OmahaHome June 2019

A LWAY S L O C A L , A LWAY S B E AU T I F U L

JUNE 2019

EXCHANGING LAND FOR BUILDINGS // GET RAZZED WITH RASPBERRIES // CREATED BY A HUMAN // MINIMALIST WITH A TECHY TWIST

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OmahaHome E N T R Y WAY

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CON TEN TS 3

OmahaHome Entr y way

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Maker C R E AT E D B Y A H U M A N

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Spaces N E W K I T C H E N F E AT U R E S S C A N D I N AV I A N S T Y L E

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Feature MINIMALIST WITH A TECHY T WIST

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A rchitecture E XCHANGING L AND FOR BUILDINGS

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At Home FA M I LY T R A D I T I O N C R E AT E S F U L L H E A R T S , F U L L B E L L I E S

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Feature BOHO REDO

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Har vest GET R A Z ZED WITH R ASPBERRIES

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Transformations C R E AT I N G A M O D E R N C L A S S I C

ON THE COVER

The Felton’s 1978 house had four bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms, and featured 1970s-era dark woodwork. Now, it has light wood, white cabinets, and a touch of pineapple. Story page 32. Photo by Bill Sitzmann.

as your very own 3-D welcome mat—the first impression to your home.

I began my own entryway project after sweeping and washing things down. I then painted a bright new color on a tired wooden bench, added a new rug, planted some tropical plants and colorful flowers, and finished by stringing lights and adding décor. How refreshing!

We are carrying the food theme from Omaha Magazine into this OmahaHome issue. Joshua Knutson’s homemade utensils are perfect for any kitchen. Speaking of kitchens, bold trends are covered in our feature on page 16—which are emulated in both the Solberg and Felton homes.

Chef Yves Menard’s home family cooking routine will fill hearts and bellies. And what better way to fill bellies than with fresh fruit? Harvest raspberries and/or pineapple wallpaper after reading this edition. There is something in here for any foodie!

All this talk about pineapples is making my mouth water. So sit back, relax, and perhaps try out my pineapple martini recipe below with your father this Father’s Day. I’d like to say Happy Father’s Day to my special dad.

PINEAPPLE MARTINI RECIPE Ingredients: 1 ½ oz of pineapple juice, 1 oz vodka, 1 oz orange liqueur (Cointreau preferred), ½ fresh squeezed lime juice, sugar for rim (optional), wedges of fresh pineapple.

Directions: 1) Rim a martini glass by wetting it and dipping it in sugar. Fill with ice to chill and set aside. 2) Mix pineapple juice, vodka, orange liqueur, and lime juice.

3) Pour ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake until chilled. 4) Dump the ice from the glass into the sink and pour the martini into the sugar-rimmed glass.

5) Garnish with a skewed pineapple.

Cheers!

Sandy Matson Contributing Editor

VOLUME 9 · Issue 4

EDITORIAL Managing Editor DAISY HUTZELL-RODMAN Senior Editor TARA SPENCER Editorial Interns PUMULO KASAJI · KATE SMITH Contributing Writers ANTHONY FLOTT · HANNAH GILL · PUMULO KASAJI PATRICK M C GEE · CALLIE OLSON · COURTNEY OTTE KARA SCHWEISS · SCOTT STEWART

CREATIVE Creative Director MATT WIECZOREK Senior Graphic Designer DEREK JOY Graphic Designer II MADY BESCH Contributing Photographers TOM KESSLER · MICHAEL LANGFELDT

SALES Executive Vice President Sales & Marketing GIL COHEN Senior Branding Specialist MARY HIATT Senior Sales Executive & 60Plus in Omaha Contributing Editor GWEN LEMKE Publisher’s Assistant & OmahaHome Contributing Editor SANDY MATSON Branding Specialists DAWN DENNIS · GEORGE IDELMAN Digital Sales Manager JILLIAN DUNN Senior Sales Coordinator ALICIA HOLLINS Sales Assistant SOPHIA GALARDI

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June 2019

Created by a Human Joshua Knutson’s Handcrafted Kitchen Wares

by artist Joshua Knutson,’ written in a large font on the home page of the Made

by Human Studios website, is poignant.

Handcrafted. The details he puts into each project show that these products take a lot of labor and passion. That is why he named his business Created by Humans Studios.

“I wanted my work to look like it was made by human beings,” Knutson states. “What I like to see is that kind of fingerprint, tool marks that the maker leaves on their work.”

Viewers can clearly see the ones that are

hand-finished. They can trace the journey of the product in the lines and designs unfolding to tell a piece’s story.

