Exclusive Materials: Hand-tiled Italian ceramic or modern porcelain slabs. Precision brass burners f rom the world’s f inest manufacturers. Ar tful Year-Round Aesthetic: Designed to look beautiful even when unlit. No bulky covers.
Custom Crafted: Ever y f ire feature is scaled, styled, and f inished exclusively for your space no kits, no repeats.
Buil t to Endure: Our f ire features are engineered using materials and methods that withstand Kansas City ’s f reeze-thaw cycles with grace.
Conversation Pieces: These are not accessories. They are sculptures. They are gathering spaces. They are ar t.
This is fall, elevated.
A crisp evening warmed by conversation, where flickering flames meet sculptural form. At High Prairie Outdoors, our signature f ire features are more than functional they ’re curated expressions of style, designed to be admired in ever y season.
Each feature is crafted with intention, f rom hand-laid Italian tile in deep emeralds, oceanic blues, and timeless neutrals, to precision brass burners engineered for performance. Scale, shape, and f inish are fully customized ensuring your f ire feature becomes a year-round focal point of beauty, not something hidden beneath a soft cover.
It’s not just about staying warm.
It’s about sparking connection—with others, and with the ar tistr y of your space.
PREPARE YOUR HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS with an elevated aesthetic for year-round enjoyment. Plus, enjoy up to 50% OFF America's Finest Furniture Makers.
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Your Seville Home Designers
Kimberly
Karen Becky Carrie
Meredith Kelly
SCAN TO DISCOVER MORE OF OUR HOMES.
DRESSING KC’S MOST ENVIED SPACES SINCE 2005
Shades | Motorization | Fabric
Exterior
This stunning reverse 1.5-story by John Geer Custom Homes blends bold design with resort-style living. Nestled on a wooded lot, the home features a vaulted great room, chef’s kitchen with oversized island and butler’s pantry, and a luxurious main-level primary suite with spa bath and connected laundry. The lower level boasts 10’ foundation walls, a sleek wet bar, and two en-suite bedrooms Outside, a private pool oasis and multiple lounge areas offer the ultimate retreat. Thoughtfully crafted with premium finishes, this home is the pinnacle of modern.
Find your luxury home at Signature.ReeceNichols.com
Vaulted great room with architectural design
Oversized quartz island in chef’s kitchen
Butler’s pantry for prep- ready convenience
Elevator shaft for future accessibility
Main level spa inspired primary suite
Expansive rec room with sleek wet bar
Luxury pool oasis with wooded privacy
Multiple outdoor lounge areas for resort- style living
Suspended garage for added uniqueness
Thoughtful architecture and upscale finishes
STARK CARPET
CLARENCE HOUSE FABRIC & WALLCOVERING
Hill Country
For 60 years, we've been transforming outdoor spaces into lasting sanctuaries for relaxation, connection, and celebration. From design to construction, our team delivers personalized, highquality craftsmanship that reflects your style and stands the test of time.
Landscape Design &
Installation
Sprinkler System & Design
Hardscapes
Outdoor Kitchen
Fire
Patios
Retaining Walls
Sorrento cabinetry
There is nothing quite as personal as your home. It is one of the purest expressions of your individual style. With endless ways to customize and configure your appliances, Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove are the ideal choice for more kitchens than ever. Begin your journey to the kitchen of your dreams at Warners’ Stellian. Knowledgeable specialists will guide you through our selection and allow you to test drive your favorites to determine the best fit.
Make your statement at
Leawood - 135th & Nall
The Northland - Across the Hwy from Zona Rosa
220 Rooted in Design
Inspired by formal gardens across the pond, a Prairie Village greenhouse and garden builds a family haven for growing, gathering, and ge ing hands dirty.
226 Summer Siege
A New Orleans family returns to their Missouri roots, transforming 148 acres of rolling farmland into a multigenerational summer retreat.
240 Polished Yet Playful
Mountain-inspired living nds a lakeside match at Lake Winnebago.
78
Shop Local
As fall and football season arrive, three shops supply our favorite wearables for watching it all.
96
Live + Stay + Play
A historic Westport building buzzes with refreshed energy as Q, an all-inclusive LGBTQIA+ community space.
108 Community Culture
Raymore ascends from a small-town city on the outskirts to a hot growth area.
118
Past Perfect
Once home to Chiefs legend Len Dawson, this 1969 midcentury modern home captured the hearts of new owners who honored its legacy while making it their own.
128
Creative Type
ADG, a creative custom fabricator for anything you can imagine; the trendy resurgence of plaster walls; the ultimate style master, Brent Thompson of Noble Designs.
159
Rooms We Love
Sisterhood bonds lead to an upli ing reno of a family home; a tired main- oor layout gets new cocktail lounge and card-playing vibes; TV host Tamara Day takes over a couple’s home makeover for her show, Bargain Mansions
264 The Essential Lakehouse
At Prairie Lee Lake’s edge, a family trades tradition for quiet clarity—and nds beauty in restraint.
252 A Slice of Scandinavia
This Lake of the Ozarks retreat channels Nordic minimalism with its clean, custom design.
THE FALL ISSUE 2025
197 Kitchen + Bath
In a trend toward darker stains, a wide-open kitchen becomes a warm, modern showpiece in precision-built walnut cabinetry; and a designer employs richly stained alder wood paired with soapstone at the heart of her home.
210 The Well-Lived Life
A Liberty couple tend a garden that balances beauty, bounty, and ease with raised beds.
290 Resources
294 Advertisers
302 Sanctuary
A seed-starting porch supports the beginnings of a bountiful garden.
274 Smooth As Water
Trove Homes injects a sense of creative cool into a contemporary home overlooking the glassy waters of Lake Quivira.
andrea@mydesignkc.com
Fall is the favorite season in our household. We look forward to the rst day we get to pull on a new sweater and dig out the throw blankets for our morning porch time. As the crisp air descends over KC, we welcome a shi from our rushed pace to a slower time to gather ‘round. Fall may signal a winding down, with the trees’ leaves transitioning to rust, orange, and yellow, but it’s the season of abundance in many ways.
In this issue, we explore themes rooted deeply in the outdoors: gardens over owing with bounty and outdoor spaces made cozy with thoughtful design. We talked to two gardeners who make it look more like the hobby it should be rather than the job it usually is. I noted several tips to try from our stories on pages 210 and 220, and found myself trans xed by the seven-year homestead project on page 226.
Through the lens of a quieter, more peaceful time of year, we look inside the homes of those who live a lake lifestyle. The days of oating, tubing, and swimming are past, but the waters still call some to follow a natural rhythm of life, shedding the busy activity and moving to a more re ective perspective, whether it’s early morning co ee on the dock, a ernoon paddles through calm waters, or fall evenings spent reside. It’s interesting that among our many
lakes in the region, the sentiment is the same, but the design approach is diverse. There are so many examples in this issue on both sides of the state line, from Raymore to Lake Quivira.
Abundance can mean a number of things to people: time to spend with friends and family; all-inclusive love for everyone in your community (check out Q on page 96); and yes, of course, an abundance of things. Nobody be er expresses maximalism than designer Brent Thompson who epitomizes a kind, humble Midwesterner while being wildly talented at the art of collecting and showcasing beautiful, interesting things. See his personal home on page 144.
Woven through every page is our love for Kansas City—a place where community,
creativity, and pride run strong. If you’ve ever traveled while wearing a Charlie Hustle T-shirt, you may have heard that showing KC pride is uniquely our own. From our closets decked out in red and blue, to our fridges stocked with locally made tailgate beverages, we celebrate who we are through what we buy more than any other city. Find your new favorite earrings, BBQ sauce, wall art, and more on page 78, then read up on fun local history facts, and take your eyes away from this Chiefs season for a moment to look back at former Chiefs MVP Len Dawson’s 1969 home on page 118.
Thank you for joining us for another beautiful season—our fourth annual anniversary here at DKC. Here’s to the golden light that shines on us all, and the abundance that is ours to share.
An Ashner Development from the $600s
The Ashner Family is proud to present our newest community The Ashner Family is proud to present our newest community
Photos: Matthew Anderson
Designers, architects, builders, and homeowners are invited to submit projects. Email andrea@mydesignkc.com with photos
RHYTHM MEDIA DIGITAL
KC LOVE
As fall and football season arrive, these shops supply our favorite wearables for watching it all.
STORIES TO TELL
What began as an antique store in late 2012 quickly evolved into local clothing boutique The Westside Storey, says owner Chris Harrington. Today, the company provides a platform to more than 50 local brands while paying homage to its roots.
Plenty of clothing and small decor choices crowd the website and store shelves, from Chiefs and Royals T-shirts to sports-themed patches,
WORDS
Lisa Waterman Gray
@lwgtravels
PHOTOS
Brynn Burns
@bbphotography11
A one-time antique store, Westside Storey has evolved into a popular destination for sports clothing and accessories.
earrings, and even onesies for babies. Baseball hats with KC logos or local sports logos abound on the website and in-house. Locally made candles and room spray are available, too.
“Westside Storey really found its footing during the Royals’ World Series runs in 2014 and 2015,” Harrington says. “We leaned heavily into the local teams back then and continue to do so now with the Chiefs. We've been so fortunate over the last decade, having the Chiefs and Royals make Championship runs.”
Westside Storey’s retail space operates inside a 1920s building in an eclectic neighborhood. Decor incorporates aging license plates, plus antique signs for overalls, colas, and tobacco. The shop also houses plenty of old-fashioned, gently worn jewelry, generations-old, sportsfocused decor, and small antique sculptures.
But sports team loyalty remains a key focus.
WESTSIDE STOREY
1701 SUMMIT STREET
KANSAS CITY, MO
@WESTSIDESTOREY
WESTSIDESTOREY.COM
“The store turns from blue to red during early fall,” Harrington says. “We spend the whole year and o season looking for vintage Chiefs clothing in preparation for the season. We started with one small rack of Chiefs vintage in 2018. Now we have a huge section of the store dedicated to the Chiefs.”
This is your source for vintage bobbleheads and Chiefs jackets, as well as trending hats, t-shirts, barware and prayer candles.
ALL-TEAM PRIDE
Painted Tree Boutiques is a destination for small-shop entrepreneurs with two KC-based chain store locations. Inside the Overland Park store, among the many booths displaying gi s and fashion, is Motivo Designs’ City Fusion Apparel—an o shoot of the company’s interior design business.
Keep cozy and show your pride for all KC teams with Motivo’s unique logo that includes all team colors.
The brand launched online in October 2024, followed by a pop-up shop in front of Motivo Designs, and nally a dedicated booth last May.
City Fusion Apparel’s primary ‘KC’ logo honors multiple professional teams in this sports-loving metropolitan area, using an array of yellow and red stripes plus several shades of blue.
“[We] combined all colors of the major league sports teams in Kansas City: Chiefs, Current, Sporting, and Royals,” says Karen Collins, Studio Manager for Motivo Designs. “Our goal is to show our hometown pride in all our teams without having to break the bank buying shirts for every team.”
Logoed plastic crossbody bags allow fans to enter local stadiums with personal items clearly displayed. Journals, coin purses, key chains, earrings, and even pet collars or leashes display the multicolored, specialty logo, as do many baseball hats and T-shirts.
For cool fall games, “We have many items that can be worn in the fall and winter,” Collins says, “including sweatshirts, hoodies, beanies, etc., that can be worn to football or soccer games. One can not only represent the team they are cheering for, but also the city we are proud to live in.”
“
Our goal is to show our hometown pride in all our teams without having to break the bank buying shirts for every team.
—Karen Collins
10 YEARS; 11 LOCATIONS
With multiple locations, Made in KC celebrates a decade of operation this year.
“Made in KC is a platform for KC artists, makers, and designers to sell their products and for Kansas City to shop locally every day,” says co-owner, Keith Bradley.
Sports jerseys, ball caps, and onesies ll plenty of space. Tasty o erings include co ee from The Roasterie and Thou Mayest, Rabbit Creek baking mixes, and Messner Bee Farm
There are multiple locations throughout the metro, each with its own unique vibe. The Country Club Plaza location (shown here) is one of three that includes a marketplace, cafe and bar; the other two locations are at Lenexa City Center and in Lee’s Summit. Visit madeinkc.co for all the variations.
honey. KC drink coasters and barware enhance cocktail parties, while playing a KC-focused version of Monopoly celebrates the metropolitan area.
Local barbecue sauces, plus BBQfocused hats and shirts, are perfect for prime grilling season. Wearing a logoed shirt or hat to a game shows your support for your team and city.
“Kansas City is one of the best sports towns in America and our sports teams— particularly our football team—are o en a source of inspiration for the artists and makers we work with,” Bradley says. “As [they] grow and evolve, so do we. Some partner with local sports teams—one example is Kansas City’s premier hat manufacturer, Sandlot Goods. They have a license to design hats for the Kansas City Current, using their logo. Something like that didn’t exist 10 years ago for our artist and maker community.”
— Keith Bradley “
Our sports teams are o en a source of inspiration for the artists and makers.
Made in KC supports local purveyors and artists with high visibility. Find a dizzying array of locally sourced items, from T-shirts and BBQ condiments to chocolates and beer for a friend or yourself.
WHAT’S OLD IS NEWLY SEEN
Author Katy Schamberger takes locals on an exciting ride back in time in new book on sale now.
TTrue or false? The world’s oldest, continuously operating purpose-built movie theater is less than an hour outside of Kansas City.
he rst bank robbed in peacetime, the world’s oldest continuously operating movie theater, the building where the trajectory of professional baseball changed forever—you’ll discover each of these landmarks and so much more in Oldest Kansas City.
Katy Schamberger @oldestkansascity
Two-time author Katy Schamberger takes you on a trip back in time to Kansas City’s earliest days along the Missouri River blu s and through the ensuing decades that saw equal parts devastation and triumph. You’ll discover the farreaching (and sometimes unexpected) in uence of Kansas City, from what we eat (the Happy Meal started here), to what we wear (America’s
rst cowboy boot) to what we watch (was Mickey Mouse really created here?)
Grab some extra napkins and take a mouthwatering tour through Kansas City’s barbecue history, including details on the world’s rst barbecue museum. As you explore the city, tune your radio to KPRS 103.3 FM, the country’s longest running Black-owned radio station. Or
enjoy your soundtrack live at the oldest stilloperating jazz club in the US.
Schamberger, a tireless advocate for exploration both near and far, brings her love of discovery to the pages of Oldest Kansas City. She balances well-known Kansas City lore with people, places, and stories that have been lost to the passage of time—until now.
WORDS
Lisa Waterman Gray @lwgtravels
PHOTOS Sam Olson @theLoveClub.photo
DESIGNERS Will Brown Interiors @willbrowninteriors
Atelier Colone @atelier_colone
In a monumental moment that brought design and the LGBTQ+ community together, Q
Kansas City opened its gorgeous, luxe space in one of Kansas City’s oldest buildings this past Valentine’s Day. Initially a general store catering to traveling pioneers, the building previously hosted multiple bars, too.
Today, clean, crisp white paint covers exterior brick, with fuchsia ceilings above the entryway. Just inside, a massive gold gira e overlooks the reception stand. Black, gray, and white oor tiles repeat a striking pa ern, reminiscent of triangles that identi ed gay people at Nazi concentration camps and later paid homage to the AIDS epidemic.
A REFLECTION OF COMMUNITY
A historic Westport building buzzes with refreshed energy as Q, an all-inclusive LGBTQ+ space.
Adjustable mood lighting punctuates bar surfaces with a colorful rainbow.
Mural-filled
happy dance at Q Kansas City. Owners Lance Pierce and Brett Allred emphasize that Q isn’t just a bar, it is a place of connection and community.
Brilliance Lives in the Details
Discover exceptional lighting at Rensen House of Lights. Our showroom is filled with inspiring displays and curated collections — plus a team of experts ready to help you light every space, big or small.
Co-designed by Will Brown and Abraham Colone, Q KC’s bold, unapologetic aesthetic brings to life co-owners Bre Allred and Lance Pierce’s vision for a safe, welcoming space for the local LGBTQ+ community.
Pierce praises the showstopping “magic” in Brown’s and Colone’s design style, including one-of-a-kind murals by local queer artists Jared Horman, Kerry Grant, Jessie Green, and Dr. Miles Crowley. Words by Kalen Dion on an outdoor mural hint at Q KC’s viewpoint, too: Encouraging someone to be entirely themselves is the loudest way to love them.
