A Hole In One - Kansas City Homes & Style

The love of golf drives a beautiful new build in Cedar Creek.

Story by Joan Bellinghausen | Photography by Matt Kocourek

For golf enthusiasts Amy and Dane Ogden, their shared passion for the sport greatly influenced where they decided to build a new home and even factored into some of the house’s amenities. Doing so seemed a natural progression in their lives as empty nesters.

“We play golf and love Shadow Glen Golf Club,” