter cabinetry along a wall in the main kitchen. “[Brian] liked to have this long stretch of uninterrupted countertop to lay out food and catering dishes,” Kilgore explains.

An Alair employee turned an outer wall of the butler’s pantry into a kitchen focal point by using a heavily veined marble tile to lay a herringbone-patterned counter-to-ceiling

33O HOMES summer 2021

backsplash. The kitchen and dining room were painted white and finished to complement the contemporary family room decor. Old kitchen tile and honey-toned dining and living room hardwoods were replaced with the same engineered flooring in the family room and foyer. And kitchen cabinetry was ordered in a gray paint several shades darker than the family room walls and topped with lightgray-veined white quartz.

dream house

The clean lines of the white faux-leather kitchen island barstools and drum-style dining-room lighting fixture Steere selected are similar to those of the turquoise microfiber dining chairs he already had, now arranged around a fully extended dining table, as well as the gray-and-white family room furnishings.

“It was a more modern color [scheme] that fit the home,” Steere says.

The renovations have turned Steere’s house into a venue for entertaining over the last few years.

Steere used the family room to host the Coleman Professional Services’ Right at Home benefit, which drew an estimated 100-plus people, and the kitchen and dining room to host Akron Children’s Museum’s capital campaign kickoff and a private dinner for 12 he bought from a Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park clambake, along with family holiday meals. He enjoys the trouble visitors have in differentiating old from new.

“That shows you what a great job [Kilgore did], the fact that you can’t even picture what it was before,” Steere marvels.

“It’s got that wow factor. … It’s the kind of house [where] you want to tour the whole thing because of its uniqueness.”

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dream house CLOSER LOOK Among the eye-catching features in Brian Steere’s home are the cutouts with screens separating the main-floor kitchen and dining room from the family room seven steps below. Alair Homes owner Adam Kilgore used them to replace an existing cable-and-wood railing system. He sketched what he describes as “crisscrosses of these modern-lined structures.”

Akron metal fabricator Cody Grimsley then created them in black powder-coated steel.

“I wanted to do something that was a little more creative and more interesting to join those two spaces together,” Kilgore explains, “but still provide some protection, a safety barrier.”

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sponsor e d conte nt

S H U LT Z N A M E D HOMEBUILDER OF THE Y E A R As longstanding members of the Homebuilders Association, we are elated and honored to be awarded 2020 Homebuilder of the Year. We are a second-generation, family-operated company passionate about the communities we serve. Our vast portfolio of unique projects spans across custom homes and luxury renovations throughout Summit, Portage and Stark counties over the past 30 years.

Shultz Design & Construction is under the Shultz Companies umbrella of brands — a true full-service real estate group reaching from development to design to brokerage services. This award is largely attributed to the synergies of all our companies, employees, clients and loyal trade partners. Amidst uncertainty, 2020 was a great year for our team. We were able to connect with and service our clients in more meaningful ways as the concept of and connection with home was redeveloped for so many. We have launched into a thrilling 2021 and hope to work with you and your family in the near future.

Thank you to the HBA for its continued dedication to our industry — remaining a steadfast resource for builders to serve their communities.

Shultz Companies, Shultz Design & Construction 3465 S. Arlington Road, Suite 116 E, Akron, 330-896-8883, shultzdc.com

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by VINCE GUERRIERI and photos by DREW JACKSON MEDIA for SUNCREST GARDENS

SPLASH PAD

A house with a barn unearths a backyard for entertaining.

T

“It was way too small and he homeway too rustic for the famowners had ily’s needs,” says Jeff Conn, considered the landscape architect with Suncrest Gardens in Peninsula moving west for their who oversaw the project. love of winter sports In 2019, Suncrest removed but opted to stay in their 500-square-foot bluetheir Hudson colostone patio that connects nial home on 8 acres to a barn, which a previous and keep the kids in homeowner had dismantled and moved from Connecticut “This one evolved,” Conn says. their schools. To still “There were a lot of things as an addition to the home’s cater to their active that weren’t planned but living space. They installed a lifestyle, they decided were suggested by the kids, new 3,000-square-foot paver and like good parents, they patio, incorporating the barn to transform their said, OK, we’ll do them all.” in the design and adding a small, woodsy backpool and grill area, as well as Here’s how the Suncrest yard into a recreation what ended up being many team opened up an exciting amenities for relaxation and space of their own. entertainment.

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backyard space for activity and fun.

open air

NEW TERRITORY: Most of the backyard was woods, which didn’t drain well and contributed to the presence of many insects. “The mosquitoes were real bad,” Conn says. The team cut down trees, de-stumped and installed drainage that not only allowed them to massively expand the patio but also the lawn for cornhole, frisbee, badminton and other activities, as well as gazing onto the pastures of the horse farm on the property.

POOL AND HOT TUB: Both were must-haves for the homeowners, and the team used shotcrete, a concrete mixture shot into place with a pressurized applicator, over rebar to quickly build a 14-by18-foot pool and hot tub in about two weeks. Plus, the pool and hot tub are used past the summer, so heating coils were put in under the Belgard Mega-Libre pavers to create a heated walkway from the home. Higher gas capacity had to be added to the house for that, as well as for the gas grill and fire pit. “We added a million BTUs,” Conn says.