Mixologists specialize in adventurous cocktails behind the comfortable, expansive bar.
In the quieter upstairs Q&A lounge, visitors can chill in the enveloping speakeasy vibe.
HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE: NOVEMBER 6-8 COMPLIMENTARY
LOCATED IN THE SHOPS AT PARK PLACE 5261 W 116TH PLACE
The Q KC design emphasizes inclusivity, with a modern, fun, whimsical, elevated, and approachable vibe. It also demonstrates emerging ‘resi-mercial’ design, a commercial and residential design hybrid with a so er feel than many traditional commercial designs. Multiple spaces accommodate di erent customer interests. Rich rainbow hues create dramatic contemporary design, from walls to furnishings, and each stall in the gender-neutral bathroom features a di erent vibrant color of paint and tile.
The sleek black, rst- oor bar incorporates dramatic, mural- lled wall arches, disco balls, and a dance oor, plus adjustable mood lighting. Two televisions visually melt into the surrounding black walls when turned o .
Muralist Jessie Green takes visitors on a visual journey with her large-scale contribution in the Cove.
A lip-shaped settee in the cove is one of many of the designers’ playful moments.
An undulating, wall-spanning, colorful mural, cozy loveseats, and bucket-style chairs ll the adjacent cove area, where adjustable lighting shi s the mood. Upstairs, the brighter Q&A lounge resembles a speakeasy, with a quieter vibe and deep teal wall curtains. There are mixologists and a dressing area for performers, too. On the patio, murals with an urban feel complement comfortable, easy-to-move furnishings, plenty of overhead lighting, and ceiling-mounted space heaters.
Community input also shaped Q KC, with over 300 tours and numerous online comments. A place the community can be proud of, Pierce says, “It’s a re ection of our really diverse group of people, and it’s clear that queer people were at the helm.”
“Q KC is a safe space that’s more important now than ever,” Brown adds. “[Customers] can leave their worries at the door.”
A crisp white facade modernizes the century-old building, hinting at a new era of community that encourages embracing oneself and others.
Kerry Grant created the massive logo ‘Q’ on the patio. Selfie, anyone?
A team of creative artists, illustrators and muralists led by Jared Horman collaborated on Q’s back patio to drench the space in bold color and lively energy.
NanaWall opening glass walls offer wide, unobstructed openings and have set the standard for innovation, ease of use, and performance for over 40 years.
McCray Lumber and Millwork is proud to now offer NanaWall—continuing over 75 years of providing our customers with the best products in the industry. Contact us today to discuss how NanaWall can be part of your next project.
SEMI-RURAL IS THE NEW COOL
WORDS Megan Felling
Raymore ascends from a small-town city on the outskirts to a hot growth area.
Once a small Missouri farm town, Raymore has been experiencing a growth spurt, becoming a popular suburb on the southeast side of Kansas City. Numerous new residential developments are the perfect example of the area’s expansion.
The jewel of the city’s residential communities is Creekmoor. Located north of Missouri 58 and east of Interstate 49, Creekmoor consists of a variety of distinct and diverse neighborhoods designed around the two signature amenities: the 18-hole Creekmoor Championship Golf Course and Lake Creekmoor, a 108-acre shing and boating lake o ering private residential boat docks. Each area boasts its own character, o ering a high quality of life to its residents at every price point.
Creekmoor’s master-planned community allows residents to vacation where they live, with extensive amenities such as a fishing and boating lake, an 18-hole championship golf course, clubhouse, exercise facility, restaurant, and swimming pools. Photo by Juke Media.
The community’s amenities include a clubhouse with a casual restaurant and licensed bar and grill, outdoor patio, pro shop, exercise facility, swimming pools, and sports courts. Creekmoor also o ers miles of trails for hiking, jogging, and biking. Residents living on the lake may have their own dock for a boat and private lake access.
“Creekmoor is a community where you can enjoy resort-style living at a ordable prices,” says community manager Linda Martin with ReeceNichols.
For instance, she points out the Cunningham neighborhood.
“We have recently opened an additional 37 lots and will be opening three more phases in the next year, including lake and golf course views, so there are plenty of options to choose from for building your dream home. For those who want or need to move soon, the builders have several move-in ready homes available now in a variety of plans, starting in the mid $700,000s.”
Darren Merlin with The Rob Ellerman Team at ReeceNichols is a community manager for Avital Homes in Eastbrooke at Creekmoor. He says the area feels separate from the hustle and bustle of metro KC.
“Unlike many new construction projects, the developer tried to retain as many trees and natural foliage as possible—building around nature instead of on top of it,” he explains. “Buyers may select lots backing to dense trees or fairway views, or choose from several homes nearly complete starting in the upper $300,000s.”
Three additional phases of homesites will be opening in the next year, according to Creekmoor community manager Linda Martin. Photo by Juke Media.
Creekmoor residents living on the lake may have their own boat dock or tie up to the community marina.
Nature lovers are drawn to Raymore’s picturesque landscapes. Creekmoor leans in with its focus on outdoor amenities and views.
Homeowners in this neighborhood can enjoy all the amenities of the Creekmoor master community.
Noting Raymore’s growth and development, Merlin adds that there are several other areas of new construction available, including acreage communities, like the upper-bracket Bella Terra, and Creekside Ranch, which will o er 23 threeplus-acre estate lots. Hakes Brothers’ newest community, Knoll Creek, opened this past summer, featuring oversized homesites perfect for outdoor retreats, with a scenic walking trail winding around a tranquil pond. And the growth will continue with another Raymore neighborhood scheduled to open before the end of the year, according to Division President Aaron Windholz.
The 55+ adult community, Alexander Creek, is being built by D.R. Horton nearby. Other new construction communities include White Tail Run, Park Side, Madison Valley, and Timber Trails. Strategically located with easy access to I-49, Raymore is also burgeoning with shopping, services, restaurants, and major employers.
“The city does still have a small-town feel to it. It’s semi-rural, but you’re just around the corner from a grocery store, services, and medical care,” Merlin says. “There are wineries and live music venues close by for fun weekend outings.”
Martin also notes that the RaymorePeculiar School District is a big draw for many homeowners moving to the area, as are four outstanding nearby city parks with ball diamonds, two shing lakes (one with an ADA shing dock, and ADA playground equipment), event and recreational centers, a skateboard park, seasonal farmer’s market, and movie in the park, among the many events.
With more than 285 acres of parkland, Raymore offers endless options to get outside and enjoy more than 20 miles of trails and walking paths. Find the city’s list of trails, sports and recreation at raymore.com.
Hawk Ridge Park is an award-winning recreational dream featuring a beautiful lake and accessible playground, trails, and soccer fields. The amphitheater, designed by SFS Architecture, offers concerts—sometimes with an incredible sunset backdrop. The Raymore Arts Commission hosts a concert series on the second Friday of each month from June to October, and admission is always free. Photo courtesy of the City of Raymore.
Raymore is attractive to homebuyers for many reasons, according to Richard “Rocky” Rhodes: The cost of living in Raymore is less than in Johnson County, and home pricing is competitive. It’s easy to get downtown or to other areas of the metro, the schools are good, and there are lots of amenities and things to do, especially here at the Centerview Community Center, designed by Dan Maginn, FAIA. Photo courtesy of the City of Raymore.
Along the Fairway
701 Hampstead Drive by C&M Builders
@cmbuildersinc
Photos by James Maidhof
Walk into this model and you’ll feel right at home among the trees and greens. Large walls of windows take advantage of the views in the expanded Windsor reverse plan—perfect for Creekmoor’s showstopping golf course lots.
C&M Builders is a semi-custom homebuilder with oor plans that are loaded with features. This oor plan o ers four bedrooms—two on the main level— plus three baths, and a three-car garage.
WHICH CREEKSIDE MODEL WOULD BE YOURS?
Newly constructed homes play to the scenery—but always with an eye on design.
C&M understands the style and amenities that today’s families are looking for: Warm tones of tan and black contrast with creamy whites for a modern feel, and an open oor plan, with the kitchen, dining, and great rooms owing to a covered deck overlooking the fairway. And a walkout lower level featuring a large entertaining space with a wet bar.
This home is a model and not currently for sale— but it may be soon. Currently priced at $944,650, it may be adjusted when the home becomes available for purchase.
Lakeside
1406 Upton Court by Dusty Rhodes Homes
@dusty_rhodes_homes
Photos by Tyler Draisey
The Laguna I lakefront model has a view that few homes in the greater KC area can beat. The peaceful scenery and accessible recreation are just outside the patio doors of this 3,500-square-foot home.
“The covered porch with replace, stacked stone wall patio, and stone steps leading to the lake maximize the views and encourage outdoor living,” notes Richard “Rocky” Rhodes. The family-owned building company brings three generations of renowned quality homebuilding experience to each custom home they build.
The reverse plan features four bedrooms, four and a half baths, and a three-car garage. The open, airy layout focuses on main-level living, with thoughtful and luxurious details in every room. Soaring beamed ceilings, hardwood oors, and natural stone surfaces create a warm and inviting feeling. A large gourmet kitchen with high-end appliances, plus a butler’s pantry, suits today’s home chefs, while the lower-level media room, game room, and bar area make this home perfect for entertaining.
For sale at $1,270,000, this home serves as a model and will be available for occupancy a er January 2026.
The Putnams installed large-format tile throughout the house, but kept the walls original. “It was purposeful (not to make any changes),” Kenny says. “The one thing that’s interesting, the wood paneling is not cheap stuff. When they built this house, it was very well-made. All the wood is really natural wood.”
WORDS
Greg Echlin
PHOTOS
Jordan Wya Ashley @jordanwya ashley
MCM Hall of Fame
Once home to Chiefs legend Len Dawson, this 1969 mid-century modern home captured the hearts of new owners who honored its legacy while making it their own.
Kenny and Joan Putnam, owners of a home they had built in Olathe, noticed ve years ago a ranch-style house in the Country Lane Estates area of Kansas City that became available. They knew it had once belonged to a former Kansas Chiefs player, but soon realized that the player was the most popular in his day— Len Dawson.
“We were really looking to downsize, but when we walked into this house, we just fell in love,” Kenny recalls. “We were like, ‘This is so cool.’ Not just the history, but the house itself.”
“When the Chiefs would do badly, we’d say you have to go into the Len Dawson office and kiss his Hall of Fame jersey right where he used to sit,” Kenny says.
Central States Tile is a stocking distributor who has been supplying the Kansas City Metro with a wide range of products including porcelain, ceramic, natural stone, metal, glass tiles and more for over 35 years.
In Len’s day, the home was a sanctuary in his busy schedule. When asked about how he balanced everything, he replied: “I get through practice at five o’clock, I’m on the (KMBC) news set at six o’clock, go home and have dinner with my family, then come back and do the ten o’clock news.”
The Putnams have thrown several Super Bowl parties here on the main floor of the house.
5 Facts About Len Dawson
1. As one of 11 children in his family from Alliance, Ohio, Len Dawson knew about raising a family in Kansas City.
2. He is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a player and a broadcaster.
3. He was the Super Bowl MVP in 1970, a er the Chiefs rst Super Bowl championship.
4. He was nicknamed “Lenny the Cool” because the late Hank Stram, the Chiefs’ rst head coach, said Dawson would never let you see him sweat.
5. He was recognized by the NFL in 1973 as the Man of the Year for his philanthropic contributions to the Kansas City community.
When the Putnams bought the house, “There was carpet everywhere, and the walls were painted like a yellow color, and there was one accent wall where it was red,” Joan recalls. “It was like, ‘We get it, the Chiefs colors.’ The way they styled it was more traditional—not true to the house, so we wanted to bring it back to the mid-century look that it is.”
The former Chiefs quarterback and media personality, who died in 2022, built the house of slightly less than 5,000 square feet in 1969, the season the Chiefs went on to win Super Bowl IV and Dawson was named the game’s MVP.
The Putnams changed plans, buying Dawson’s former house and upgrading from their approximately 3,000-square-foot home.
Kenny remembers the rst time he reached the rear of the house: “We got to the outside, and that’s really what I loved—the outside area because it has a li le wooded area in the pool area.”
The backyard pool resembled the shape of a football, though not pointed on each end—rather, a rounded oval and appearing more like a rugby ball.
Regardless, the home’s overall layout struck Joan.
A bar dividing the breakfast nook in the kitchen and the dining room retains its MCM charm in turquoise.
“The sunken living room, all the windows across the back,” she says. “It was just a rare nd and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity knowing that we can own something like that.”
A er the move, the Putnams put their own ngerprints on the house.
But there were a couple of areas the Putnams le alone to pay homage to Dawson—his trophy room outlined in elaborate wood on the main oor and the nished recreation area in the basement with the bar that had been built.
“The wood is not like that cheap stu ,” Kenny says. “When they built this house, it was very well-made.”
As Chiefs fans, the Putnams hung their own framed Len Dawson jersey on the wall of the trophy room, signed by the Hall of Famer himself.
The Putnams enjoyed their ve years there and invited family and friends for their own Super Bowl gatherings. They sold it earlier this year with plans to downsize. Again.
Who knows if that changes should they come across another house enriched with history?
At Len Dawson’s 2022 memorial service, Clark Hunt quoted Len Dawson Jr. about growing up in the Country Lane Estates household: “Lenny Jr. said, ‘I lived a childhood that every kid dreams about.’ At the end of the conversation, he said, ‘I will cherish those memories forever.’”
Subtle Yet E ective
With a rich history, plaster nishes are making a big—and welcome— comeback.
Sherwin-Williams may o er more than 1,700 di erent colors, but sometimes paint just won’t cut it.
Once only connected with opulent Italian villas or ancient Roman palaces, a historic wall treatment is shedding that old-world association and making a striking appearance in modern homes, including plenty right here in Kansas City.
Venetian plaster—along with its close cousin Roman clay— is a surface nish that brings depth, subtle movement, and a li le elegance to walls, ceilings, replaces, and more. Both are
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Ma Smithmier
hand-applied nishes that almost shi with the light, o ering an earthy texture quickly growing in popularity.
Ayn Riggs owns Italian Plasterworks and specializes in Venetian plaster. She says she isn’t surprised by the surging popularity of these nishes.
“People like the whole idea of having something natural, something elegant, something sustainable in their house,” she notes. “I think it hits a lot of bu ons without people really knowing it.”
One of those bu ons, she says, is the subtle texture of the thin veneer nish to which our bodies instinctively respond.
“Our brains aren’t meant to look at something with no texture,” she adds. “Having to look at something without texture is actually a subtle kind of stress on your sense of well-being.”
Plaster artist Justin Thornton completes 20 to 30 plaster projects each year, from accent walls to entire homes. He’s also not surprised at the increasing popularity in recent years.
“Clients consider this to be a unique feature for their home,” he says. “It’s dramatically more elegant and moody than just painted walls.”
While the trend has ebbed and owed over the decades, social media has been a signi cant driver in recent years, especially since the pandemic, adds Devon Himes, owner of Devon Himes Studio.
Offering plaster services for the past six years, Justin Thornton Painting used a vibrant blue on this accent wall for a dramatic impact. Photo: Justin Thornton.
A dark gray lime-based paint from Italian Plasterworks adds a rich backdrop at this home in Loch Lloyd. Photo: Ayn Riggs
Italian Plasterworks dressed up this fireplace hearth with a matte lime plaster at this home in Loch Lloyd. Photo: Ayn Riggs
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Our brains aren’t meant to look at something with no texture. Having to look at something without texture is actually a subtle kind of stress on your sense of well-being.
—Ayn Riggs
“Once the faux painting craze died down, I felt like plaster started to come back,” he notes. “And now it’s just everywhere. Social media has totally changed all of that.”
Himes has been working with plaster since the late 1990s, completing both residential and commercial projects, including entire wings at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Moving away from the Tuscan reds, browns, and yellows, the latest trend, he says, is subtle whites and owhites that add a certain understated elegance to any room. He’s currently nishing a project on the Country Club Plaza that features owhite walls that match the trim.
“It’s something that kind of draws you in, which is pre y cool,” he notes. “The fact that it’s all natural—it just has a luster and beauty to it that you really can’t get anywhere else.”