Knutson’s woodworking journey began around eight years ago in Omaha. Knutson recalls stepping into the studio of local wood sculptor Robert Dewaele and being immediately drawn to the art. He started spending some time in the studio; helping out on projects and apprenticing with the artist. In the time he spent there, he discovered he enjoyed using the tools that made the wares. From chiseling to sawing, woodworking was a project that gave him

immense satisfaction. Creating items from scratch was nothing new to him. Knutson had experience in construction, and he understood the labor and beauty of working with one’s hands. This experience helped him transition into woodworking. He was also drawn to the meditative and relaxing aspects of practicing the art.

His descent into this craft happened over time. While his interest in woodworking blossomed, he met his now-wife, Caitlin.

He began working on smaller pieces at home while sitting on the couch in order to spend more time with her. After working

OmahaMagazine.com

MAKER story by Pumulo Kasaji

photography by Bill Sitzmann

design by Mady Besch

on projects for a while with Dewaele, Knutson got an invitation to show his work during a private event at a friend’s house. People then requested he display his products at The Made Show, then different shows around the Omaha area. His business grew from making sculptures to making specialty products such as wedding toppers and household wares such as kuksas, Finnish drinking cups made from birch wood. He specifically makes these cups because they “have a nice human feel to them. People can take them camping or have them for everyday use.” His kuksas, however, are not made from birch, but from mulberry, apricot, and other wood. He wanted to make items that were practical, and that people could use on a daily basis.

“What I like to see is that kind of fingerprint, tool marks that the maker leaves on their work.”

Knutson and his wife moved to Hastings when he took a job as a firefighter/paramedic at the local fire station. What began as a solo project turned into a family affair. Knutson and his wife are the force that keep the business running. His wife takes photos of his work and builds the website while he creates the sculptures and products.

The couple now have a 1-year-old son, and Knutson hopes to soon pass down his passion to him.

After taking a year off from doing shows following the birth of his son, Made By Humans will ready to showcase their work in the coming months. But for now, the company continues to sell their products off of their website.

Visit madebyhumanstudios.com for more information.

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New Kitchen Features Scandinavian Style Chef Incorporates Professional Equipment into Personal Kitchen

“If you need a husband, go to Paris, go to that bar, and you’ll find him.”

—Jeanette Solberg 8

OmahaMagazine.com

S PAC E S story by Hannah Gill

photography by Bill Sitzmann

design by Mady Besch

Jeanette Solberg is enjoying her newly renovated kitchen by making a Black Forest birthday cake for her husband, Oystein Solberg, chef instructor at the Institute of Culinary Arts at Metropolitan Community College, and their two children, 6-year-old Olive and 5-year-old Magnus.

“Everything I know I learned from him—cooking wise,” Jeanette remarks.

A red KitchenAid mixer quietly works batter under two invisibly supported wooden shelves holding wine glasses and coffee mugs. Several can lights are turned off as midday winter light illuminates the space from three windows and a new sliding glass door that offer views into a spacious backyard and home garden. Plentiful white countertops match white tiled backsplash.

Elements of modern design—including simple lines, a multi-use open f loor plan, a neutral color palette, and functional furniture—abound in the new space. Tucked in are features of Scandinavia’s unique style, an international trend that has become widely recognized through powerbrands like Ikea.

“You just type in Scandinavian kitchen, and it pulls up exactly what you want,” says Jeanette, who designed the interior herself.

The space is eight months and a far cry from the 1960s lightless, walled-in, narrow, counter-sparse galley kitchen the multi-level house once displayed.

“We thought, ‘how do we use this space, and how do we entertain?’” Oystein says. “We like having people over— for dinner, for anything.”

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The kitchen now follows the triangle rule, with the sink, oven, and stove in an accessible layout. As frequent entertainers, the Oysteins noticed many dinner parties end up with a nicely set dining table that sits empty while everyone crowds in the kitchen. They decided to put the stove on their wide island to facilitate conversation.

“We wanted to be able to talk easily while cooking,” Oystein says.

The refrigerator proved to be the most diff icult appliance for the couple, who went back and forth over details for weeks.

Oystein wanted a KitchenAid, Jeanette insisted a more basic model would keep the food just as cool.

“He was very particular,” Jeanette says. “I won, but he got everything else.”

That includes an induction-powered stove and 30-inch convection oven from KitchenAid. While not common in the United States, Oystein is familiar with the induction stove through his career. Oystein chose this stove for its eff icient use of energy and precision heating that can melt chocolate without a double boiler.

“We splurged on a few items,” Jeanette says, “You just have to figure out what’s important.”

Two such luxuries, a distinctive blue fabric, and a natural wood coffee table with hidden storage for the children’s toys, both show off the Solberg's design aesthetic.

“We wanted more prep space since we do cook a lot, and didn’t want to see storage,” says Jeanette. “He doesn’t like when there’s too much clutter, too much noise, or too many people.”

S PAC E S

“It drives me bonkers,” Oystein conf irms.

The dark blue accent for the island, pantry, and stools paired with varying shades for other furniture and rugs in the dining and living areas lend a quiet cohesion to three individual spaces in the open layout.