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ENTERTAINING: The family wanted a space to entertain parties of up to 30 people, so sitting areas for conversation were key. There’s one next to the barn door, and there’s also one surrounding a large raised gas-powered fire pit with cedar accents. “It’s a great winter type of a thing to have,” Conn says.

CEDAR ACCENTS: To make the cedar barn that's stained black blend in with the updates, designers went to great lengths to incorporate lots of cedar. “The materials we chose were to extend the feeling that it was a farm/barn type of landscape,” Conn says. For example, the grill area features sandstone-topped counters underneath a pergola made from barn beams painstakingly sourced. “We actually had to go to Carrollton to get wood from a deconstructed barn to make it match,” he says.

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

A N A RTISA N A PPROACH TO REMODELING & DESIGN Architectural Justice has been providing homeowners of the 330 with an artisan approach to design and remodeling for 35 years. Their unique Design Center in Medina offers clients a one-stop-shop for all the materials and products needed to transform a home.

Architectural Justice is also one of the largest stocking stone fabricators in the area featuring nearly 2,000 slabs of exotic stone on-site. Along with stone fabrication, other on-site services include custom cabinetry, furniture, and millwork, architectural metal design and fabrication, as well as design and remodeling services.

Whether it’s a small project or a full remodel, their purpose is to give you the most creative and innovative solution for your space.

Architectural Justice Design Center 2462 Pearl Road, Medina 330-225-6000 architecturaljustice.com

an Artisan Approach to

REMODELING & DESIGN

2462 PEARL RD. MEDINA, OH I 330.225.6000 I ARCHITECTURALJUSTICE.COM 33O HOMES summer 2021

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by ALEXANDRA SOBCZAK and photos courtesy of DMP

UNDER LOCK

Protect your family and home with these advanced security options.

A

s things open back up, people are feeling more comfortable leaving their homes — but they also want to keep their houses safe while they’re gone.

“Now that people are starting to get back out and about, we’re seeing more traffic on people interested in security systems,” says Brian Gyorki, the director of operations at Medinabased Securitec. “They want to feel like, I can leave my home and not have to worry about it.”

Whether it be worrying about an invasion or someone taking packages off their doorstep, people have been thinking about safety, and having a security system brings that extra assurance.

“Peace of mind is really the number one reason why people are looking for a system,” he says.

Gyorki explains some of the options for home security systems and why you should consider each.

ON GUARD

contacts activate when all of

tions on the inside,” Gyorki

You can get various protections

the windows are closed, which

says. “That allows you to

within your system. Most home

might be at night or when

move around the home freely

robberies are done through

you’re out of the house.

… but gives you a little extra

a first-floor door or window, Gyorki says, and intrusion detection is the most desired feature in a security system.

For a fee, systems can send signals to a 24-hour monitoring station that determines the risk

“The advantage of that would be as you’re leaving the house, the system won’t arm … be-

If an intruder breaks the glass

somewhere,” he says. “So

instead of opening the window,

there’s a little extra benefit.”

It also may be a good idea

the police or the fire depart-

to arm your system even

ment. Or you can try a system

when you’re home. Burglary

that you self-monitor when you

attempts occur at all times of

can through an app.

day, so it may be best to be

door and window contacts,

body did break in, the system would go off.”

cause there’s a window open

and contacts the homeowner,

Formats include cameras or

peace of mind that if some-

safe rather than sorry if you’re home alone.

however, there is the risk that window contacts would not pick it up. Because of this, glass-break detection is a popular feature, which alerts at the sound frequency of glass breaking. This only effectively works when the detector is within a few feet of the window

which attach to doors and

“You can turn the system on

and without the presence of

windows in the house. Window

without turning on the mo-

heavy drapery.

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You might instead consider motion detection. This identifies threats by the direction, size and heat of the object moving. Keep in mind pets can sometimes impact accuracy.

“Cats, when they’re playing, like to jump up and down,” Gyorki says. “So motion detectors, a lot of times, will see vertical and horizontal movement and mistake that for somebody entering the premise.”

Other features include more advanced smoke, heat and carbon monoxide detection with monitoring that contacts emergency services if there’s a fire or leak in your home while

READY AN D SET

you’re not there. They save a lot of time, which can prevent a lot of damage. It can also be useful if you don’t hear your smoke or

Ask the following questions on the day of your security system installation.

carbon monoxide detectors go off while you are sleeping or if something is wrong with them, he says. He knows a couple who

• Can you verify

had a defective carbon monoxide

your manufacturer

detector that was over 5 years

certification and

old and had a close call with

state licensure?

carbon monoxide poisoning.