The popular plaster nishes are similar with subtle di erences: Usually smooth and so to the touch, Roman clay is made with gypsum and
o en has a stone-like appearance, delivering a more rustic and textured look. Comparatively, Venetian plaster is made from lime and is smooth and polished, with a luxurious, velvety, marble-like sheen. A third popular nish is marmorino, a lime plaster made from crushed marble and lime pu y. The marble chip serves as an aggregate that adds a slight texture and movement to the nished product, along with providing a ma e nish (in contrast to the glossy sheen of Venetian plaster).
The earliest lime plasters date back to 7500 B.C., and today’s products follow the same process of heating the limestone (a process known as lime slaking) to produce the lime pu y used in the nishes. Limestone can also transform into marble when its calcite crystals lock together under high temperatures.
“These are hand-troweled lime nishes, and they’re the hardest ones to learn,” Riggs says. “But they’re the most beautiful because, at the
end of the day, they are a veneer of marble. They re ect and refract light in a more luminous way. Nothing can mimic that at all.”
The simple organic ingredients also allow the lime nishes to add “environmentally friendly” to their list of a ributes: Because true lime plasters are alkaline with a high pH value, they are natural fungicides and contribute to cleaner air in the home.
No ma er what the speci c appeal may be, there’s no denying the growing trend. More homeowners are embracing the tactile elegance of plaster nishes—not only to evoke a li le luxury and authenticity but to add a layer of warmth to their home that another coat of paint will simply never achieve.
A closer look at this Venetian plaster hearth by Justin Thornton Painting shows off the detail and marble-like sheen of the technique. Photo: Justin Thornton
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CUSTOM CONNECTION
When you need something that doesn’t exist, ADG can fabricate it.
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Lisa Waterman Gray @lwgtravels
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Brynn Burns @bbphotography11
Homeowners and designers occasionally envision something they want but can’t nd at any store. In the Kansas City area, the artisanal Architectural Detail Group and ADG Lighting create sculptural and lighting designs that align with and express those visions, making happy clients.
Amber Heiss oversees Kansas sales as the California-based company’s local representative and design advisor. Her most recent project involved a sculpture that emulated an Overland Park couple’s three athletic sons in bronze tiles. Initially
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Beautiful things, handcra ed, can take time. But this has been well worth the wait.
—Amber Heiss
The different shades and heights of the individually welded panels generate reliefs and textures that vary with the reflections of sunlight. In this way, sport and dynamism are also expressed in each sculpture.
A dazzling three-piece sculpture was made with hundreds of bronze squares cut and welded by artisans. The work was commissioned by a family to honor their three athletic children.
planned for positioning near the home’s circle drive, the three-piece sculpture was relocated to the backyard. The homeowner, Mandy, wanted it to depict her oldest son playing football and her two younger sons playing basketball.
She had been inspired by a sculpture she saw of three girls playing, but her own idea was for more easily moveable sculptures. That’s when Mandy found ADG.
“They could do what I was envisioning,” she describes. “They were very exible and wanted me to be happy with the sculpture and [make it] very relatable for the boys.”
Heiss met with Mandy to understand her needs. A er securing photos of the boys, Heiss shared meeting details with the company founder, CEO, and principal designer, Gerald Olesker. He leads with lighting, incorporating functional design and creating metal railings, fencing, and ornamental metalwork that re ect any era.
Other examples of ADG’s work:
Large decorative lighting sculpture in the shape of a pinecone.
Pendant lamps with a delicate metal latticework, and illuminated divider panels with a honeycomb texture.
A bronze gate created with carefully welded panels to generate a unique pattern and texture.
Striking geometric pendants above a kitchen island.
“When we develop these site-speci c packages, I take an architectural view of a project,” Olesker says. “Now that [this sculpture is] in the backyard, each piece has its own individual story.
“Following ideation, I put [concepts] into pen-washed colorization, picking up details of a project with a nod to the architecture,” he continues. “Then this ‘storyline’ captures a moment in time. My young engineering team puts it in three dimensions, making it more realistic.”
The resulting abstract sculpture incorporates three colors of bronze tiles, depicting the colors of the balls and the boys in motion.
Other recent projects the company has worked on include illuminated ceiling sculptures inside the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and the historic Music Center of
Los Angeles. Olesker says their design is reminiscent of the facility’s original opening curtain.
The company also created a giant, decorative, golden ceiling ‘pla er’ for the Dallas Mavericks headquarters.
“They needed this intimate space— the Echo Lounge—with a nod to a giant speaker, evocative of the architecture, and within budget,” Olesker says.
Whether it’s on the national stage or private property, ADG is a source for creative solutions.
“It gives character and quality to a house and puts your personal touch on your property,” Mandy says. “It’s not an everyday, ordinary beige—but it’s not a pink amingo either. It’s quality and timeless.”
@adg_lights; @amberadgadvantage
Seven dazzling illuminated sculptures for the ballroom of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion evoke the elegance of the original stage curtain. ADG built their fluid curves and radiant meshes to infuse the room with an air of magic and sophistication.
A custom bronze light fixture floats like a celestial disc above velvet couches. Privately commissioned by the Echo Lounge & Music Hall in Dallas, this showstopping element was meticulously hand-welded to meet the exact specifications of the space, seamlessly blending bold design with warm, functional light.
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Susan Cannon
@susancannon1
PHOTOS
Ma hew Anderson
@ma hewaphoto
DESIGNER
Brent Thompson, Noble Designs
@whatwouldtomforddo @nobledesigns
A Collector’s Lair
With an intense passion for “the hunt,” interior designer Brent Thompson brings his coveted nds home to rest in his very private, super maximalist sanctuary.
If ever there was a person whose unrelenting appetite for collecting and styling was so apparent, it would be Brent Thompson, a senior designer at Noble Designs.
He is a passionate man of much depth, curiosity, and historical knowledge, and he has the eye for merging disparate in uences like nobody’s business. When a gothic church pulpit that holds bad-boy photographer Terry Richardson’s book stands next to a four-foot hot pink meerkat sculpture under a colorful expressionist William Rainey painting, or, when a leather Karl Lagerfeld doll is displayed on an ornate neoclassical marble pedestal, you know there’s mad vision happening. A er all, Thompson’s sensibility is informed by a mix of beauty, irony, the past, the present, subtle nuances, bold statements, touches of surrealism, and always fashion.
Books aren’t the only things that define the library. A menagerie of busts take residence on and around the fireplace, giving added theatrics to the room. The female nude watercolor on the mantle is from Urban Mining, adding a light touch. The brown marble bust in profile is from Green Door Antiques.
The upstairs room filled with vintage art and objects is where Thompson watches TV and reads. He stands on a tasseled Victorian chair he purchased from Anthropologie that was once a prop. He uses books and a large vintage Louis Vuitton trunk as his coffee tables in front of his settee with a green Adonis pillow from the shop Afternoons. On the table next to the large plaster hand is a fauxpainted malachite obelisk that was made by Thompson’s partner, artist Edmund Vaughan.
“The bridge between interior design and fashion is how I live and how I style,” he says.
When asked about his earliest in uences, he rst cites his late grandparents, whom he o en traveled with, and speci cally his grandmother, who had her own progressive style and taste. He mentions her repeatedly, regarding interiors, objects, and places that he is also drawn to, and he has many of her possessions in his home. Regarding fashion, his key in uence goes back to designer Gianni Versace.
“He was very inspiring to me, and was the kind of gay man I wanted to be in the world,” he says.
There is certainly a direct link between the late Italian designer (his visage and the aesthetic of the
brand with its Medusa and Greek
Versace
A French Louis XV secretary with brass inlay is from Glenwood Antique Mall. Bits of fashion references show Thompson’s quintessential styling mix: A photography book by Jeanloup Sieff of Yves Saint Laurent sits center stage, while a bust wears a Moschino sleep mask and Versace scarf. A Greg Suss torso painting hangs above a Venetian paper mache parade hat and a Versace porcelain Medusa pitcher.
What was originally the home’s glassed-in front sunroom, Thompson reimagined into a dark and moody lounge with his home office tucked around to the right. Picasso’s eyes (Viva Picasso book perched on a stand) lure you into the mysterious room. The settee is an old Restoration Hardware piece, and the classic velvet lumbar pillow is by Scalamandré.
The French table and chairs, perfect for the kitchen’s dining nook, were passed down by Thompson’s grandmother. On a visit to the Chelsea Flea in New York, Thompson fell in love with the portrait resembling Jean Paul Gaultier with his Breton striped tee. At lunch, he perched it across from him as if it were his dining mate, attracting amused passersby. The charming Rachel Stuart-Haas painting of two girls he purchased through Blue Gallery.
The living room is swathed in ruby red silk dupioni with a matching painted ceiling, bringing certain Diana Vreeland vibes. A vintage nude portrait and an abstract painting in the manner of Franz Kline are flanked by marble busts: the young Roman Emperor Hadrian’s lover, Antinous (right) and Greek God Apollo (left) found at Glenwood Antique Mall. Neoclassical wood column tables are from the shop Afternoons, while Jonathan Adler bisque porcelain peeled banana bud vases and a Supreme for Louis Vuitton suitcase used as a side table add touches of humor.
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Key icons on tableware and silk prints) to the massive cache of Greek and Roman busts, art, intaglios, and other iconographic objects that Thompson collects.
During a recent trip to Rome, his experiences were profound. “Seeing the art was everything to me. I didn’t even look like myself,” he says. “I got inside my head. The idea that people made these sculptures… we don’t do that anymore. Their whole life was to put beauty into the world. I connect to that on a cellular level.”
To know Thompson and to have experienced his abundance of kind, positive energy, it is no wonder that his home is lled with an abundance of (fabulous) things. However, for such a social person, who knew he would be so private, and not be the type to bring people around to his house? As he explains, “My home is just very personal to me.”
Since 2006, when he bought the 1920s Brookside house, he has completely transformed it and lled it with a veritable soupçon of style books, Italian busts,
An imaginative mix: A pink meerkat sculpture by Cracking Art Group stands next to a gothic church pulpit. The abstract William Rainey painting is from Blue Gallery.
A display of Thompson’s many treasured possessions on his desk include a Jeanloup Sieff early ’70s nude of Saint Laurent, a miniature Philippe Starck Ghost Chair, a Vuitton organizer, vintage desk accoutrements, and framed images of his grandparents.
A display of objects shows Thompson’s love for mythological symbolism and iconography, including a vintage vase depicting ancient Greek warriors and old brass snakes. Within the glass cloche is a limited-edition John Galliano for Diptyque candle.
vintage and antique furnishings, art and curios, all abounding with a sort of museum-quality importance, yet blended with a spicy dash of humor and a savory taste for the provocative. He also applied his own artistic hand to the home. Being an inspired fan of late French surrealist artists, Jean Cocteau and Christian Bérard, he painted his own tromp l’oeil murals, most prominently in his kitchen, and with a nod toward French interior designer Vincent Darré, whose present-day imagination is an in uence.
Every weekend, religiously, Thompson is out scouring for the goods, whether he’s in New York, or, most o en, hi ing his favorite Kansas City spots, such as Christopher Filley, Urban Mining, and the River Market and Glenwood
Any eccentric dressing room calls for mirrored Shoji screens, a filled 1960s bar for cocktailing while getting ready, a large collection of cologne at hand, hanging vintage Fendi bags, and a
antique malls, to name a few. His close friend, Addison Ford, the co-owner of home decor shop A ernoons knows him so well that he’ll snap items up for the shop he knows Thompson will love. And wherever the luxury, vintage fashion shop Born Into Money is popping up, Thompson is there with bells on. By the same token, the owner, Tracy Apperson, is known to speci cally source pieces with him in mind, such as an early ’90s Gianni Versace gladiator skirt and a limited-edition Supreme for Louis Vui on suitcase, which he uses as a living room side table. Thompson also frequents and shops the Heidmann Art Salons, which are unique, themed art “happenings” put on by Sco Heidmann and Ken Pe i many times a year.
Thompson hung a vintage “Applause” sign, allegedly from the Johnny Carson TV set, above his bed he draped in white muslin. Above his desk is a French gilt mirror, a vintage painting and lamp from estate sales. The red floral art is made by New York pipe cleaner artist Greg Domres.
Far left: Thompson found the marble fireplace at the NY Showplace Auction House and had it shipped in pieces for his bedroom. He framed a red Hermès silk scarf and flanked it with taxidermy from Urban Mining. He added vintage Italian parade sashes around the necks.
velvet Tom Ford blazer on a form.
While in New York, where he travels at least quarterly, he’s a known regular at the Chelsea Flea Market. He does a lot of vintage sourcing for himself and for Noble Designs, as well as visiting his friend, whose business Inno Style sells unique fashion, including By Walid pieces he collects. Comme des Garçons and other avant-garde designers get his love at Dover Street Market, and he has scored fashion pieces from Nick Wooster’s closet at auction on the Real Real. Wooster, as many know, is a native of Salina, Kansas, but through the decades, he has risen on the international fashion scene as a style icon.
While there are so many other brilliant creatives who inspire Thompson over the vast internet, his own personal Instagram is a vibrant, visionary one to take in.
Fashion tomes are an obsession, and Thompson has hundreds of them, thus turning his dining room into his library. The white paper mache leaning head sculpture set on the Chanel book was his grandmother’s. What looks like Gianni Versace’s profile with a green background is a ’60s vintage Fornasetti book end displayed on the bookcase. The plaster wall plaques are from Memorabilia Museum by Seletti, and the plaster foot is from shop Afternoons. Framed portraits at left are by Josh Young.
A kitchen cabinet detail highlights Thompson’s tromp l’oeil talent. A framed Helmut Newton photograph of “Roast Chicken and Bulgari Jewels” shows his love for edgy fashion photography. He bought the brass barware collection from a street vendor on the lower east side in New York City.
Thompson hand-painted the tromp l’oeil mural on the partition, inspired by French artist Christian Bérard, whose murals for Jean Michel Frank’s 1939 decor of L’Institut Guerlain in Paris are iconic. The gold gilt Federal mirror was found by a friend at Gilded Garage. In the entry hangs vintage Piero Fornasetti plates next to a French antique gold gilt torchiere sconce found at Webster House. A black plaster bust of Julius Caesar sits atop an antique mirrored Regency chest.
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Serious Play
A strategic main- oor remodel rede nes a tired layout with game night and cocktail lounge vibes.
Stephanie Stroud Interiors added wainscotting to the walls and ceiling beams to punctuate the room’s dramatic aesthetic and custom-designed the furniture, including the Lillian August sofa and Lee Industry game chairs. Chartreuse guides the color palette.
For more than 20 years, Karen and Mike Dreyer’s Leawood home followed the script of a traditional layout: a formal living room rarely touched, a separate dining room reserved for holidays and special entertaining, and a hearth room that buzzed with daily life. But in 2022, a er working with Stephanie Stroud Interiors on a refresh of their kitchen eating area and family room, the couple felt ready to tackle the rest of the main level—and give new life to the rooms that appeared suspended in time.
The design rm’s goal was to transform the seldom-used formal living room into a sultry, artlled combination lounge and game room imbued with personality—a space where Mike could stir a batch of old-fashioneds, the house cocktail, without missing the action, and where a heated game of Spades with friends might stretch long into the night.
It’s a room brimming with personality: It’s elegant, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously.
– Stephanie Stroud “
For homeowner Karen Dreyer—a professional painter and ceramicist—the renovation took root with a bold, expressive painting by her mother, now centered above the marble fireplace in the reimagined lounge and game room.
A trophy from Karen’s father, who was a big game hunter, hangs above one of her mother’s paintings. The Hickory White swivel chairs and Arteriors cocktail tables comfort guests for hours.
The hallway connecting the kitchen and lounge-game room offers a peek at what’s to come, with a sunflower painting by Karen’s mother, setting the tone. “The color is a little preview of the chartreuse game chairs in the lounge,” Stephanie says. Brass details carry through here, too—from the pendant lights to the drapery hardware—while French doors lead directly out to the pool.
The project’s design brief?
“We’d used our formal living room maybe a handful of times,” Karen says. “We wanted a space we’d actually use—a fun, moody, comfortable lounge for entertaining and a room equipped for playing cards. My husband came up with the idea to turn it into a game room, and I said, ‘Let’s go!’”
