Author: Peter N. Shelton

When Shauna Ward and her husband walked into their future Weatherby Lake home, they looked past the floor-to-ceiling beige walls, past the matching oak floors and cabinets and out to a bank of windows framing the cove beyond. It was practically perfect, Shauna says, and they knew it would work for their growing family. “When we first saw our house, we both loved the views and the layout,” says Shauna, who has been the designer and project manager for her home’s complete renovation. “I saw a lot of potential, and we agreed to make some changes.” Before they purchased the…

Madison Behny and her fiancé, Christopher Padovano, were looking for a house to flip—not a fixer-upper to fall in love with and turn into their forever home. “Chris found this house and showed it to me,” Behny says of the Sedgwick County, Kansas, house that sits on one-third of an acre with a small pond. “It was twice as much as what we were looking to spend and needed some TLC, but he said, ‘I can’t stop thinking about that house,’ and so we put an offer in and ended up snagging it.” So rather than buying an investment property,…

Converting a three hundred-pound water trough into a bathroom sink was just one of the challenges that made the renovation of this Brookside home truly one to remember. “We, along with the homeowners, wanted to make a statement in the powder room,” says Tara Davis of Cicada Company, the design and construction firm behind the renovation.  “Luckily, Kyle can figure out how to build anything,” she says of her husband and business partner Kyle Davis, who turned the small but hefty drainless trough into a useable sink. The stone sink definitely makes a statement. The Davises, who co-founded the Cicada…

A plunge pool, hidden staircase and wine cellar that doubles as a bar are just a few of the extras that Liz and Kyle Freeman incorporated into their Northland home, which they designed to showcase what a little creativity and attention to detail can produce. “We really had fun with this house,” says Kyle, who, along with his wife Liz, designed and built this home, knowing it was going to be a part of the 2020 Artisan Home Tour that the Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City puts on. “We wanted people to see all the creative things that…

As a young couple, Julie and Christian Arnold enjoyed loft living and being able to walk to shops. But as their family started to grow, they knew they needed a little more room and outdoor space for their kids to play and explore. They were able to find the perfect mix in Old Briarcliff, just north of the river. They found a piece of property in a wooded area that backed up to the Kansas City Park Reserve and was within walking distance of shops at The Village at Briarcliff. “It’s a very steep lot and probably a little daunting…

By now, you’ve probably seen the glassware trend on TikTok, and we have to admit—we’re pretty into it. I’m talking about vintage-style colorful cups, mugs and carafes that are taking over influencers’ nightstands and even the shelves of Target, though not without controversy. Local art gallery and store Duet in the Crossroads (517 E. 18th St., KCMO) offers a variety of trendy glassware, including a borosilicate glass carafe and cup set in amber, green and blue. The glass set is an easy and practical way to make any dining table or side table look sleek and timeless. Duet also stocks…

When Krissie Kiehne decided to move into her father’s house with her family, she looked past the swinging saloon doors, the wood paneling in the family room and the kitchen’s buckling linoleum. “It was in complete disrepair,” says Krissie. Her father hadn’t changed a thing to the sixties Prairie Village split-level in the twenty years that he lived there. Although he always kept a tidy yard and was more than willing to help his neighbors out with theirs when needed, interior home repair was not his thing. But despite the home’s condition, Krissie and her husband, Matt, decided that the…

When Gina and Jeff Stingley walked into their future Sunset Hills home for the first time, the dark wood, painted faux stone walls and antler chandeliers were a bit overwhelming. “I think you really needed to have an eye for design to see this house’s potential,” Gina says. She characterizes the house’s then-interior as a bit drab, but she also loved the early 1930s Tudor-style architecture and the neighborhood south of the Plaza. Despite walls of dark paneling and Tuscan-style plaster treatments, the Stingleys knew they could turn the quirky house on a lovely tree-lined street into a home for…

The design duo at Kobel & Co. starts a new project by asking lots of questions. “We spend time up front,” says Elizabeth Bennett, who co-owns the firm with Mallory Robins. Before grabbing samples, sourcing furniture or developing a strategy, Bennett and Robins want to really understand how their clients live—and how they want to live. “How do you want this house to feel? How do you want your guests to feel? What are some of your favorite places that you have been to that you love?” Bennett asks. Then, armed with a bounty of intimate details, they christen each…

Six amazing new hotels for epic weekend getaways from KC WORDS Martin Cizmar, Mary Henn, Rob Henrichs, Natalie Torres GallagherPHOTOGRAPHY Zach Bauman, Josh Beecher, Caleb Condit, Rebecca Norden St. Louis, MO Book the Look St. Louis’ Angad Arts Hotel is one of the most unique in the country.  MARTIN CIZMAR Walk down the hallway on the first floor of the Angad Arts Hotel in St. Louis and you’ll see pages of poetry hanging from the walls.The pages are from Quarantine Chronicles by St. Louis poet Jared C. Lewis, who started writing a poem a day in March 2020, including a…