The dark blue accent for the island, pantry, and stools paired with varying shades for other furniture and rugs in the dining and living areas, lend a quiet cohesion to three individual spaces in the open layout.

“It gives me a feeling of calmness and serenity,” Oystein says.

Storage under the island and sink, and an expanded pantry, give a welcoming sparseness to the space and highlight the patterned pieces, natural wood dining table, and a brightly colored abstract painting. The Solbergs picked it out from the studio of friend, fellow chef, and painter Mike Rhodes, who gifted it to them after attending a New Year’s party at the Solbergs.

“We will add as things become personal and have some sort of value,” Jeanette says. “We’re not in a hurry.”

The Solbergs moved into the house in September 2013, choosing it based on location, school district, and its good bones. It is f ive minutes from where Omaha native Jeanette grew up in

Oakdale, and 10 hours and 35 minutes (by air) from The Freedom Pub in Paris where the couple met.

Jeanette was a master’s student at the American University of Paris and Oystein was head chef for the Royal Embassy of Norway in Paris. He had graduated from Steinkjer VGS near his parent’s farm in Steinkjer, Norway, with an associate’s degree in culinary arts, then cooked his way across the country before landing a great opportunity at the Royal Embassy.

Jeanette knew the bartender at The Freedom and Oystein liked to play pool at the popular expat spot. The two met during the broadcast of the Croatia vs.

Brazil World Cup match, eventually becoming one of three now-married couples from Jeanette’s graduating class who gathered at the bar.

“If you need a husband, go to Paris, go to that bar, and you’ll f ind him,” she says.

Once the Solbergs began talking about children they gravitated toward Omaha.

“Food’s food, it’s not the hardest to adjust to new countries,” Oystein says. “The kitchen banter is the same here as anywhere.”

The Solbergs moved to the Midwest, with Oystein working at Delice, V. Mertz, and Shadow Ridge Country Club before accepting a position as chef instructor at Metropolitan Community College (MCC) in 2009. Jeanette teaches French at her alma mater, Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart.

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Over the past decade Oystein has brought his value for locally sourced ingredients that capture the f lavors of the season to MCC, developing a partnership between the culinary institute and the horticulture department located 10 feet away from the kitchen. Oystein oversees the Sage Student Bistro where students practice providing fine dining to Omaha customers.

“I was used to working with apprentices, so I had already been teaching in a way,” Oystein says.

Oystein started as the institute was moving into its new building, and taught as renovations were completed last summer to add versatile classroom spaces and intimacy. The Solbergs have plenty of advice for Omahans ready to renovate with the power of “sweat equity.”

“We knew you double [the time] and add more to your budget,” Jeanette says. “Depending on your tastes you are going to spend more money.”

Besides a new island, additional counter space, additional furniture, an expanded pantry, sliding door, all-wood f loors, and the sticker-shock of a functional faucet, Oystein has another cost to consider when renovating a kitchen.

“Have a plan for eating,” he says. “We had every single microwavable frozen meal from Trader Joe’s microwaved in the garage.”

The new kitchen completes the most recent step in what the couple jokingly call their “20-year plan,” which has included replacing the sewer line, removing four 60-plus-feet tall trees after a silver maple cracked over their eaves, and finishing a guest suite, primarily for when Oystein’s parents visit from Norway.

“Now that we have it the way we want it,” Oystein says, “we’ll be here for a minute.”

Oystein in his kitchen

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June 2019

F E AT U R E story by Callie Olson

photography by Bill sitzmann

design by Mady Besch

Minimalist with a

Techy Twist 2019 KITCHE N TRE NDS

INTERIOR DESIGN IS AN INSTAGRAM-WORTHY

business. Social media sites, TV shows, and even furniture stores show homeowners multitudes of ways to personalize a space, such as various grains of wood to use on kitchen cabinets or palettes of neutral colors to go on the walls.

That is why interior designers spend time keeping up on trends and looking ahead to the future of designs to make a client’s home perfect for them. This is especially true in kitchen design, as the average American spends about 230 hours in the kitchen each year.

Sadie Anderson has worked for the Omaha location of CKF—a company specializing in cabinets, countertops, and closets—for six years, and has been in the design industry for 10. This year she attended the 2019 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas to learn about industry trends.

“The biggest thing I noticed was the abundance of black and gold,” Anderson says. “Gold was everywhere. It seems like in the past it was brushed nickel and oilrubbed bronze, but those are being replaced now. Oil-rubbed bronze is basically gone.”

Although many trends are showing hints of the 1980s or 1990s, one big trend shown at KBIS this year is solidly 2019.

Anderson notes other trends as well, including high contrast colors, lighter wood tones, and a shift to clean, seamless styles. White cabinets are set against dark granite, gold handles glitter against black drawers, and the dark, espressowashed wood of the past is being replaced with lighter tones, encouraging the return of oak.