Stephanie and assisting designer Caril Duncan were immediately inspired.
“Karen is a painter and ceramicist who shows locally at the Plaza Art Fair and nationally— her work is incredible, and so is her mother’s,” Stephanie notes. “Karen and Mike’s home was already lled with a small gallery’s worth of meaningful art, so we didn’t need to hunt for inspiration. It just became a ma er of which art we would incorporate into our design throughout the renovation.”
Stephanie Stroud Interiors redesigned the eat-in kitchen in 2022. They gave it a thoughtful refresh during the main-level renovation, featuring a new dining table and chairs from Made Goods, as well as a chandelier by Arteriors. A vibrant koi painting by Karen adds a playful pop of color, set against forest green velvet upholstery on cane-backed chairs and botanical-print draperies. One of Karen’s whimsical ceramic pieces is home to a leafy green plant, adding a personal, artful touch.
A custom arched cabinet with glass doors, designed by Parks Cabinetry, offers a niche spot to showcase Karen’s pottery and heirloom china.
“It’s a designer’s dream to have that much inspiration and a client all in with our design plan.”
Surprisingly, a portrait of a glowering bull, painted by Karen’s mother, artist Toni Arne , became the design’s North Star.
“We pulled it from Karen’s o ce and used its deep tones and unexpected chartreuse accents to guide the color pale e,” Stephanie explains. “Then we layered in texture—velvet upholstery, menswearinspired drapery, antique mirror, brass mesh cabinetry—to create an intriguing atmosphere.”
The custom bar—designed to showcase Mike’s curated whiskey assortment, starring his favorite J. Rieger bourbon whiskey—boasts an antique glass backsplash and marble and brass accents, all carefully lit to set the mood.
“He wanted a place to mix drinks and still be part of the conversation,” Karen says. “It feels like him, just as much as the art and ceramics re ect me.”
The formal dining room got its glow-up, anchored by one of Karen’s striking floral paintings in rich aubergine tones. A Porter Teleo wallcovering with hints of brass adds drama overhead, while an alabaster chandelier from Visual Comfort brings a soft, sculptural glow. Custom furnishings—with quiet brass details like the dining table’s legs—subtly echo the finishes in the adjacent lounge
The light, bright entryway is a nod to the homeowner’s affinity for texture and art. The ruffled mirror is inspired by leaf coral from Made Goods. The chest is Lillian August Furniture, and the light fixture is Visual Comfort.
Photo by Matthew Anderson
“Stephanie has great taste and an excellent eye for detail,” Karen says. “She always makes sure it’s something that suits us and endures the test of time.” The result is a modern, balanced design that blends softness and strength, just like the homeowners envisioned.
The room’s seating is as stylish as it is social. A curved velvet sofa anchors a game table, while a cluster of swivel chairs in a grouping opposite the card action encourages ow.
“It’s a room brimming with personality,” Stephanie says. “It’s elegant, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously.”
Throughout the home, Karen’s distinctive po ery appears in unexpected moments, such as the creamy tulip vase set in a custom-built cabinet near the dining room.
“At the end of the project, we both bought one of her vases,” Stephanie says of her and Caril’s obsession with Karen’s work. “That tells you everything about how personal this transformation became.”
Next on deck for the project?
A full house, so to speak—with the lower level remodel already in the works. And if the main oor is any indication, the collaboration between Stephanie and Karen is holding nothing back when it comes to designing a home that’s equal parts style, substance, and serious play.
What was once a disjointed main floor is now a serene, artful space where the card-loving Leawood couple can gather with friends or unwind in style.
Even the powder room got a lovely dose of artistry. “We kept the beautiful green marble vanity—it was too good to change—then added grass cloth wallpaper and a new faucet, mirror, and lighting,” Stephanie says.
Stephanie replaced the builder-grade stair rail with a sculptural mix of brass and metal by Austin Iron Works, adding both edge and elegance to the transition between floors. She also did something unexpected—adding a wall instead of removing one—to give Karen a fresh canvas for art.
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FROM SISTERHOOD TO STYLE
A
lasting friendship helps shape an Overland Park family home—where clean lines, warmth, and personality come together with style.
It’s not every design story that starts with a sorority—but for Erica Kellenberger and the duo behind Mid-West & Co., that’s exactly where the foundation was laid. Long before they partnered up on two homes, Erica, Janna Coglizer and Megan Shepherd bonded as K-State sisters. So, when Erica and her husband, Travis, moved into their Overland Park home and decided to renovate the main oor, she called on her longtime friends—now a powerhouse design team—to help bring her vision to life.
“I’d taught for 15 years in this neighborhood, and all my kids’ friends live nearby,” Erica says. “We knew this was where we wanted to end up. The house had so much character, but it was more traditional than my preferred style. Janna and Megan helped me weave in modern touches and playful elements while keeping that classic charm—and making it feel like us.”
WORDS
Kimberly Winter Stern @kimdishes
PHOTOS
Craig Keene
@craigkeenephotography
DESIGNER
Mid-West & Co.
@mid_westandco
BUILDER
Arbuckle Building Solutions @arbucklebuild
STYLING
Pink Antlers
@pinkantlershop
RESOURCES
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One of Erica’s favorite design leaps? The powder room, which began with a whimsical York Wallcoverings print from KDR Showroom and evolved into a jewel box of rich color, is grounded by Benjamin Moore’s Polaris Blue. “We pulled the blue for the millwork and ceiling straight from the pattern,” she says. “It’s punched, spirited, and totally original—a lively twist that pulls it all together,” Megan adds. The distinctive Color Blox tile motif from the kitchen finds its way into the bath, tying the spaces together.
“We weren’t planning to touch the great room, which opens onto the kitchen,” Janna says. “But the existing Colorado-stone fireplace didn’t flow with the rest of the renovation.” The new surround—clad in walnut and the same bold Viola marble used in the kitchen backsplash—ties the spaces together with intention. Reeded detailing from the walnut island is echoed in the oversized drawers, while accessories from Pink Antlers add a collected, lived-in edge throughout.
The home walks a measured line between traditional and modern. “We kept the architectural bones, but refined them,” Megan explains. That philosophy comes to life in the grand, lightdrenched entry, where Mid-West & Co. replaced a small window with a larger one to bring in more light and elevate the architectural detail and added new molding, stair treads, risers, and newel posts to balance classic structure with updated style. The eye-catching chandelier is by Visual Comfort, sourced from Relative Lighting.
The trio had collaborated once before, on the family’s previous home. This time around, the scope was bigger, with general contractor Arbuckle Building Solutions onboard and Pink Antlers—Erica’s family-run Leawood boutique— lending its signature styling. “We love sourcing from Erica’s shop,” says Megan. “It always brings together thoughtful curation, fresh details and a li le personality—which is exactly what her home re ects.”
The entry sets the tone with clean-lined white oak stairs, tapered spindles and added trim details that carry through the rest of the house. Just o the entry, the dining room ceiling makes
— Janna Coglizer “
It’s absolutely a family home—but one that doesn’t play it safe. It’s a li le o beat, a lot of heart, and perfectly them.
a statement, wrapped in a Lulu and Georgia wallpaper that draws the eye down and creates a sense of intimacy. “It’s unexpected,” Erica says. “And that’s kind of the thread throughout the house—we weren’t afraid to take a few risks.”
The kitchen—warm, modern and functional— is anchored by a stunning walnut island with reeded detailing. “We le it in its natural state to showcase the grain,” Janna says. “It brings just the right touch of warmth to the space without needing stain.”
Erica calls the den her plant room—and it’s her personal retreat. “I’m a self-proclaimed crazy
The den—a tech-free, moody respite for Erica—is filled with natural light, an abundance of lush greenery, and personality, from a cheeky Slim Aarons print to reupholstered vintage chairs. Painted in Farrow & Ball’s London Clay, the space evokes her mother’s eclectic, book-filled style. “She’s my original design icon,” Erica says. “That room makes me think of her every time I walk in.”
Scan to watch the video featured on KCTV 5.
You may know Rodrock as a name behind some of Johnson County’s most admired neighborhoods and beautiful homes. But behind the name is a builder who also delivers one-of-a-kind, custom luxury homes—designed to reflect your taste, your lifestyle, and your next chapter.
plant lady, and this room is such a re ection of that. It reminds me of my mom—she was the design queen in our house, always blending books, vintage pieces and greenery in the most thoughtful ways.”
Throughout the project, Erica dove into every detail, sending inspiration photos, narrowing choices, and leaning on Janna and Megan’s creative instincts. “The design process ended up being one of my favorite parts,” she says. “They made it so easy. I never felt overwhelmed.”
Travis, the family’s resident chef, was more than happy to support from the sidelines. “He let us do our thing,” Erica laughs. “We’d ask for his input just to loop him in, but he’d smile and say, ‘Looks great.’”
The prep kitchen’s renovation was both structural and aesthetic, reimagining flow and function by removing a wall that once divided a cramped laundry room and small pantry. In its place: a beautifully efficient space that serves as a prep area, mudroom, and household catch-all. “That space is a blessing,” Erica says. “It’s stylish, but more importantly, it hides the chaos. My kids are darling tornadoes, so it’s nice to have a place where I can just shut the door on the mess.”
In the kitchen, a sculptural walnut island grounds the space, while custom glass-front and walnut cabinetry complement the room’s natural warmth. Erica’s love of stone led the design team to a bold Viola marble backsplash from Dimensional Stoneworks. The range, positioned in front of a window, offers an unconventional layout that makes the space as striking as it is hardworking.
That said, the kitchen setup was his one priority. “Travis makes the best beef and broccoli,” Erica adds. “Even our kids’ friends request it when they come over. We’re lucky he loves cooking for us.”
The nal result is a home lled with considered contrasts—re ned yet approachable, classic yet current without chasing trends. A warm blend of modern silhoue es and soulful storytelling, where no room feels too precious and every corner holds a li le piece of the family’s life.
“I wanted it to look designed, but still be welcoming and lived-in,” Erica says. “Most of all, I never wanted my 12-year-old son or 11-year-old daughter to feel like they couldn’t relax anywhere in the house.”
Janna agrees. “It’s absolutely a family home— but one that doesn’t play it safe. It’s a li le o beat, a lot of heart, and perfectly them.”
What began with shared history now helps de ne a vibrant family home layered with intention, style, and the kind of ease only great design, great friends, and authentic chemistry can create.
A ceiling wrapped in Lulu and Georgia wallpaper and walls painted in Benjamin Moore’s Swiss Coffee create an intimate welcome in the dining room, while Erica’s signature greenery adds a soft, organic touch. Just beyond, a fully stocked bar with custom millwork by Harris Cabinetry is tucked into the hallway, bringing both function and sophistication to the space.
Below: Throughout the home, every finish and flourish conveys meaning—including the zebra hide gifted to Erica by her grandfather, now displayed in Travis’s well-appointed office. Paneled in Benjamin Moore’s Black Beauty, the space strikes a masculine tone with layered texture, rich contrast, and a personal backstory woven into the design.
Builder: Helm Construction. Photographer: Matthew Anderson.
Builder: Cardinal Crest Photo: Matthew Anderson
Tamara, Take The Wheel
An Overland Park couple turn to TV host Tamara Day to transform their project into a personal and punchy lake home.
Ann and Larry Hartley are seasoned house ippers. For as long as they can remember, they have been drawn to the challenge and adventure of turning a project into a prospect. Their home is situated on a quaint neighborhood lake in Overland Park; living lakeside has always been a bucketlist item for them. Once they purchased the house, they immediately got to work demolishing the main oor.
Tamara replaced the existing brick on the fireplace with a mosaic that has alternating matte and high-gloss finishes and took it to the ceiling. “Then we added two chandeliers to balance out the scale, and everything just clicked,” Tamara says.
But as they moved deeper into the project, an idea occurred. As fans of Tamara Day and her show Bargain Mansions, they wondered: what if we reach out to see if this project is a good t for the show? A er making contact via social media and working through the logistics, they decided to let Tamara take the wheel while they took a back seat to the remodeling experience. It turned out to be a win-win.
During Tamara’s initial walk-through, the Hartleys showed her a wall where all their friends had wri en wishes and sentiments during a pre-renovation party. For the event, they had concocted a cocktail recipe called the Old Fashioned (House Party). You could see the wheels turning as Tamara read the words.
Watch this home transform during season 6 of Bargain Mansions.
Demolishing the existing stairway opened up the entry. Finishing the stair rail in leather sourced from Nickel + Suede gives a high-touch punch to an otherwise overlooked feature.
Tamara lightly touched the exterior of the house by replacing the triple-pane window with a large single pane, new lighting and a modern front door.
The kitchen expands linearly, with the walnut extension atop a super functional storage island.
Plus, the home’s awkward layout, lack of light, and need for opening up the stairs would all be good touch points for the show. The great room, everyone agreed, would have the most signi cant transformational power.
“In the living room, the view is our hero,” Tamara says. “But we wanted to create a statement with the replace.”
Once the demolition was complete, Tamara began implementing her concept. For the great room, she selected a black marble mosaic tile with alternating at and polished surfaces. The curvature and re ective value of the stone pieces have a tonal impact and somehow feel light, while the scale gives substantial visual weight that anchors the room. The large windows on either side of the replace provide a calming view of the lake. The room is nished with furnishings in a soothing mix of greens and neutrals against the backdrop of a quiet beige wall color.
Tamara came up with a creative solution with a pivoting walnut slab island feature. “It actually moves left and right,” she says.
The Hartleys love the new functional and warm pantry space with its view of the outside and handy shelves across the glass.
The new pass-through window opened up the kitchen and made the deck more accessible. The textural tiles carry through the pattern from the great room.
Discover this incredible lakefront retreat on an oversized, premium lot with 120 feet of main body shoreline. Enjoy top-tier outdoor amenities including a double-decker dock with boat and jet ski slips, a resortstyle infinity pool with waterfall edge, travertine pool deck, hot tub, fire-pit and a fully equipped outdoor kitchen—all designed for entertaining and relaxation.
Inside, this nearly 7,000 sq ft showpiece home provides breathtaking lake views. Custom features throughout, including a reclaimed wood accent wall, new hardwood floors in living room and primary bedroom, designer lighting, dramatic stone fireplaces, and
custom cabinetry. The layout includes 5 spacious bedrooms, including a mainlevel primary suite with updated primary bathroom featuring a brand new steam shower and heated flooring.
The addition adds versatility with vaulted beam ceilings, expansive bifold glass doors, a virtual golf simulator, and a perfect setup for additional living or recreation space. The home offers a lakeside office/5th bedroom, upper-level loft, and expansive entertaining areas indoors and out.
This home combines rustic lake house charm with modern luxury—the perfect year-round resort experience at home.
The kitchen received more of Tamara’s magic. She replaced the bay windows with glass doors and added a pass-through window, which not only doubles the amount of natural light but also makes the deck more user-friendly and accessible.
In another creative turn, Tamara customized a quartz-topped storage island with the addition of a walnut slab that pivots to serve as a bu et. Tamara worked with KC Custom Hardwoods to select and fabricate the slab, which was once a tree here in the metro. Encased in a smoky black epoxy, it’s a stunning focal point that adds warmth and originality to the space. Above it, three woven brass light xtures add more texture and interest.
Another beautiful addition to the space is the backsplash, whose curves carry through
from the replace, visible in the adjoining great room, albeit in a neutral mix of cream and taupe. On the length of wall behind the stove, Tamara chose a charcoal quartz slab nished with a small shelf to place favorite nds and keep key ingredients handy.
In the primary bedroom, a praline color punctuated with black trim creates a comfortable and tailored foundation for the custom pieces that Tamara made for the space. First, a graphic zebra wood desk climbs a corner on one side of the windows, a ording a beautiful view to work by. Additionally, Tamara built a wall-to-wall channeled velvet headboard with two zebra wood nightstands. To save surface space on the nightstands, she hung a pair of modern brass and black pendants, threading in the black detail to tie in the trim.
The praline-colored walls and black trim bring a tailored twist to the primary bedroom, where minimalist zebra wood nightstands and hanging pendants save space. The custom velvet headboard creates a sense of cozy as it extends wall to wall.
A custom zebra wood desk climbs the wall next to the windows, providing a perfect view to work by.