• Can you provide

“The light wasn’t saying low

PERSONAL SAFETY

footage, and make sure you

battery, but it had a low battery,”

No matter which features you

are mindful of where in your

he says. “They all survived, and

choose for your home security

house you place the cameras.

everything’s fine. But after that,

system, there are some con-

Also ensure the company and

they were a big proponent of,

siderations to take before you

system are reputable so that

• Can you teach me

Just get the sensors.”

buy a system.

the system can’t be easily

about the security

broken or hacked.

system’s app?

some basic training on how to work the system?

Some other features you can get

Gyorki says some older

include medical alerts, water de-

adults prefer systems that

Most importantly, you need

• Can I have a sign

tection, temperature control and

have raised buttons as op-

to be comfortable working

or sticker to put

home automation systems, which

posed to systems that are

your security system when an

outside my house?

can be used for convenience in

touchscreen or are controlled

emergency arises.

controlling your devices or in

via an app. If you buy a sys-

an emergency situation, such

tem with cameras, ask the

as turning all of the lights on if

company what the privacy

someone breaks into your home.

protections are, such as whether the company or the

“It’s one of those, Oh, I didn’t

police can have access to the

“You need to know how to arm the system, how to disarm the system, and if there is an alarm, what to do,” Gyorki says.

know you can do that. That’s really cool,” he says.

33O HOMES summer 2021

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fresh design

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open air

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smart tech

by ALEXANDRA SOBCZAK and photos provided by ARCHITECTURAL JUSTICE

G AT HE R HE R E

A dated kitchen gets a fresh look with a full modern makeover.

T

he kitchen in this Medina house was not only outdated, filled with tan wood and dark wallpaper, but it was also too cramped to comfortably fit the homeowners’ family. The Architectural Justice design team had sleek solutions to turn it into an updated, open black-andwhite space — including covering a window and relocating the pantry.

“The biggest obstacle was the amount of space that she had,” says James Justice, the owner of Architectural Justice based in Medina.

“She wanted it more open,” creative director Darlene Justice adds. “She wanted it more conducive for entertaining because she has a great family.”

The team hit her goals by rearranging the layout of the 520-square-foot kitchen and dining area, incorporating metallic and wooden details that fit what she describes as the homeowners’ eclectic farmhouse aesthetic.

Darlene and James explain how they created the airy contemporary kitchen that maximizes space and gives the family lots of room to gather in style.

N E W V I E W: The homeowner wanted a convenient spot to cook and not have to face away from her family while doing dishes.

“She really wanted to … be looking over the family room, backyard,” James says.

Designers flipped the sink to face the other way and covered the window, putting in its place a dark zinc range hood that reaches the ceiling.

It was custom made by Architectural Justice artisans with a finish that matches other metallic details in the room. “It just makes the space even feel so much bigger,” Darlene says.

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33O HOMES summer 2021

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backsplash and stands out among dark elements.

“It really makes the whole thing pop when you have a little bit of a contrast,” Darlene says. “There’s warm tones in [the quartzite] too, which picks up the flooring.”

33O HOMES summer 2021

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NOW IS THE TIME TO GET YOUR

FROM

B U F F E T: Designers used the space that was previously the pantry to make room for a piece that’s great for entertaining — a buffet. While matching the cabinets, the custom buffet is brought forward and has a different base, designed to look more like furniture.

“When she entertains, she could put all of the things that she might need for setting a table [there],” Darlene says.

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“We gave her this additional case of something really beautiful to look at.”

W O O D S : The white oak floor, which extends to the living room and foyer, draws out the lighter pieces in the room. It’s also durable, a perfect fit for the four-legged member of the family.

“She wanted something that would hold up with the dog,” Darlene says. “It has a rustic sort of finish, which worked out well.”

The team designed the floating wooden shelves flanking the sink and those with black decorative metal brackets over the buffet to fit the elevated farmhouse aesthetic and pull

VISIT LEHMANS.COM/HEARTHSTONE

together the wooden and metal aspects of the kitchen, she says.

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“It’s functional. It’s really beautiful,” Darlene says. “It really reflects her style.”

On the Square in Kidron, OH Open every day except Sunday 50

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33O HOMES summer 2021

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

DISCOV ER A SIMPL ER L IF E AT L EHM A N’S Why do thousands of people f lock to the tiny town of Kidron to visit Lehman’s? This old-time general store draws people from all over the country — and the world, as evidenced by the wall signings by visitors from Japan, Scotland, Germany and Ukraine.

“We are here to provide a simpler life for folks,” says Galen Lehman, president of the store and son of founder Jay Lehman. “We are about relationships, like making dinner with your children, and products that are sustainable and understandable. A simpler life should be satisfying and feed your soul. It’s the opposite of a stressful, anxious life.”

Lehman’s has added over 14,000 new products in the past two years, and visiting is like going to a museum and going shopping at the same time. Antiques line the walls of the rambling store, and four pre-Civil War era buildings house merchandise for gardening, food preservation, off-grid living and fun. Look for puzzles, board games, over 100 f lavors of glass-bottled sodas and a charming cafe. Also be sure to take a tour of our tiny house, 200 adorable square feet of practicality — it won’t take long.

Lehman's 4779 Kidron Road, Kidron 800-438-5346, lehmans.com

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