ARE SH OW I NG H I N TS O F THE

Homeowners are moving toward a minimalist, European-inf luenced design, which has led to a rise in integrated hardware and f loating shelves. Anderson says that some homeowners are even doing away with wall cabinets entirely.

Instead, they are placing a few items, such as dishes, on shelves.

ALT H OU G H M ANY TR EN DS 1980 S O R 1990 S , O N E B I G T RE ND SH OW N AT K B IS THIS YE AR IS SO L I DLY 2019.

“The [number] of things that had Alexa,” Anderson says with a laugh, “You can tell your kitchen faucet ‘Alexa, give me a cup of water,’ and it will pour exactly one cup.”

Here in Omaha, the sink in which the faucet sits is also changing, from dual basins to one. Kitchen & Baths by Briggs offers “a large selection of quality brands for the kitchen and bath and dedicated showroom specialists” to help decide what works best for a space.

“You can tell your kitchen faucet ‘Alexa, give me a cup of water,’ and it will pour exactly one cup.”

—SADIE ANDERSON

“...people are having more fun with the designs they are putting in their house.”

—Michelle Pflughoeft

OmahaMagazine.com

F E AT U R E

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the professionaltype kitchen is on the rise, meaning larger, “work station” sinks and professional faucets.

—Robyn Petersen

Robyn Petersen of Kitchen & Baths by Briggs notes that the professional-type kitchen is on the rise, meaning larger, “work station” sinks and professional faucets. Homeowners are more likely to go for a farmhouse-style sink and use fitted accessories such as cutting boards and colanders. Some sinks even have a smaller prep sink attached to the main one to keep cooking and cleaning processes moving.

Minimalistic design has not stopped homeowners from being bold.

“We’ve had people come in and tell us they are doing dark green cabinets, for example,” says Michelle Pf lughoeft of Ferguson, which focuses on kitchen and bath products as well as appliances.

“Or maybe they are sticking with nav y, but adding a different color for hardware,” Pf lughoeft continues. “It seems like people are having more fun with the designs they are putting in their house.”

She indicates that different colors will be welcome in the kitchen for a long time. She also notes that some people are surprised to see that modern design is represented in Omaha’s Ferguson showroom. As Omaha becomes a more modern cit y, interior design

f irms and showrooms are starting to branch out of the traditional designs many clients expect to see.

“It’s kind of fun to see that Omaha is trying something a bit different.”

Pf lughoeft says, “Like not what mom or dad did, but something kind of out of the norm for what people see in the Midwest.”

Whether black, bold, or gold, those wanting to redo their kitchen in 2019 have plenty of options in both designs and designers around Omaha.

Visit ckfco.com, kbbriggs.com, and fergusonshowrooms.com for more information about the design companies featured in this article.

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June 2019

A RCHITEC T UR E story by Anthony Flott

photography by Michael Langfeldt + Provided

design by Mady Besch

Exchanging Land for Buildings George Prinz’s Historic Omaha

His [Prinz's] legacy endures in places where Omahans still work and worship, live, and play...

“All of his buildings had a rhythm to them.He had thought behind them.

Regular progressions.”

—Jennifer Honebrink

Prinz’s Federal Building on the southwest corner of 15th and Dodge streets in 1934, soon after its completion.

OmahaMagazine.com

A RCHITEC T UR E

hances are, most Omahans have never heard of George Prinz, but chances are just as good that they have seen his work.

Whatever his anonymity is today, Prinz built a name for himself in the f irst third of the 1900s as one of Omaha’s foremost architects. His legacy endures in places where Omahans still work and worship, live and play, including: • The triagonal Flatiron Hotel, completed in 1912 and today housing luxury apartments.

• First Presbyterian Church at 216 S. 34th St., where congregants still gather 102 years after its dedication.

• The historic Omaha Country Club.

Prinz helped build Omaha with designs for many of the ornate homes that dot Omaha’s well-to-do neighborhoods—Fairacres, Blackstone, Elmwood. He designed commercial offices and warehouses, an early Methodist Hospital, and more.

“And he could do that in a bunch of different styles,” says Jennifer Honebrink of Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture. Gothic, Romanesque, Italian Renaissance, Georgian Revival.

Always using materials that were timeless.

It is no wonder, then, that several Prinz works are listed in the National Register of Historic Places, such as the seven-

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story Farnam Building at 16th and Farnam streets, once a gathering place for Omaha f inanciers and law yers, now residential apartments.

Honebrink says Prinz’s works stand the test of time because the architect designed them carefully.

“All of his buildings had a rhythm to them,” she says. “He had thought behind them. Regular progressions.”