Ann wanted the primary bathroom to have a spa-like feel, so
called for a large soaking tub and added her signature creative touch—this time by installing a ceiling-mounted faucet surrounded by a moss design feature.
The roomy ensuite bathroom features a stunning pebbled bathing nook with a ceiling faucet and live moss installation. Tamara wanted this space to feel transportive, incorporating as many natural elements as she could.
“We took advantage of the h wall to create a true oasis vibe,” she notes.
Two oating wood cabinets and a double rain shower wrapped in large-format tile complete the space.
For the Hartleys, the thoughtful and engaging design re ects their adventurous spirit and new life on the lake. For Tamara, the collaboration created an opportunity for a fresh take on what a lake house can be. As a closing gi , she gave the couple a framed cu ing from the wall that had the recipe for their cocktail. What a fun renovation—it’s personal and punchy and ready for a postrenovation party.
Tamara
Top: Gold-and-black fixtures glam up a pair of floating wood vanities.
Above: Rock tile carries over from the tub area into the shower, where a linear drain makes it appear seamless.
KB&H—A Kitchen, Bath & Home showroom featuring the brands you know and the design team you trust: Custom Wood Products and Profile Cabinetry.
Natural Harmony
Warm walnut and white tones bring grounding elegance to an artful, open-concept kitchen.
WORDS Andrea Darr
PHOTOS Josie Bene eld @josiedell_photo
DESIGNER/CONTRACTOR Amanda Lee Interiors @amandaleeinteriors
DESIGNER Kurt Knapstein @knapsteindesign
CABINET DESIGN AND BUILD Bootlace Design & Build @bootlacedesignbuild
Sometimes having a lot of space and an open oor plan is just as much of a challenge to design as a space with less square footage. That was precisely the challenge for this project team, comprising Ryan Comment of Bootlace Design & Build, contractor Amanda Adams of Amanda Lee Interiors and designer Kurt Knapstein, who had to gure out a solution so simple and elegant that one wonders how there was ever a challenge at all.
“Architecturally, I pushed for it to be open and connected,” Comment says. “The tra c ow works for daily life and parties.”
The major culprit of the holdup was a stud pack positioned within feet of the garage entry door. An immovable component, the team had to design around it.
Adams found inspo pics to show the homeowners how they could create a freestanding bar that could double as a drop zone when they enter the house.
As the general contractor and a designer, Adams approaches each project with an intuitive eye and natural con dence.
“I’m always learning, but I’m highly detailed and on top of it,” she says.
It also helps when the client is “super easy to work with,” she adds.
The team spent a full two days laying out the cabinets, then ne-tuned so tightly that the plan didn’t deviate from then on.
“When you have a good team, it doesn’t take long,” Adams says.
The client gave them one direction for the aesthetics: warm and white.
A large window overlooks the lush green courtyard of Kirkwood’s exclusive enclave of single-family homes.
A set of cabinet fronts slide into a recess for easy access to the coffee bar.
Comment was on top of that with his highly custom cabinet-building company. He spends lots of time with his clients, asking what worked well and what didn’t in their previous homes. He also goes through material options and provides samples.
In this case, the clear answer was walnut. Dark, grain-matched veneer fronts make an incredible statement in their modern, streamlined precision.
The e ect is also grounding, as one can appreciate the natural beauty as well as the cra smanship behind the cuts, which all come from one tree.
“We made sure there was consistency everywhere,” Comment notes.
Two of the fronts open up and slide back into pockets to reveal a co ee bar and an appliance garage. Double Gaggenau ovens also slide into place in perfect alignment.
The mirror backsplash is a striking choice that effectively increases the light in the space. LEDs on the base cabinets cast a warm glow on the floor.
For the ceiling-height upper cabinets on the perimeter, they went with white.
The window wall has a quartzite countertop and full-height backsplash, but for the range wall, something more unexpected: mirrors.
With the extra-large double slab of quartzite commanding the island top, the mirrors o er a lighter alternative to the visually heavier stone.
Another imaginative element is the island’s steel leg on the cantilevered seating side. The black powder-coated metal oval-shaped cutout is a sculptural form that seems to allude to the client’s exceptional art collection—another punctuation mark in a sophisticated home with a story to tell.
The team spent considerable time on this job to make it look e ortless.
“We put together a really great project,” Adams says.
The
effect
Adams designed the island leg—a black metal oval that stands on its own sculptural merit.
Metal One fabricated the standalone bar cabinet near the garage entry.
piece has a grounding
that punctuates the monochromatic white and wood tones of the room.
WORDS
Andrea Darr
PHOTOS
Craig Keene @craigkeenephotography
DESIGNER
Sara Svehla Interior Design @sarahsvehla.interiordesign
RESOURCES
Page 290
SSara Svehla has always enjoyed a full, happy house. After relocating from Texas, she and her husband purchased a few acres of land just north of Kansas City, Mo., to design and build their dream home.
“I’ve been living in this house my entire adult life—in my head,” says Svehla, an interior designer.
With three kids and their friends always coming through, she knew exactly how she would lay out the floor plan to keep them nearby but not right at her side: adjacent spaces.
CENTRALLY LOCATED
A designer cra s a richly layered, highly functional kitchen at the heart of her home designed for connection, comfort, and everyday beauty.
Stained alder wood cabinets and soapstone countertops have a grounding effect in an otherwise light-filled home. It’s not just Svehla who likes a cozier tone in her cabinetry.
“I am seeing a trend toward more saturation and depth,” the designer notes.
Despite today’s continued preference for open oor plans, Svehla is a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to walls: a li le de nition goes a long way. Connected by a well-designed tra c ow, the dining room, breakfast nook, sunroom, and hearth room all have their own de ned spaces, and at the very center of it all is the kitchen.
Svehla thrives on symmetry and feels strongly about visual balance in this most important room. For example, two oversized cabinets anking the range provide abundant storage for all the necessities. Inset next to them are double suspended shelves on both sides, though Svehla admits that as a designer, she’s not always one to promote the idea.
“I’m happiest when the kitchen looks inviting to me and I can see all the things I love on display,” she says.
Sometimes, especially a er a huge garden harvest, onions and tomatoes will pile up on those shelves—in pre y bowls, of course.
Adjacent to the range is another wall of cabinets with a prep sink and a beverage station. Tucked around the corner is a walk-in pantry for storing up goods so they don’t have to make a trek to the grocery store.
The Svehlas opted for a full-size paneled fridge and—forgoing the standard freezer— easy-access fridge and freezer drawers for the kids.
“It’s a di erent way to incorporate appliances based on how we live, and what we value,” she says.
One of her favorite aspects of the kitchen is the 45-inch workstation sink for tackling any task, from chopping homegrown herbs to washing muddy hands.
“The kitchen is as functional as it is beautiful,” Svehla says.
In terms of aesthetic choices, again, she went with her gut and her heart rather than a trend when she chose dark-stained alder wood for the cabinets.
“The kitchen is rich, inviting, and moody,” she describes. “It’s ooded with natural light
from all the windows, so the room never feels dark.”
Svehla selected alder as the wood species for two reasons— rst, it’s less expensive than walnut, and second, because of the beautiful way it stains.
“It’s a beautiful wood that gets overlooked; it’s a midgrade option, but it’s a good choice if you’re going dark,” Svehla explains. “For myself, my taste is a more timeless look.”
For instance, even back in 2014, when she designed a kitchen at her previous home in Texas, she chose dark-stained cabinets. Eleven years later, she’s sticking to her guns.
This new house is full of oak wood—both red and white.
“I like seeing the grain, the characteristic of the wood,” she explains.
To balance the visual e ect, she went with cleaner lines on other selections, like slab doors and minimal casings. Svehla likes to mix metals, but caps it at two. She did add ma e white to the mix in the light xtures. This third nish adds calm to the space, she says, and she carried those three throughout the house.
For the countertops and backsplash, she installed soapstone. As a natural material mined from the earth, it’s so er than other selections like quartzite and granite that are more o en employed in the hard-working kitchen.Scratches can be bu ed out, and stains are less likely to show on the black surface.
“It’s the same way I feel about the marble in my home: I understand the maintenance requirements and that it’s more likely to scratch, but the patina it’s going to achieve is worth it, and I love using natural materials whenever possible,” Svehla says.
Svehla is open to the process of evolution in her home. Just as she is learning new skills like gardening, she recognizes the bigger picture for her design work.
“I feel like I’m designing a new lifestyle,” she says.
“The nice thing about this floor plan is that every space is connected but has its own defined space,” Svehla says. A back entry and sunroom are nearby for easy access to the outdoors; the breakfast nook and hearth room are clearly within range but appear to have their own vibes.
E ortless Abundance
A Liberty couple created a garden that balances beauty, bounty, and ease—proving that a li le planning goes a long way toward a life well grown.
Weeds and pests are constant ba les in any garden. But Eric and Katie Schmidt make the job of ghting both look e ortless. Some upfront labor, material installation, and automation help their garden thrive throughout the season.
Of course, Katie isn’t new to the hobby. Her mother is a master gardener, and Katie has been learning from her since she was a
WORDS Andrea Darr
PHOTOS Ma hew Anderson @ma hewaphoto
child. Eric defers to Katie’s lifelong knowledge and experience, but he can wield a hammer pro ciently and proli cally to build his wife all the raised beds she wants.
The couple owns a 1912 home in the Dougherty Historic District o of Liberty Square—speci cally one Katie has long desired. On a whim, while the couple was in town for a wedding in 2016, they made an o er on the
Ca le panels form an arch between two raised beds, providing an ideal structure for vines to climb up and over, as well as a charming focal point in the garden.
house—and were surprised and delighted when it was accepted.
“It was meant to be,” Katie says.
The inside of the house was livable but dated, and the backyard’s raised bed garden—Katie thought—was ready to go. The previous owner(s) had worked at both over the years, but each required a fresh approach.
For the interiors, the couple hired designer and neighbor Laurie Champ of Collected Living Design to update the kitchen, all the bathrooms,
and reorganize two key functional areas: the mudroom and the pantry.
Outside, the couple had to start anew, as the existing raised beds quickly fell apart.
“[The project] kept growing,” Katie says. “We started with four beds, then built two more, and then two more…”
Finally, they reached 10 and called it.
Raised beds are an excellent way to grow crops, as they are easier on the back, where gardeners can sit on the edge of the frame, and
An automated watering system in the raised beds keeps the soil consistently moist so the plants look refreshed and ready at all times.
Katie rotates her crops each year to keep the soil healthy, and uses flowers and herbs to beautify the beds and attract pollinators.
A handful of potted plants adds variety to the conformity of the raised beds.
harder for weeds to take over when not at ground level.
At the base of the beds, encompassing the entire area, a layer of pea gravel keeps grass and other undesirable plants at bay.
“Pea gravel is easier to maintain than mulch; it doesn’t have to be replaced,” Katie notes.
Stone edging forms a crisp line separating the well-tended yard and provides a clear boundary for the kids, e ectively stopping them from driving their Power Wheels through.
Every other year, Katie orders a truckload of Missouri Organic compost to give the plants the nutrients they need.
“It’s enough for most fruits and vegetables,” she says.
Last year, they added timed waterers so they could get away on the weekends and still return to living plants.
Katie gets a li le help in the garden from companion plants, like nasturtiums and marigolds, which are said to deter some garden pests. She also likes to mix owers for cu ing, like dahlias and poppies, with her veggies.
Along the fenceline, where neighbors walk their dogs on the gravel alleyway and stop by to say hello, wily stems reach out to grab someone.
“The raspberries are always trying to escape,” Katie says.
So they get their own bed.
In the center of the space, a stock panel forms an arch for growing vines, including cherry tomatoes, honeydew melon, and fall gourds. Flanking side beds incorporate an assortment of favorite herbs—purple basil, dill, sage—and some gladiolas for colorful ower heads.
“I plant what I like to eat, and there’s always extra to share,” Katie says.
The kids—ages 4, 7, and 10—prefer to eat the fruits the most. Katie planted a Brown Turkey g—a variety that is perennial in this plant hardiness zone—alongside an older cherry tree and three apple trees.
A stone edge delineates the yard from the garden, a “line in the sand” for a no-Power Wheels zone. The property’s original carriage house was built before cars, but thanks to a new, bigger, front garage door, the family can still park in it.
Landscaped beds around the property are kept tidy, all while inviting children out to play.
Three apple trees in the yard yield tasty treats for the kids.
Dahlias bring a pop of color to the garden.
There is so much abundance in the garden that the family has made something of a business out of it by creating a ‘lemonade stand’ to sell the extra produce, and the kids even deliver peonies to neighbors on Mother’s Day.
Katie has them pay her back for the goods with chores.
“They help when they are made to,” she adds. But it’s not all about work; Katie le space in the garden for rest—Adirondack chairs encircling a re pit. Neighborhood kids join the family to play in the yard, where the Schmidts house a 1980s jungle gym, a playhouse, and a climbing wall and slide built into the deck.
“We love our backyard; we spend a lot of time out here,” Katie says.
See where Katie starts her garden seeds on page 302.
The historic home is stately yet clearly fun, with the addition of a slide and climbing wall built into the deck.
The Schmidts incorporated a fire pit and seating area within the garden.
Pea gravel paths reduce weeding and keep the courtyard garden looking tidy. Flowers, herbs and vegetables grow happily in fertile soil that was previously part of a larger farmstead.
Rooted in Design Rooted in Design Rooted in Design
Inspired by formal gardens across the pond, a Prairie Village greenhouse and garden builds a family haven for growing, gathering, and ge ing hands dirty.
hen Sco and Molly Koenigsdorf bought their property—a beautiful acre in a redeveloping neighborhood in Prairie Village—the backyard had a trapezoidshaped garden plot bursting forth alongside a creek.
The previous homeowner, a master gardener, adapted the shape to the land’s natural watershed and planted it with a variety of owers and bushes. He also used railroad ties to create raised vegetable beds.
Growing up in a family of gardeners herself, Molly managed to maintain the garden for seven years
WORDS
Andrea Darr
PHOTOS
Paul Versluis
@paulversluis
ARCHITECT
NSPJ Architects
@nspjarchitects
DESIGNER/GARDENER
Koenig Building + Restoration
@koenigbuilding
Set back along a creek, the garden takes up only a small part of the large backyard, which is a haven of play for the kids, with a trampoline, zip line and swing set. “Scott promised me a pool next fall,” Molly notes.
just as he le it, but a thought lingered in her mind: “This isn’t how I would do it.”
“Despite my best e orts, I was overwhelmed,” she admits.
The Koenigsdorfs are a husband and wife design/build duo who specialize in both speculative and custom homes. Molly coordinates all the design aspects for clients. They certainly have the contacts and the know-how to level up something that isn’t working so well.
They had hired EPIC Landscape Productions to plant around the house eight years ago and Smith Brothers to install the irrigation system. Molly has continued to add to the beds over time, perfecting the foundational plantings for primo curb appeal. Yet the back garden wasn’t stacking up.
Inspiration for a full-scale project hit Molly like a ton of bricks and natural stone when the family ew across the pond for an Irish wedding in 2018—“the best trip I’ve ever taken,” she adds.
A er 12 days admiring the towns and the scenery on the island, she knew she wanted a traditional greenhouse inside a tidy walled courtyard.
The couple hired NSPJ Architects’ landscape division to design a formal English garden, with walls dividing up equally forma ed plots and a greenhouse at the center. Its materials mirror those of the house.
“I couldn’t get away from the symmetry," Molly notes.
The original design by NSPJ was 20 feet larger, but once the couple staked it out, Molly
NSPJ designed the formal garden using traditional stone and brick. The glass structure comes from BC Greenhouse and has solar-powered vents that are temperature-controlled, so the inside never gets overheated. Molly’s only gripe with the order was the door, which she swapped out with one from a house the couple remodeled in Prairie Village.
saw it was going to be too much and pulled back. Within the walls, she planted a bounty of perennials, keeping the pale e strictly to purples and whites.
“I don’t do annuals; there’s enough work as there is,” she says.
Fortunately, the incredibly fertile soil works in her favor. The block they live on was once home to an 1890s farmstead. The original Victorian house was just across the street—a property that the Koenigsdorfs rebuilt, along with several others on the block.
