living
By Megan Roth Photos courtesy of Heidi Kliewer
Bare Bones Turned Beautiful
Westerville home renovation earns attention from the Today Show
W
hen Heidi Kliewer found her Westerville home, she immediately saw the potential in its layout and structure. Heidi, her husband, Matt, and their two elementary school-aged children had been living in a Clintonville home that had been in the family for more than 50 years. The Kliewers had been planning renovations for the home and interviewing builders when Heidi happened to check the listings of homes for sale in Westerville. “I found a house by the Hoover Reservoir,” she says. “I was like ‘Ooh, that’s been on the market a while. It has great bones and it’s really ugly right now, but it has potential.’”
A former contractor, Matt was up for the task of carrying out Heidi’s renovation ideas. The wood paneling, natural light and floor plan of the Westerville home appealed to Heidi. She says she knew most of the forthcoming renovations would be cosmetic. Home design has always been present in Heidi’s life: Her grandmother was a buyer for a furniture store and her aunt owns a window treatment design business. “I was always dragged to art galleries as a young child,” she says. “Even though I didn’t appreciate it at a young age, that obviously had an impact on my life. I love a lot of colors and pops of color.”
Accordingly, Heidi says they used a lot of white paint and then incorporated colors, wallpapers and patterns afterward. The family also updated all the floors with new hardwood and renovated each of the three bathrooms. For the kitchen, the Kliewers used Ikea base cabinets and Semihandmade custom-designed cabinet door fronts. Semihandmade was so impressed with the design work that the company asked to share Heidi’s kitchen on the Today Show. “I’m not the type to go to a big box store and buy a set of something,” Heidi says. “I want to curate my items and make sure they mean something to me.”
The kitchen, entryway and bathroom before the renovation. 22 March/April 2022
www.westervillemagazine.com