A Nebraska State Historical Society biography notes that Prinz was born in 1864 in Ohio and educated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

After studying in Europe and working for a time at a Boston f irm, he came to Omaha in 1901 and joined the f irm of architect Thomas Kimball. Prinz started his own outf it eight years later. He also served on the Omaha City Planning Commission from 1916-1939. Prinz died in 1946 at 82 years old.

Some of his homes still stand, among them one he designed in 1915 for brewing magnate Charles Metz at 37th Street and Dewey Avenue. UNMC’s Phi Chi medical fraternity owns and maintains it today. Less fortunate was the Arthur Metz mansion down the street, which was demolished in 2015 to make way for new apartments.

Prinz also designed workplaces for Northwestern Bell, OPPD, MU D, the Omaha Fire Department, Pittsburgh Plate Glass, and Chicago Lumber.

24 Architects drawing of the old Stockyards Exchange Building.

Photo contributed from the Bostwick-Frohardt Collection at The Durham Museum.

June 2019

A RCHITEC T UR E

The Livestock Exchange was built because of cattle— but it was built for people.

“That’s one of Prinz’s hallmarks.”

—Jennifer Honebrink

A RCHITEC T UR E

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His most notable, certainly his most visible, work was the Livestock Exchange Building, opened in 1926.

An early building directory, still displayed, testif ies to the hustle and bustle that f lowed through it with off ices for more than 60 commission agents, 40-plus livestock dealers, three banks, more than a dozen “packers and slaughterers,” and rooms for government off icials, a coffee shop, a barber shop, telegraph and post off ices, and a World-Herald bureau.

The caravan of cattle trucks eventually slowed to a crawl, and one by one, off ices went vacant. In 1999, the same year the building was designated an Omaha landmark, the Union Stockyards closed. But the building would be renovated, not razed.

“They tore it down to the bone,” says Don Manion, who has maintained the building for 15 years for property manager Seldin Co. Now, he notes, “It’s serving a lot of people.”

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Martin Kluck, also of Alley Poyner Macchietto, worked extensively on the building, his favorite Prinz work.

His biggest challenge was making the main entrance one f loor lower, because the bridge that once led to what is now the second f loor was torn down. They saved what they could—tile f loors, plaster molding, and balconies that surrounded the original lobby—but couldn’t save Prinz’s original skylight. “It must have been really magical back in the day to walk into this room that was just sun-drenched,” Kluck says.

The renovation was completed in 2005.

Today’s building directory notes One World Community Health Center clinics and offices as occupying the

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Spring Cleaning! first three f loors. The next six have 102 one- or two-bedroom apartments.

The building is topped by a ballroom used for wedding receptions and events.

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Jim Pounds, a 1968 South High graduate, used to frequent the ballroom for Friday night dances.

Now he lives a few f loors down from his former stomping ground.

“I love the view,” he says, pointing to the unobstructed vista out his corner windows.

The Livestock Exchange was built because of cattle—but it was built for people. That’s one of Prinz’s hallmarks, Honebrink says. She points to his designs on the stately Federal Building, opened in 1932 on south 15th Street. Today it is a Marriott hotel.

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In many buildings, she notes, the back-of-the-building service stairs were steep and narrow. Prinz gave the service staircase in the Federal Building a normal-depth rise, an extra two feet of width, and beautiful handrails. “Those are nice stairs,” Honebrink says.

He also designed the building in a U-shape. “Everyone gets a window,” Honebrink notes. “Everyone gets daylight. He could have put in all electric lights and said, ‘Go to work; I don’t care about you, IRS.’” Not Prinz.

“He had a lot of consideration for people,” she says.

People he did not k now. But Honebrink and others k now George Prinz.

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June 2019

AT HOM E story by Scott Stewart

Those who know Yves Menard, chef and owner of Charlie’s on the Lake, might imagine a gourmet meal the likes of which could grace a specials menu at Omaha’s top seafood restaurants.

Yet dishes like fried chicken wings, vegetable barley soup, and homemade pepperoni pizza are more likely to be on the family dinner menu. The chef de cuisine at the Menard household on Thursday nights is a rotation of the family’s teenaged children.

The tradition started about four years ago when Yves, his wife Pamela, and the children moved into a home that abuts Tiburon Golf Course in Gretna.

The kitchen is outf itted with a double oven, granite countertops, an electric cooktop, and plenty of space for the slicing, dicing and chopping that Sheridan, Sierra, Montana, and Carolina do when it is their turn to prepare dinner.

Yves and Pamela’s older children—Jaimee, Dakota, Houston, and Cheyenne—no longer live at home but sometimes cook when they are with the family.

photography by Bill sitzmann

design by Mady Besch

“They love it because it’s the one night that they’re going to have a meal they know they like,” Pamela says. “It’s nice because we’re all there together.”

Most meals in the household are healthy, although it is hard to please everyone’s palate in a large family. The kids like using the veggie spiralizer for dishes such as fresh zucchini spaghetti and savory meat sauce, or using the air fryer to crisp sides such as hand-cut sweet potato fries.