Approaching the property with some sentimentality, Molly replanted some of the owers the previous gardener had once. She lled in with a range of relatively lowmaintenance and showy seasonal producers like twice-blooming iris, which she didn’t even know
“
Some people like to sit, some people like to work. I like to work.
– Molly Koenigsdorf
A working vintage sink and floor drain make watering plants and cleaning up tools easy.
Molly gets time to herself when working in the greenhouse, which she furnished with antiques.
was a thing, along with ‘Li le Ho ie’ and ‘Limelight’ hydrangeas, bee balm, Russian sage, anemone, ranunculus, hibiscus, alliums, daisies, and speedwell.
Also in the ower section, she is trying out blueberry bushes (otherwise known as “me feeding the birds”) and a few variegated apple trees—Honeycrisp and Fuji—which she tries to protect with li le nets so the squirrels don’t get them, but they do anyway.
In the vegetable plots, she grows carrots in the ground and cantaloupe up an arched trellis, in addition to a few tomato plants and at least one jalapeño pepper plant for making jelly in the fall.
“I try to grow what we actually eat,” she explains. Two cold frames grow greens year-round. Spinach handles a light frost with ease.
“We just brush o the snow and pick it,” Molly says. A gas heater in the greenhouse warms all the topiaries she can haul into the space. Drip irrigation lines keep all the po ed plants hydrated automatically, and strung cafe lights kept on a timer glow up the space so everyone can admire it from the house. A double sink and antique wood work tables
A white garden gate swings open to an enchanting environment of well-tended plants and places to both work and linger.
See more of this garden and inside the house, too!
support whatever task Molly is undertaking, and there’s even a drink fridge and a speaker for John Mayer to entertain her while she works.
Molly nds moments of peace in the garden away from the demands of being a mother to her four kids, ages 5 to 12.
“I enjoy coming down and checking on how things are going,” she says.
It was Molly’s dad’s idea to add a replace and seating to an open expanse of pea gravel at the front gate. A dining area handily ts on one side, and a Solo stove re cylinder surrounded by Adirondack chairs on the other.
The Koenigsdorfs have set up an in atable movie screen in the area, bringing popcorn and candy down from the house, adding to the usability and enjoyment for all members of the family.
It’s also a unique space for hosting parties and fundraisers. Sco even had his own Chiefs watch party out there last fall.
“Oh, men like gardens, too,” Molly says.
The family home overlooks the lush backyard and courtyard garden, with similar architectural lines and materials to maintain consistency.
Homegrown canteloupe sliced up in the garden makes a tantalizing end-of-season treat.
IIn the beginning, there was only the earth: A meandering stream do ed with native Missouri trees divided the rolling hills; the county high point atop the ridgeline, with vistas of what would become the town of Smithville for miles around. Then, in the 1860s, a cabin was built, followed by a house. About one hundred years later, in 1959, Bill Becker’s parents bought a section of 148 acres and raised that young man to love the land. Years later, Bill and his wife, Valerie, raised their two kids, Ma hew and Laura, on that land, too. Their connection ran so deep that even a er they did what kids do—grow up and move away to have families of their own—Laura (Wilt) and her husband, Jonathan, didn’t want that to be the end. She wanted her kids to experience country life, too.
While the Wilts reside in New Orleans, they planned to return home for the summers, performing an annual siege of sorts, like a ock of herons returning to their nest on the property. They assembled a project team that worked with them, o en remotely, while Bill became a point person on the ground.
It’s a journey. It’s like unwinding on the way up to the house.
—Designer Will Brown “
Summer Siege Summer Siege
A New Orleans family returns to their Missouri roots, transforming 148 acres of rolling farmland into a multigenerational summer retreat—complete with a modern farmhouse, restored prairie, and a legacy built to last.
WORDS
Andrea Darr
PHOTOS
Josie Bene eld
@josiedell_photo
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
Kelly VanElders
@stantec
BUILDER
Campbell Custom Homes
@campbellcustomhome
DESIGNER/STYLIST
Will Brown Interiors
@willbrowninteriors
RESOURCES Page 290
A half-mile entry road was carefully aligned to set up an arrival sequence that takes advantage of the diverse topography, capturing specific viewsheds of the restored prairie, orchard and home’s entry.
“It has always been my and Valerie’s desire to see the property stay in the family,” he says. “We had always hoped one of the kids would want to build a house and live on the farm.”
The following steps were far from the simplicity of time’s progression. To create a lasting legacy for future generations, they would need a plan.
From Land to Plan
In 2018, landscape architects Kelly VanElders and Josh Cheek started meeting with the Wilts.
“It was love at rst sight for me,” VanElders says of seeing the property.
But it wasn’t a pure paradise yet. For starters, a honey locust invasion had to be cleaned up. Six massive burn piles the size of the house were set ablaze to destroy the prickly thorns. Also, they disposed of 14 dumpster loads of buried trash found li ering the property.
“The ravine looked beautiful once we were done,” VanElders recalls. “They didn’t have to spend money on that, but it speaks to their dedication to the process.”
A breezeway connecting the main house to the office and screened-in porch allows the wind to whistle through, while rocking chairs poised in the shady recess evoke the idea of long days spent idly gathering with family.
The orchard consists of 163 fruit-bearing trees of 21 varieties.
The landscape architects surveyed the spring-fed lake bottom to understand the pond’s health and fish habitat.
Located at the top of a hill, the house’s architecture and site architecture take advantage of views and the microclimate.
A screened-in porch is essential country living that provides a bug-free zone and a front row seat to nature’s outdoor stage. Here, flexible seating invites slow living and spontaneous gatherings, while a pedestal table pulls double duty for alfresco meals and a rotating display of herbs and homegrown greenery. It’s an outdoor living room that shifts with the seasons.
Over the years, the natural grasslands had turned to brome. Shannon Tyree of Habitat Architects developed a natural resource management plan tailored speci cally to the property, culminating in the conversion of 25 acres of degraded pasture to historically accurate native grasses and wild owers.
It’s a multiyear process.
In the meantime, the team focused on designing the master plan, determining where the trails, barn, and orchard would go.
“It’s a simple program, but it was done with a lot of purpose and reason,” VanElders explains.
The design called for a formal entry lined with oak trees, an orderly approach from the road that
transitions further up and back. The half-mile gravel drive is oriented toward certain views to take in the property’s many touch points, including a dock built on a stocked, spring-fed pond that will bring the pastime of shing to life once again, and past apples, pears, peaches, and pawpaws planted on slopes, with electric fencing to help protect the saplings from munching cri ers. A pecan grove is planted down by the stream—in a “holler” as Bill calls it in country-speak. They will eventually add a solar eld here to help power the farm.
At the highest, central spot, the new house becomes visible, crowning the ridge in crisp white clapboard—an homage to the past, yet clearly built for the future. Crushed aggregate forms a
Warmth in a new build comes from more than just the material selections. It invites you in through the layers, the details, and the feeling. “To help reinterpret the white kitchen aesthetic, we mixed in white oak trim and cabinetry accents for natural softness,” Brown says. Taking a step back, it’s as much about the styling details as the kitchen finishes that adds the sense of story and helps make this kitchen feel like the heart of the home.
circular drive at the top where it’s level. Around the house, native perennials a ract bees and bu er ies.
A patch of sod forms a cushy backyard playing ground before diving o into naturalized areas.
The rest of the property requires o -road vehicles for best traction, to spy the herons that nest in the quiet of a patch of sycamore trees, or to seek out the “ghost camp,” an old loa ng shed hunkering deep within the property.
Not Your Basic Build—or Design
It’s not o en that a landscape architect approaches a homeowner and asks for a shot at designing their house.
“Graciously, they did, and I am forever grateful for the opportunity,” VanElders says.
Bill then introduced his fellow church parishioner Adam Campbell, a custom home builder, to the Wilts. Campbell is not only a custom home builder, he also has an extra credential that piqued the team’s excitement for the project— he’s an independent rep for Wausau Homes, a
Wisconsin-based company that specializes in prefabrication. Lest anyone think that this means low-quality mobile homes—no, this is a system of building that is sophisticated, organized, and automated.
“The extra bonus is how the house was built under quality-control measures and materials,” Campbell says.
“It’s the coolest building system I’ve ever seen with the quality it is,” adds Bill, who has spent his whole life around the construction industry.
First, there are no predetermined plans
A hardworking mudroom doesn’t have to skimp on charm. Woven baskets, vintage touches, and a nod to life lived outdoors keep this drop zone feeling both functional and ready for receiving whatever the day brings home.
The home office was designed for occasionally working and hosting Zoom meetings but was also intended to be visually engaging with open shelving styled with mementos and collected objects that keep the space inviting and engaging.
or packages to choose from, nor are there allowances for selections. It’s 100-percent custom, but a few examples are available for inspiration on Wausau’s website.
“Once we understand how the client wants to live in the house, then we bring in the vendors and designers,” Campbell explains. That’s when Will Brown Interiors stepped in as the project designer.
Second, clients receive upfront pricing that remains consistent throughout the project.
“We put you with a designer and see what all that costs before we go down that road; we get it all gured out ahead of time,” Campbell says. “It gives the client a fully customized experience.”
Third, the planning process is so exact that homeowners can get a move-in date and count on it. Unlike traditional stick-built homes that are delayed by weather and various complications,
A scenic mural wraps this formal dining room in a painterly landscape, gently blurring the line between indoors and out. The view inspired an enchanted tea party tablescape, proving that even the most elegant spaces can host both refined fêtes and casual gatherings. “I wanted it to feel collected and timeless, like something out of a BBC period drama, somewhere between Bridgerton and Jane Austen,” Brown says. “The mural gave us a beautiful sense of place, and everything else was layered to support that story.”
This English-style antique secretary adds a scholarly elegance with its glass-front bookcase and hidden compartments. Paired with a vintage telescope, the vignette nods to curiosity, craftsmanship, and the perfect setting for bird watching or star gazing in the country.
Far Right: This Audubon heron print harkens to the project’s title, Summer Siege, a poetic nod to the flock of blue herons that roost annually on the property. In this context, a “siege” is the official collective noun for a group of herons. The set of prints in the great room draws inspiration from this and weaves meaning into the home’s visual story.
all the oors, stairs, walls, and windows are prebuilt in a warehouse and shipped to the site. Quality lumber is cut in Canada and delivered by train directly into the company’s Wisconsin factory. There, they install all the components down to the Tyvek wrapping, protect it with tarps, and load it onto the truck for delivery and immediate installation.
“There’s no postponing trucks on the way,” Campbell says. “Everything must be built the week of.”
He excavates the site himself to know that he is prepping a solid foundation. Then he schedules set days for the “house raising.”
“It’s an exciting event; it’s a show,” he says.
People in the homeowner’s network a end— co ee and donut in hand—to watch the crews and cranes erect a complete home in days—not weeks or months.
In this case, the home was up and dried-in within seven days, roofed within 11, and sided within 30.
VanElders admits he was skeptical about the process at rst, as most people are with new ways of doing things, but he’s now a rm believer.
“Every house should be built this way,” he says.
“Emotionally and physically, it turns the paradigm,” Brown adds. “It keeps the home at the heart of the process.”
Considering the two families’ intimate feelings about the property—and also the distance from which the Wilts were making decisions—the streamlined process and the competent team made easy work of what could be much more complicated.
“It was so pleasant working with a team to that level,” Bill says. “They were like our Olympic dream team.”
Right: A nod to a European bistro, this vignette blends antique chairs with a modern tulip table for a refined yet relaxed mix. The aged wall hanging adds instant patina, bringing depth and old-world charm to this new-build corner.
With its soaring cathedral ceiling and exposed rafters, the great room called for a sense of balance and casual elegance. “We used the principle of symmetry to bring order to such an open space,” Brown says. “By dividing the room into two conversation areas and anchoring it with an antique round table and oversized glass pendant, we struck a balance that feels both formal but also inviting, like something you’d find in an English or French countryside retreat.”
Timeless Character
A modern farmhouse resonated with the theme of the land. The design looks as though a main house was added onto over the years, connected by a breezeway.
“The style of it evokes that idea,” Brown notes.
Inside the main house, the rst thing to go on paper was the living room and its three-sided view facing west, promising panoramic views of the treetops. A wraparound porch—ever the iconic farmhouse design element—spreads out grandly beyond the very modern bifolding door system.
Watching the sun set on a porch rocker with a cool glass of lemonade, or perhaps something stronger, feels like a meaningful end to a day.
The second priority was the kitchen.
“It’s literally the heart of the house,” Campbell says.
Laura liked the idea of a white kitchen, but Brown guided her toward a balanced approach with white oak in the case openings, hood, and island, still giving the overall impression of white.
Around the corner is the mudroom. “You’ve go a have it,” Brown says. This one includes a dog wash station, which has been especially useful during the family’s giant Fourth of July parties.
Wrapped in soft blue-green grasscloth, the primary bedroom was designed as a calming retreat. Coordinating Fabricut drapery and woven grasscloth nightstands offer a quiet, textural rhythm throughout the space. “We wanted it to feel serene, but also layered with meaningful details,” Brown says. “The antique French chest from Woodson Antiques brings a sense of history, while the kimono fabric pillows by Kimono Art Studio add artistry and a complementary color focal point at the bed.”
Because this is a second home, a remote o ce was an important inclusion; it and a large screened-in porch are located on the other side of the breezeway.
“The screened-in porch is always important out here—there are a lot of bugs,” Bill says.
A rst- oor primary suite is soothing in sky blues and has plenty of storage for longer-term stays.
Brown describes the whole scene as light and airy, but says not to overlook the many details: A herringbone oor sets the tone at the entry; antique brass xtures add timeless character throughout; and rounded drywall corners so en the edges for the many kids running through.
“It’s subtle, but it makes a di erence,” he says. “Those are the details that make it bespoke.”
In this new-build primary bath, open shelving styled with spalike elements invites a relaxed, restorative soak. Handcrafted, reactive-glazed tiles add a touch of artisanal charm to the double vanity wall, while the soft muted blue cabinetry and veined stone echo the calming palette of the adjacent bedroom—extending the sense of serenity throughout the suite.
This inviting entryway sets the tone for the home with a curated mix of elegance and ease. A pair of heron statues nod to the blue herons that migrate and nest on the property, while casual baskets corral deer shed antlers and duck decoys from the spring-fed pond on the property. The modern green-and-white ottoman offers the perfect perch for slipping on wellies before a morning walk through the dew-covered meadows.
Built for Quiet and Also a Crowd
Entertaining and get-togethers are a large portion of the family’s “why” for building the house. From the oval drive that makes a large parking loop to the 4,500 square feet of nished space, the family welcomes everyone to come in and spread out.
Ten-foot-tall ceilings on the rst oor and a double-height living room with an open balcony overlooking it make the space feel large and connected. The open oor plan is decidedly a modern idea, but there is a vintage throwback here: The large formal dining room
is exceptionally sized for hosting when they want something fancier—think like you’re dining at your grandma’s house under her antique chandeliers. Thick moldings and pocket doors give it the he of an aged residence.
Family and friends can stay up late and then curl up in a guest room. The Beckers’ secondoor suite has an apartment-like feel to it, a place to se le in while managing the property when Bill needs to and to just play with the grandkids whenever they want to.
The kids love their upstairs bunk room—a fun
zone for four or more—plus a cozy rec lo for one or two.
The Wilts’ vision for a summer retreat and their detailed plan to a ain it, now complete, is the realization of a longheld dream to return to the land—forming a bond that connects the generations of the past to those of the future.
This bunk room serves as the ultimate headquarters for all the kids. It’s a space designed for endless hours of play and giggles. Custom built-in bunks with tailored privacy curtains create cozy nooks for dreams and imagination, while vibrant printed bedding and playful details bring the whole room to life. “We wanted it to feel magical but still practical,” Brown says. From playdates to sleepovers, this room is ready for childhood memories to be made.
This dormer just outside the kids’ room was transformed into a cheerful reading nook, with a built-in daybed, whimsical pillows, plush animals, and shelves of books. The blue heron Roman shade ties into the home’s nature theme, while the fuzzy sheep stool adds a dose of modern country charm—especially when a real one isn’t an option. A perfect spot to curl up, read, and let imagination take flight.