OmahaMagazine.com

“It could be something simple, or it could be hamburgers, or it could be salad and lasagna.

You never know what those children have in mind.�

— Yves Menard

Clockwise from top: Sierra, Carolina, Montana Menard

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June 2019

The children find recipes on social media networks or smartphone apps. The latest trend in the Menard household is an Instant Pot pressure cooker.

“We’ve never had the same thing twice,” Pamela says.

Pamela, a mental health therapist for the Methodist Hospital Community Counseling Program, says dinner is usually followed by a family home evening, a practice in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints where scripture and a short lesson are integrated into a family night. Many congregants have their family home evenings on Mondays, but between church, school activities, and Yves’ job, the Menards realized Thursday evenings work best for them.

“That’s our one night that we can get the whole family together and sit down, have a prayer, eat some dinner, and enjoy our time together,” Yves says. “It’s pretty important to us.”

Yves also appreciates not having to prepare food when he gets home after working long hours at the restaurant. He always looks forward to the home-cooked meals, even those nights that his kids take a shortcut so they have enough time to f inish their homework.

“It is kind of fun watching them suffer a little bit on Thursday nights trying to make dinner for everybody,” Yves says.

“It could be something simple, or it could be hamburgers, or it could be salad and lasagna. You never know what those children have in mind.”

AT HOM E

When the kids aren’t in charge, Yves says his favorite meal is grilled steaks eaten out on the patio. The family uses the grill often enough in the summer that Yves had a local welder create a massive 12-seat metal table for the family to gather around—with room for a few friends—on the home’s backyard patio.

Charlie’s is a favorite spot for many in the area and has earned recognition for martinis, patio dining, and seafood in recent years. The menu is seafoodforward but also includes chicken, steak, prime rib, pasta, and salad entrees— ref lecting many dishes that Yves learned throughout his career.

The 58-year-old chef has been working in kitchens since age 14. Yves was born in Montreal, Quebec, and started his career in a pizza parlor washing pans, then delivering and making pizzas. His first chef job took him to the Arctic Circle, and that experience led him from Canada to the United States.

“We’re not afraid to make specials every day,” Yves says. “If you look at our menu, we have Spanish food on there. We have French food on there. We have two of my favorite dishes from culinary school in Montreal.”

“Some people who were up there polarbear hunting asked me to come work for them in Dallas, Texas,” Yves says. “Then I came and worked here for a company that had a bunch of franchise restaurants, and I worked doing research and development.”

Yves opened the f irst Austin’s Steakhouse in Omaha in 1986. He opened Charlie’s on the Lake in 1995, and he has spent nearly the past quarter-century managing that establishment.

“They love it because it’s the one night that they’re going to have a meal they know they like. It’s nice because we’re all there together."

— Pamela Menard

His family travels a lot, although Yves says he intends to stay in Omaha because he enjoys the quality of life, even as his family has spread out to Minnesota and Florida.

“The sign says, ‘Nebraska...the good life,’ and it’s actually a fact,” Yves says. “Our life is simple, it really is, and fulfilling.”

Visit charliesonthelake.net for more information about Yves’ restaurant.

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F E AT U R E story by Kara Schweiss

photography by Bill sitzmann

design by Mady Besch

Ryan and Stacie Felton, and their three young children were still living in Kansas City when Stacie went house-hunting in Elkhorn in June 2017. Ryan was about to transfer from Kansas City to Omaha as project director for McCarthy Building Companies. She asked her husband to trust her judgment when they put in an offer on a 2,281-square-foot home on a nearly one-acre lot in Skyline Ranches.

It was an area she already knew. Stacie grew up in Elkhorn, while Ryan grew up in Omaha.

“It’s an equestrian neighborhood, so there are a lot of properties with horses and barns and there are horse trails right in the neighborhood. It’s like the country in the middle of the city,” Stacie Felton says.

“We knew we wanted to live in Skyline.”

The house had four bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms, a perfect size for their family of five, but it was far from perfect in other ways. Its 1978 origins were evident in most of the rooms and it needed some exterior work in addition to an interior remodel.

“We loved the neighborhood and we loved our lot,” Stacie says. “We just wanted to love our house just as much and wanted it to feel like ours. I had a vision for it and I could see what it could be. I knew we could make it work.”

T H E F E LTON ’ S S U N N Y VIBES REFLECT IN THEIR HOME AND LIFESTYLE

The traditional, two-story 1970s house had dark woodwork and one-rod closets with sliding doors, so the couple decided the bedrooms needed some immediate changes.

Jason Mollak of JPM Construction was hired to replace trim and doors and make the closets more functional. (The Feltons brought him back later for a fireplace mantel and built-ins for the family room).

Before the family moved in, the trim and doors were replaced to make the closets more functional. The family moved in over Independence Day weekend in 2017.

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Ryan wanted the next step to be installing sounder windows and replacing the 40-year-old shakeshingle roof and siding. Stacie advocated for renovating the kitchen, which had been updated a decade earlier but didn’t serve their young family well for everyday use and was not conducive to larger gatherings.

“I kind of ended up winning that one,” she says. “Every time we had family over, like on the holidays, I felt like that kitchen just blocked everything off and we couldn’t get everyone to gather in one spot. We had to open that up. So the kitchen became our number one and then replacing all the f looring.” The rest of the main level followed close behind.

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The space had been divided up into small areas in typical fashion for the era of construction. To achieve the open layout and large kitchen the Feltons desired, a total redesign was in order.

“We completely reconfigured it so we could have a bigger kitchen. We couldn’t do that where the kitchen was, so we moved everything to the other side of the room. Our kitchen now sits where our dining room once was. Our kitchen table is where our formal living room was,” Stacie says.

“I drew up the kitchen plan myself and I redid it I don’t know how many times to get it right and to get to what made the most sense.”

The Feltons now have a spacious kitchen with a large island for entertaining and plenty of storage.

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“We did all of our lower cabinetry in drawers because we didn’t have room for a big pantry,” she says. “We only have one dining space, which is common in newer homes; we don’t have a [formal] dining room anymore, we have one big, open kitchen eating area.”

“We loved the neighborhood and we loved our lot. We just wanted to love our house just as much and wanted it to feel like ours. I had a vision for it and I could see what it could be. I knew we could make it work.�

June 2019

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F E AT U R E

Stacie says the family was grateful that work to the home’s upper level was completed before major construction projects commenced downstairs.

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“When we did our first floor we still lived in our house. It was four months with no kitchen,” she says. “We co-existed with the construction, which was challenging.”

G. Lee Homes was hired to help design and build the new main level. Stacie presented pictures, ideas and drawings to the team as a plan solidified.

“They really helped it come to life and make sense for someone to build. I don’t have a building background, but I could see what I wanted and they helped me make it happen,” she says.

“Angie Hall was our project manager and she made everything go smoothly.

She was very responsive and really took good care of us.”

The new wood f loors’ sandy color helps create the “bright and clean, but not sterile” feel that Stacie wanted. “I’ve always loved the look of natural wood with touches of black and white.”

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There’s room for some fun touches like a pineapple-print accent wallpaper.

“I asked my husband what he thought the color palette is of our house and he goes, ‘Black, white, with a touch of pineapple,’” Stacie says. “I’ve had a sample of that wallpaper for like five years and wanted to use it forever. I finally got the chance.”

This spring, Ryan’s to-do list was checked off, too, when the new roof, windows, and siding were finally installed.

“I asked my husband what he thought the color palette is of our house and he goes, ‘Black, white, with a touch of pineapple. I’ve had a sample of that wallpaper for like five years and wanted to use it forever. I finally got the chance.”

“This was supposed to be a five-year plan but we ended up getting done in two years,” Stacie says.

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Despite all the sweeping changes, the Feltons did retain a few touches from the home’s era of construction.

“We kept an interesting little archway between our front door and our kitchen; it’s unique,” Stacie continues. “And most new homes have an open concept where the kitchen and the living room are all one. Ours is still separated, and I like that.” Their kids—10-year-old Porter, 8-year-old Roma, and 3-yearold Harris—have plenty of room to play, she explains, and don’t get underfoot when she’s cooking. “The TV and the toys are in that living room, and it’s a cozy room with a fireplace. That’s where the kids are most comfortable and where they’re at most of the time.”

Ryan and Stacie enjoy using the sitting area next to the kitchen, a space for which they initially didn’t have firm plans but evolved into a coffee nook of sorts. “Surprisingly, it ended up being one of my favorite spots.”

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WITH AN EVER-BEARING PLANT, ONE MAY BE PICKING QUITE A FEW BERRIES BY LATE AUGUST OR EARLY SEPTEMBER.

OmahaMagazine.com

H A RV E S T story by Patrick McGee

photography Provided

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design by Mady Besch

Get Razzed with

�SPBERRIES POPULAR PLANT YIELDS FALL FRUIT

item at the grocery store for many people. In the wild, they can be found growing in roadside ditches or along tree lines. They are also a favorite plant in the garden. They can be grown in abundance with the right knowledge and conditions. Paul Read, professor of Agronomy and Horticulture at the University of NebraskaLincoln, specializes in viticulture.

Different raspberry plants, he says, may produce red, black, or purple fruits in the fall.

The plant is perennial. The raspberries themselves grow where once there were flowers and pull free from the stalk.

The standard type of raspberry plant is a f loricane, which produces f lowers and fruit on the second year’s growth, Read says. The ever-bearing, or primocane, plant produces at the end of the first year’s growth. This type of plant is sought after by commercial and home growers because it fruits sooner. With an ever-bearing plant, one may be picking quite a few berries by late August or early September.