As Will Higgins, owner of The Bespoke Property, got to know client Josh Wilson, Higgins knew this striking painting of a buck would speak to Wilson’s love of the outdoors. “The stag is so noble but also lighthearted, too, given the joyous and energetic brushstrokes,” Higgins says.
Polished Yet Playful
Mountain-inspired living nds a lakeside match at Lake Winnebago.
acozy, contemporary ranch retreat beckons beside the calm waters of Lake Winnebago, a nod to the homeowner’s passion for the outdoors and mountain living. For designer Will Higgins, the home is so much more than a project; it represents a professional milestone he’ll never forget.
This waterfront oasis for Josh Wilson, his wife, and their three kids is Higgins’ rst full residential design project since launching his
business, The Bespoke Property. Higgins rst met Wilson while working for a furnishings company, and a casual conversation sparked the idea of a partnership.
“Josh was already working with an architect but came to me and said, ‘I want to live in a really incredible house, but I don’t know anything about design,’” Higgins says. “I told him I was considering starting my own interior design rm and asked if he’d want to work with me.”
The rest? Well, you know what they say…
WORDS
Katy Schamberger @katywrites
PHOTOS
Ma hew Anderson @ma hewaphoto
ARCHITECT
Craig Leubbert Architecture clarchitecture.com
DESIGNER
The Bespoke Property @thebespokeproperty
RESOURCES Page 290
A contemporary exterior on a wooded backdrop at Lake Winnebago sets the tone for a welcoming, modern interior built for gathering.
Designed to entertain
Wilson, having previously owned a residential construction company, felt con dent in working on the design with the architect and then building the house. The home’s design provided Higgins a blank slate, an opportunity that proved equally exciting and daunting.
“It was initially overwhelming to take everything in,” Higgins says. “My design work included everything up to the decor—all of the furniture in the house is new. But one of the things I loved about working with Josh is that he gave me the opportunity to say who I am and to show my viewpoint on how a home ows and functions.”
Part of Higgins’ process includes prioritizing time with his client to understand what they love and how they want to use the home. For example? Entertaining is high on the Wilson family’s priority list, which in uenced the home’s open layout that partially encircles a backyard swimming pool and outdoor living
With Wilson’s approval, Higgins splurged on an alabaster chandelier for the dining room (visible at top right) to create cohesion with the quartzite.
Custom wood cabinetry adds warmth to the kitchen and cleverly disguises appliances and a coffee bar.
Taj Mahal quartzite creates a sophisticated backdrop in the kitchen and dining area, highlighting the kitchen’s waterfall edge island and a full bar and wine refrigerator in the dining area.
Pale stone provided a textural and eye-catching finish for the primary bedroom’s feature wall.
area. The resort-like outdoor space is easily accessible from points throughout the house, including the living area, kitchen, and an inviting pool house that’s already a favorite hangout spot for Wilson and his two sons.
“The pool house is where the boys spend time,” Higgins says. “We wanted the space to feel a bit heartier and more modern, but also maintain the polished aesthetic you see throughout the home.”
Another priority? Balancing connection and space. Wilson opted for the pool house instead of a lower level that might make family members feel more disconnected from each other.
“I loved designing in this way,” Higgins says. “My philosophy is focused on how a client uses a space 90 percent of the time. And I think every room in a home should be used on a daily basis.”
Soaring 8-foot oak doors create a dramatic entry point into the primary bathroom and also coordinate with the cabinetry tucked below a double vanity.
The home is filled with cozy nooks and spots that invite relaxation after a lively day on the water.
“
My philosophy is focused on how a client uses a space 90 percent of the time. And I think every room in a home should be used on a daily basis.
—Will Higgins
The rear exterior of the home partially rings the swimming pool, creating easy access to outdoor living throughout the ranch floor plan.
Despite the seasonal emphasis of the pool house, it also ts that criterion. Features like a replace and heated ooring make the lounging-focused area usable year-round.
Nature: the ultimate inspiration
Browse photos of this waterfront estate, and one of Higgins’ key design themes quickly emerges. Higgins prioritized the serenity, beauty, and appeal of nature, infusing the nearly 4,000-square-foot home with textural materials like stone, linen, leather, and wood—a lot of it.
“We selected big, eye-catching wood pieces throughout the home,” Higgins says. “Cra smanship was a top priority for Josh; we
Higgins helped guide Wilson through the creation of an intentional, layered lighting plan that unites a range of light sources including chandeliers, pendants, sconces, and recessed and art lighting. The result is a customizable glow that’s as striking from an outdoor view as it is inside the home.
Full-length doors fold open to a pool house that provides the perfect post-swim hangout, complete with comfortable seating, a second kitchen and custom cabinets that stash gadgets like a PlayStation.
Blurring the lines between outdoor and indoor living pays homage to the Wilson family’s love of nature and spending time outside. With views like this, who could blame them?
agreed that he’d rather invest in fewer pieces with higher price tags instead of amassing a collection of smaller nishing details that would confuse the eye.”
The entrance into the primary bathroom is a primary example. Soaring, eight-foot custom white oak doors set the tone for the warmth and relaxation that awaits within the space. Another eye-catching feature in the home is an alabaster chandelier suspended above the dining room table. The sophisticated lighting xture is itself an investment, but the glow that it radiates is the perfect nishing touch to a room designed for relaxed, cozy gatherings around a favorite meal.
Nature means so much to Wilson, and Higgins wanted each of the three kids’ bedrooms to have the same degree of meaning. This project gave Higgins his rst opportunity to design kidfocused rooms, and he used a similar approach with his younger clients.
Above and Right: A project highlight for Higgins included the opportunity to design bedrooms for each of the three Wilson children, creating spaces that reflect each personality.
“Being able to get to know their kids, see the things that they like, then be able to come with a full design presentation and have the kids love it—that was incredibly rewarding,” Higgins says.
Rooms are designed to re ect the interests and tastes of each child, but are also created to evolve as the kids grow. For the Wilsons’ threeyear-old daughter, for example, pastel-hued bedding covered in woodland creatures inspired a playful take on nature. The room “can grow with her,” Higgins says. “The vibe of the room doesn’t need to change as she gets older.”
Consider this calm, welcoming oasis a success for both client and designer. The Wilsons are thriving in their new home, and Wilson and Higgins continue to collaborate on landscaping, outdoor furnishings, and more. For Higgins, this pivotal rst project for The Bespoke Property ful lled his goal.
“I wanted this home to be magazine-worthy,” he says.
Mission accomplished.
Playful animals, a pastel-focused palette and wall-mounted books create a comfy retreat for the Wilsons’ youngest.
WORDS
Katy Schamberger
@katywrites
PHOTOS
Josie Bene eld
@josiedell_photo
ARCHITECT
Viewpoint Residential Design viewpointdesign.net
BUILDER
Walker Custom Homes
@walkercustomhomeskc
DESIGNER
Evolve Interiors
@kendraminer_evolveinteriors
It’s not every day you discover a Scandinavian retreat tucked within a cove at the Lake of the Ozarks, but that’s exactly what Jason and Heather Walker wanted as they planned their third lakefront home.
“We’ve had a home at the lake for nearly 20 years; two homes in di erent locations,” Walker says. And sometimes, the universe delivers a sign. In this case, the homesite next to the Walkers remained available in the ve years since they built their previous home.
An
Left: When Jason and Heather Walker decided to build a new home at the Lake of the Ozarks, they didn’t have to move far! They purchased an available homesite next door to their previous home.
all-seasons sunroom offers prime views of the surrounding cove, a must-have for true lake living.
Slice
Scandinavia of A A Slice of Scandinavia
A builder’s personal Lake of the Ozarks retreat channels Nordic minimalism with its clean, custom design.
Curb appeal remains important when you’re on the water, but that means the rear exterior carries just as much design emphasis as the front. On both front and back, a neutral color palette and wood siding set the stage for the relaxed, Scandinavian-inspired ambiance that awaits inside.
Although this homesite posed some topographical challenges, Walker is well-versed in navigating complex Ozarks terrain. His company, Walker Custom Homes, currently has a halfdozen custom homes in progress throughout the lake region.
“Since the lot was available, we decided to build another house,” Walker says. “We wanted to do something unique; we’ve been coming to the lake for so long, and we’ve seen so many true Cra sman or East Coast, Cape Cod-style homes.”
Instead, the Walkers looked further east— approximately 4,000 miles—for design inspiration. They both loved the clean nishes and neutral pale es common in Scandinavian design. Walker, who owns Walker Custom Homes, began working with architect Je Pfeifer of Viewpoint Residential Design to create a lakefront oasis that looks as if it were plucked directly from the heavily treed terrain of Sweden.
Embracing the art of lake living
A four-bedroom, ve-bathroom, reverse 1½-story took shape as Walker provided detailed input for the architect. Abundant natural light
An abundance of white oak—in the kitchen cabinetry (above) and the slatted walls of the screened porch (right)—creates an airy warmth throughout the home, as well as an appealing contrast to darker fixtures and finishes that ground the space.
is a must-have in a Scandinavian home, which makes soaring ceilings a must-have. Eighteenfoot ceilings span the length of the home’s main level from the front to the rear gable, creating a spacious layout begging to be lled with neutral colors and natural materials.
The Walkers frequently travel to the lake with their two kids, Layla (19) and Roman (15). That meant the home needed to balance its European-inspired aesthetic with all of the
practical and entertaining-focused features standard in a lake home, including a full bar, wine room, theater room, and a pool that overlooks the surrounding cove.
Equally crucial to a lake home? When a homesite backs to water, the rear of the house should serve double-duty as its front exterior. Approach the Walkers’ estate from the lakefront, and a crystalline swimming pool comes into view, backed by a two-story entertaining space
Each space throughout the reverse 1½-story home was carefully configured to take full advantage of the home’s enviable cove location and views, including while prepping food at the kitchen island.
Miner and Walker agree that the living area’s custom plaster fireplace is a favorite feature in the home. The plaster joins other materials, including stone and rattan, that creates textural depth, adding visual interest to the neutral color palette. Furnishings were selected by Kristina Rains of JT Designs.
that combines a covered porch on the bo om with a screened-in sunroom above.
Walker and his family are no strangers to lakefront living; they reside full-time at Lake Winnebago. That rsthand experience has resulted in a lake living focus for their building company, which works with clients throughout the Kansas City metro and, more recently, the Lake of the Ozarks.
“We’re down in the Ozarks so much that I had someone ask me to build them a home,” Walker says. “We ultimately made the decision to expand our business at the lake
Soaring, 18-foot ceilings start at the front door and continue to the rear of the main level, creating more space for oversized windows that make lake views a focal point wherever you look.
The cluster of rattan lights tucked in a corner of the primary bedroom may seem like a small detail, but it’s a fitting example of Miner’s design philosophy. “We wanted the home to embody a Scandinavian vibe but also make it more modern,” she says.
A sleek black soaking tub perches on a bed of smooth pebbles—what better place to relax after a day of sun and fun?
A floating white oak vanity and handmade tile wall stay consistent with the natural vibe seen throughout the house.
The primary bedroom and bathroom are truly the definition of an oasis. Here, Miner and Vazquez continued to put their own spin on Scandinavian design with unexpected features like ceiling beams that extend downward on just one side of the ceiling.
“The bedroom is so unexpected, but it makes perfect sense with the rest of the house,” Miner says.
and build custom lakefront homes, most of which expand beyond 8,000 square feet.”
Walker’s extensive experience building lake homes not only pays o for clients, but also for his own project. The topography of the lot proved challenging, but it’s par for the course in the hilly Ozarks region.
“I’m actively building six homes throughout the Ozarks right now, so we’re used to building on complicated elevations,” he says.
A vision comes to life
To make the home a true Scandinavian haven, Walker enlisted the help of longtime collaborator Kendra Miner, owner of Evolve Interiors. Miner, along with Madison Vazquez, opted to enhance the home’s neutral color pale e with textural materials that add visual interest and depth throughout the oor plan.
The stone wall in the primary bedroom, for example, is a favorite feature of both Walker and
Miner. Wooden beams follow the slope of the ceiling to meet the stone, an asymmetrical e ect that Miner says is exceptionally creative.
“I had never seen anyone install beams on just one side of the ceiling,” she says. “Usually you’d run ridge and rake beams, but this is eye-catching and blends perfectly with the rest of the room.”
Other textural accents throughout the home include a bathtub nestled in a bed of pebbles, along with a plaster replace in the main living area that required a custom installation overseen by Walker and a framer. Natural materials like ra an, wood, and tile add to the unclu ered airiness of the home, creating soothing surroundings that make lakefront relaxation even easier.
For Walker, the new lake house represents not only a new chapter in the family’s recreational adventures, but also the custom building expertise he’s amassed as his company’s residential portfolio grows.
“My business has evolved to focus on custom homes, which has given me more familiarity with design elements and a be er eye for design,” he says. “It’s rewarding to have built a house that symbolizes what we know and what we can deliver, and is also a testament to the strength of our partnership with Kendra.”
The Walker family loves to entertain, and their new lake retreat has plenty of space to do just that. Unexpected and eye-catching elements continue into the home’s lower level, including wine racks mounted at the floor and ceiling to give the appearance of a floating wine cellar. Black finishes, including painted oak, are more abundant downstairs, creating a subtle visual separation from the main level without disrupting the holistic design vision.
Pull up a seat at the lower-level bar for a refreshing beverage. The swimming pool and lake are just steps away beyond a covered porch so that the Walkers and their guests are never far from the water.
At Prairie Lee Lake’s edge, a family trades tradition for quiet clarity—and nds beauty in restraint.
elissa and Chad Bowles didn’t want a big lake house. They didn’t want a second story, or a basement, or anything that echoed the traditional millwork and formal rooms of their primary home in Leawood. What they did want: light, simplicity, and space to be together.
They also had a lot that gave them no choice but to think with precision. “It’s a long, narrow slice of land on a blu ,” says Melissa, a self-taught designer who sees minimalism not as a trend, but
WORDS
Jen Moore
@misses.moore
PHOTOS
Ma hew Anderson
@ma hewaphoto
ARCHITECT
NSPJ Architects
@nspjarchitects
BUILDER
Harkrader Homes
@harkraderhomes
RESOURCES
Page 290
Corner windows and natural materials soften the home’s modern edge, blurring boundaries between inside and out. Framed by light and quiet detail, everyday moments feel like a pause.
When people go to the lake today, they o en want to build something they can show o from the water. And this one is exactly the opposite of that. It is very unassuming in how it blends into its environment.
– Clint Evans “
as a value system. “It overlooks a bend in the lake where nothing can ever be built, just trees and rock formations. That view will never change. We wanted to build something that honored it.”
To architect Clint Evans of NSPJ, the site presented more than just a challenge—it o ered the kind of constraint that invites clarity. Creative limitations, like poetry, demand precision. “You have to make every move count in a project like this,” Evans says. And this plot of land inspired him.
Instead of a home that sprawled, he and Melissa designed a home that unfolds—one deliberate step at a time. Low ceilings at the entry, then a so descent through subtly stepped oor levels, gradually rising ceiling heights, and nally, a living space that opens like a lens to the water.
“The house draws you in,” Evans says. “When people go to the lake today, they o en want to build something they can show o from the water. And this one is exactly the opposite of
The low-slung front elevation barely announces itself.
“Unassuming” was part of the plan.
The Bowles recently added an outdoor game table and sauna to enhance their weekends spent at the property.
Framed
in steel and glass, the back of the house opens fully to the lake. As dusk falls, the house glows from within—quiet and grounded, like it’s always been part of the shoreline.
The dining room floats in glass, with panoramic views and clerestory light that shifts throughout the day.
A quiet procession: the low-ceilinged entry compresses space, then begins to unfold toward the lake.
that. It is very unassuming in how it blends into its environment.”
The one-story layout was key for Melissa. “I wanted a space that would bring our family together.”
Evans worked in clerestory transom windows to bring in natural light from above, especially in the bedrooms. “Even the moonlight comes in,” Melissa says. “Those windows change the feel of the house all day long.”
Inside, the space is layered but minimal. The kitchen wall reads like a seamless bank of cabinetry, with an inconspicuous pantry right
around the corner. “I didn’t want a random door breaking up the line,” Melissa says. “So we designed it to feel hidden, almost like a refrigerator panel.”