“It’s nice to get fruit the f irst year,” Read says.

IN NEBRASKA , PEOPLE CAN GROW RED, BLACK, AND LESSER-KNOWN PURPLE AND GOLDEN RASPBERRIES.

Black raspberries may bear a resemblance to blackberries, but raspberries are hollow where the berry connects to the stalk. Blackberries have a white core where the fruit connects to the stalk.

Read says it is important to know the distinction between types of raspberry plants. In Nebraska, people can grow red, black, and lesser-known purple and golden raspberries— and there are fundamentally different types of plants.

Standard raspberry types, and notable black raspberries, have barbs on their stalks, although thornless varieties are becoming more available.

Thorny plants are more cold-tolerant, says Read; but he notes that many thornless varieties do well in Nebraska’s climate. “The best thorny types are miserable to harvest,” he adds, laughing.

Although raspberries may be found growing in various conditions in the wild, in order to optimize their production, the home gardener should follow a few simple rules. Raspberries should be planted in full sun, Read says, not shade.

“They [raspberry plants] should get 6-8 hours of full sun [per day],” Read advises.

He says there is some advantage to north-south row orientation because the southern slopes receive more sun in the northern hemisphere.

The casual home gardener should place raspberry plants 1.5 feet apart in their row, and rows should be placed 3-4 feet apart, Read says. He notes that more space may be optimal but understands that may be unrealistic to homeowners.

Read says it is generally useful to mulch raspberry plants in order to control weeds.

Many types of mulch will work. Black landscaping fabric is particularly clean and easy to use. Organic mulch tends to cool the ground, which is good in the heat of the summer. Plastic mulch tends to warm the soil, which is good in the spring and can be good in the fall.

Read recommends supporting the raspberry plants using wires that are attached to posts, planted in the ground every few feet. The plants are then trained up the wires.

At the end of the year, cut down the stalks, Read says. It minimizes the risk of overwintering pests and diseases.

With this knowledge and a little luck, a home gardener can have raspberries this fall and next.

Visit extension.unl.edu for more information on gardening raspberries and other plants.

CR E ATING A MODER N CL ASSIC A 192 0 s MIDTOW N KITCHEN RENOVATION

N

ick and Kate Krueger had found their dream home in the heart of midtown Omaha—the home was situated in the perfect neighborhood, it boasted original character throughout, and it provided space for their growing family. But there was one problem.

The home was outdated, and small updates made over the years did not give the home quite what it needed. The house also lacked a functional kitchen—the fridge wasn’t even in the same room as the kitchen, rather it was placed off the kitchen towards a back door entry. Despite these challenges, the couple could see past this and envision the home’s potential.

The couple enlisted the help of architect Steve Cramer of Cramer Kreski Designs and interior designer Courtney Otte of The Modern Hive Design Studio to design and update the kitchen into a dream space where they would create memories as their family grew.

The challenge was to create a modern kitchen layout with modern f inishes, yet maintain and incorporate elements that ref lected back towards the age and character of the home.

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T R A NSF OR M AT IONS story by Courtney Otte, Allied ASID, The Modern Hive design studio photography by Tom Kessler design by Mady Besch

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T R A NSF OR M AT IONS

...USING SUBWAY TILE FOR THE BACKSPLASH, A LONGSTANDING CLASSIC, BUT WITH AN ADDED TWIST OF MODERN WITH ITS COOL BLUE HUE.

Otte worked with the couple’s fun aesthetic and selected materials that were up-to-date, yet classic in nature. Some of these features included maintaining an old doorway opening that led into the kitchen from the hall by turning that space into a wall bar with a luxurious beverage cooler; incorporating a recessed tin ceiling above the new island; installing crown molding; installing decorative furniture feet on the cabinet bases, and classic shaker paneling details throughout the kitchen cabinet doors; and using subway tile for the backsplash, a longstanding classic, but with an added twist of modern with its cool blue hue.

OmahaMagazine.com

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June 2019

T R A NSF OR M AT IONS

The couple love to host guests and cook, especially Nick, and the team designed the kitchen with that in mind. The new layout is perfect for the couple to cook and entertain at the same time. Guests have space to sit and mingle while someone cooks. Nick ’s current specialty is baking homemade macaroons and pasta. The couple selected an oven with a French door, which is perfect for his cooking experiments.

“One of our favorite things about the kitchen after the remodel is our little drink /bar nook area,” says Kate. “We are so glad we decided to maximize the space in that old doorway and are happy with how it turned out. We get lots of compliments on that space. Another favorite is our converted pantry area. It’s nice to have a dedicated walk-in pantry space tucked away. I also think we took a risk with the colored tile backsplash but I’m glad we did. I love that it brings some soothing color to the room and people often comment on it.”

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