Inside is everything that doesn’t need to be on display: extra appliances, shelves, a second fridge, and, as she puts it, “all the co ee.”
The material pale e is restrained, yet warm.
Engineered hardwood oors stand up to lake life and two big dogs. Custom red oak cabinets were stained a deep, dark hue for contrast
“There’s so much white oak everywhere,” Melissa notes, “and I love it—but I wanted
Stone, steel, and wood converge in a kitchen where everything functional disappears behind intentional form. The restrained palette—mushroom-gray walls, dark oak cabinetry, engineered wood floors—creates calm without coldness.
Red oak paneling and fluted tile ground the living room in texture and warmth—no ornamentation needed. Custom cabinetry conceals clutter and preserves clean lines. Every inch was designed to do more with less.
Built-in bunks make room for cousins and guests. Designed for overflow, without excess.
something cozier, more grounding.” The walls, trim, and ceiling are all painted a so gray— Sherwin-Williams Shiitake. “It changes color in every light. It’s warm and inviting without being too gray or too brown.”
Throughout the home, storage is integrated and intentional—closets built out with cabinetry, a hidden dry bar beside the replace, a breezewayturned-atrium entry that connects the garage. “Every square foot had to earn its keep,” Melissa says. “We didn’t want clu er. We didn’t want to over-furnish. We wanted to live light.”
In a space so pared back, every material choice holds weight. “We were very strict about what came in,” Melissa says. “My husband and I had to agree on every piece.” That discipline created room to breathe—visually, emotionally, and even socially. Friends o en comment on how calm the home feels, how it seems to slow time. “It’s quiet, but not cold,” Melissa says. “The house feels like it’s part of the landscape— like it was meant to be here.”
The primary bedroom draws in shadows, tree-filtered light, and stillness, especially after sunset.
This emphasis on simplicity isn’t just aesthetic— it’s lifestyle. With no tech for the kids, weekends now revolve around dominoes, morning shing, and latenight talks in the plunge pool or sauna. “It’s just how we want to be,” Melissa says. “We’re in the same space, doing things together. It feels like family again.”
Even the outdoor spaces are dialed into that intention. A screened living room with drop-down panels opens to lake breezes by day and closes o against bugs at night. “It’s probably my favorite room,” Melissa says. “In fall, we open the big doors and let the whole space breathe.”
For Evans, that blend of spatial clarity and lived joy is the project’s highest success. “Melissa didn’t know what to expect, but this, she said, exceeded her expectations.”
And in the end, what began as a narrow lot became a wide-open life. The land asked for less; the Bowles and Evans answered with intention. Every move counted. Every detail earned its place. What remains is a home that feels like an architectural haiku—spare, grounded, and quietly profound.
The screened outdoor room opens to breezes by day and closes to coziness at night—Melissa’s favorite space.
The year-round plunge pool—a converted shipping container by Modpool—anchors lake days and chilly nights.
SMOOTH AS WATER
Trove Homes injects a sense of creative cool into a contemporary home overlooking Lake Quivira.
WORDS
Susan Cannon
@susancannon1
PHOTOS
Nate Sheets @natesheetsphoto
CONTRACTOR/DESIGNER
Trove Homes @trovehomes
RESOURCES
Page 290
Acertain visual voice is interpreted within this Lakeshore Drive home, reminiscent of the smooth yet innovative sounds of Coltrane’s free jazz, with improvisational meanderings of his instruments. Creating a fluid environment, Trove Homes employed the home’s key design element of soft curves that swoon amongst a calming neutral palette, while adding moments of flair.
An intentional merging of nature’s color palette with the bedroom’s furnishings soothes the soul, no matter the season. Stroheim Leean grasscloth wall covering from KDR Designer Showroom offers subtle texture along with luxe textural bedding from RH. The Modern Forms ceiling lights from Wilson follow the home’s form and function ethos.
Subtle curved features continue into the primary bath. One of the two customized vanities in white oak are topped with marble treated for protection by Dimensional Stoneworks. Outlets are installed within the vanity drawers. The sconces and ceiling light fixture are made of hand-forged sinuous brass and opaque glass, designed by
Hubbardton Forge.
Unique light xtures dot each space with character, representing delightful movements of the sax, clarinet, and ivory keys. Textural concave uting of white oak emulates percussions, while deep vibrations of the jazz base feel like the earthy yet sophisticated stone surfaces that o er grounding resonance throughout—all together completing the home’s subtly complex vibes. Whatever visual voice each home embodies, as claimed by Trove’s Jessica and Nate White, is always thoughtfully executed, featuring consistent style with ne materials and bespoke details, along with smart solutions for spacesaving and improved composition. Their hallmark is creating livable modern luxury, speci c to each client’s desires, a nities, and practical needs.
The primary bathroom’s quality is reflected in many details, including the Victoria + Albert soaking tub, paired with brass Hubbardton Forge floor-mounted faucet hardware and the overhead light, all from Wilson Lighting. A wall of marble brings richness, as does the shower’s Zellige tiles from Clé Tile.
Magnificent lake views are a stroke of good fortune for a teenager to wake up to each morning. The room’s thoughtful design is made for longevity, with Phillip Jeffries sophisticated Mist in Sun Haze wall covering on Venetian Glass Glam Grass, sourced from KDR Designer Showroom. The wood paneling is reeded red oak.
In this case, the homeowners had received news of the husband’s transfer to Kansas City in late fall of 2023. Being Minnesota natives who raised their family for the last decade on Auburn Bay in Calgary, their love of living near calm waters naturally drew them to Lake Quivira, where they found a contemporary home at the water’s edge.
As with many of the lake’s waterfront properties, this home, originally designed by Sco Bickford in 2019, is elevated above (and set back from) a multi-car garage and the underworkings of water features. The home’s main level boasts an expansive front deck featuring a spacious in nity pool and hot tub, which has direct access in and out of the living room and primary bedroom.
This powder room just off the living room exudes richness in tone and materials. The quartzite vanity features two drawers. The white oak mirror surround is trimmed in walnut. The designers stained the Hollis + Morris sconces to match the trim.
The sheer height of the living room was brought down to earth with gentle natural tones, then the pitch was raised with unique Modern Forms lighting. The Parel ceiling fixture has a sense of tickling piano keys, while the Blaze sconces have a hint of a sound system.
– Nate White “
It’s rare to have a space where architecture, environment, and materiality come together so seamlessly.
There’s a wonderful cloud-like softness to the dining space with the smooth shape of the dining chairs and the organically formed banquet. The Moooi Meshmatics Chandelier is from Museo. To the left is a continuation of the kitchen’s storage cabinets in white oak.
Gillpatrick Woodworks crafted the concave fluted white oak cabinetry that conceals storage under the island and the rounded fluted corner cabinets— part of the integrated pantry.
With a daughter still in high school, the couple decided the husband would make the initial move solo, in order to utilize the time to renovate with fewer people in the way. The wife, Amy, conducted a comprehensive internet search and landed on Trove Homes to execute the renovation, not only for their re ned aesthetic, but for the fact that they are a design and build unit.
“I was drawn to a husband and wife team for a smooth, commi ed working relationship that wouldn’t fall apart,” Amy says, anticipating the long-distance communication. Making the trip twice to Kansas City during the project to be part of initial, critical decision-making, and having
weekly Friday calls, Amy found it to be an easy, trusting process.
“Our lake home in Canada had more of a luxury cabin feel, yet because of the modern exterior of this home, I wanted Jessica and Nate to so en the interior, which they did,” she says.
The open and airy home originally leaned toward a bachelor pad aesthetic, so some gu ing of key spaces was necessary.
“This renovation wasn’t just about function—it was equally about feeling. We wanted the home to feel restful, intentional, and cohesive,” Jessica says. “For example, the brass details serve as quiet punctuation marks throughout the design—
Calm luxury defines the customized kitchen—the cohesive sensibility throughout the open floor plan. Its fine materiality and design details, with repeated curves, featuring both smooth and concave fluted white oak and brass cabinetry are crafted by Gillpatrick Woodworks. Central Surfaces fabricated the curved island in a subtle quartz from Triton. The brass faucet fixtures are from the UK, sourced through 1stDibs, and the cabinetry hardware is from Locks and Pulls. Delicate light pendants were custom-made in England, hanging at an angle like notes on a staff.
sophisticated, subtle, and grounding amidst the so monochrome pale e,” Jessica says.
As the kitchen and dining space are the rst environments to take in upon entering the home, Jessica and Nate created a statement of discreet luxury.
“We wanted every element of the kitchen to re ect the serenity and movement of the lake just beyond the window. The curved island surface in quartz became a sculptural centerpiece—a quiet echo of the water’s natural ow, anchoring the space in both function and form,” Jessica adds.
Beyond the kitchen, where originally, a oating staircase made of wood and steel led to the second oor, the designers replaced its industrial-looking elements with a solid white foundation, accented with a brass handrail and balusters. They then concealed the steel stair railing leading to the lower level with a monolithic plaster banquet, decisively organic and modern in feel. This allowed for a new, practical dining arrangement while also feeling perfectly integrated into the open living room.
The views of the lake are naturally a paramount feature of the house, particularly in the living area, with vast windows that nearly reach 30 feet high. And with the home’s open layout, Trove
Where the bathroom was closed off to the daughter’s bedroom, they relocated the staircase to lead up to a cozy TV/lounging loft to enjoy with friends.
A Modern Forms ceiling fixture cascades down, delicately cutting into the naturally lit stairwell for a pleasing geometric balance.
An extra upstairs bedroom was carefully designed to cater to both family with children as well as guests of any age. The custom-designed bunk beds, made by Miller’s Custom Cabinets, are painted in Benjamin Moore Night Train. The Alora pendants are from Wilson Lighting.
showed their keen sensibility for assimilating each space while also marrying the interior with nature beyond.
The designers made some key changes in the living room. The replace leading all the way to the ceiling was resurfaced in Portola Roman Clay, and its hearth was covered in elegant Dekton, uniquely accented with concave uted white oak curved details. The statement lighting evokes a musical mood.
Substantial remodeling was given to each of the home’s four bathrooms, including a customized dressing room o the primary ensuite bath, with tasteful storage features, such as
carousel shelving for shoes and handbags that are concealed behind rounded doors of white oak. Its bath is a showcase of natural marble, brass, a steam shower lined in Zellige tile, hisand-her vanities, heated oors, and of course, unique lighting.
With the project completed in 10 months, the family moved into the home in September of last year, already experiencing all four seasons on the lake.
“It’s rare to have a space where architecture, environment, and materiality come together so seamlessly,” Nate concludes. “This project was a collaboration between vision and cra , where every detail was intentionally chosen to create a calm, re ned atmosphere that feels as timeless as the view outside.”
The custom-designed walnut vanity fabricated by Gillpatrick Woodworks sets a handsome tone to the half-bath next to the home office. The textural wall features tile by WOW Design EU, from ProSource. The sconce and mirror add the sinuous yet solid design to the space. Sconce from Crate and Barrel and mirror by Arteriors.
The reconfigured full bath upstairs was closed off and made intimate for the teenage daughter’s bathroom. Many fun, rounded details, including the cabinets, the mirrors, and even the acrylic and brass vanity seat are perfectly ’80s-modern. The dusty pink vanity is painted in Sherwin-Williams Artistic Taupe. Pretty polished cabinet knobs are decorative brass with rose quartz gems by Modern Matter.
New Fantastic Photo Ops
FROM SISTERHOOD TO STYLE
Appliances and Plumbing Fixtures: Ferguson Home
Hardware: KC Millwork; Ferguson Home; Anthropologie; Rejuvenation Lighting: Relative Lighting; Etsy; Rejuvenation; Crate & Barrel; Shoppe Amber Lewis Paint: Benjamin Moore
Wallpaper: Lulu & Georgia; York Wallcoverings from KDR
Designer Showroom Furnishings: Four Hands Den Fireplace
Mirrors: Varaluz Upholstery: Spectra Home Art: StyleCraft Countertop Fabrication: Rocktops Countertops, Backsplash and Tile: Daltile Lighting: Quorum Furniture: NFM Cabinet Refacing: Front and Center
CENTRALLY LOCATED
Designer: Sara Svehla Interior Design Countertops: Central Surfaces Cabinets: Precision Woods Appliances: Roth Living
A restored prairie of native grasses and wildflowers basks in the summer sun. See the rest of the property on page 226. Photo by Josie Benefield.
SUMMER SIEGE
Architect and Landscape Architect: Stantec Builder: Campbell Custom Homes/Wausau Homes Designer: Will Brown Interiors Resource Management Plan and Implementation: Habitat Architects Hardscaping: Maverick Landscaping Landscaping and Irrigation: Sutton Outdoor 3D Renderings: Vizhouse Studio Upholstery: Weave Gotcha Covered Custom Cabinetry: Precision Woods Fixtures: Ferguson Home Material Selections: SRS Designs Hardware: Top Knobs Paint: SherwinWilliams Home & Kitchen Accessories: Kilgore’s 414 Company; Taylor Design Décor KC; Jorgy’s; UrbAna KC; The Fabulous Fern; Jaipur Living; Kimono Art Studio; LeftBank Art; DVKapp; Terrasi Living; York Wall Covering; Fabricut Furnishings: Woodson Antiques; Modern History; Design and Detail; Visual Comfort; Relative Lighting; Alfonso Marina; Crate & Barrel; Crate & Kids; Villa and House; Bernhardt; Alder & Tweed; Bramble & Co.; Theodore Alexander; Arhaus; Williams Sonoma Home; Interior Define; One Kings Lane; Eternity Modern; Modway
POLISHED YET PLAYFUL
Architect: CL Architecture + Design Designer: The Bespoke Property Doors and Moldings: Pleasant Valley Millworks Hardware: Locks and Pulls Stone Hearths: Dimensional Stoneworks Countertops: Rocktops Flooring: SVB Wood Floors Rugs: Jaipur Upholstery: Arhaus Case Goods and Lighting: RH AI: Visual Comfort
THE ESSENTIAL LAKEHOUSE
Architect: NSPJ Architects Designer: Melissa Bowles Builder: Harkrader Homes Cabinetry: Johnson Custom Cabinets Countertops: Rocktops Smart Home, Security & Alarm: Modern Perceptions Appliances: Ferguson Home Barrel Sauna: Nootka Pool: ModPool
SMOOTH AS WATER
Contractor/Designer: Trove Homes Cabinets: Gillpatrick Woodworks Bunk Beds: Miller’s Custom Cabinets Lighting Fixtures: Wilson Lighting Stone Surfaces: Central Surfaces Plumbing Fixtures: Neenan Co. Appliances: NFM; Roth Living Hardwoods: ProSource Tile: International Materials of Design; Tile Shop; ProSource
Luxury Resource Directory
Photos by Christine Caso
Photos by Christine Caso
S h a r e t h e H o l i d a y S p i r i t S h a r e t h e H o l i d a y S p i r i t
Luxury Resource Directory
Sunlight and Storage
A tiny porch bridges 100 years of style with modern-day function.
Historic homes have charm, no doubt. For this one in Liberty’s Dougherty Historic District, that means real wood construction and leaded glass. It includes quirks, like a hidden drawer in a hallway baseboard, and a oor hatch to a basement compartment that one could imagine was used for spiriting away bootlegged booze during Prohibition. It can also mean a lack of storage, which must lead to creative solutions. A previous owner enclosed this tiny porch in the 1970s, making it a mudroom o the back deck. When Eric and Katie Schmidt bought the house in 2016, they hired designer and neighbor Laurie Champ of Collected Living Design to swap functions with another small space to become this powerhouse pantry. Champ matched the century-old style with existing casework in the nearby dining room. It functions as signi cant support for the small kitchen, hosting the fridge and a GE Advantium oven on one side, leaving the sunny side open to views of the yard and garden that is integral to the family’s lifestyle. Each spring, here, in this abundantly lit space with ideal counter-height surfaces, Katie teases herb and ower seedlings out of their pots. See the garden in bloom on page 210.
WORDS Andrea Darr
PHOTO
hew Anderson
Strength in Three. Power in One. Focused on You. Trident Real Estate represents more than a rebrand — it represents our evolution. What began in Loch Lloyd now extends to communities well beyond its gates, carrying forward the expertise and care that built our reputation. Our commitment remains the same — to guide every move with purpose, precision, and care.
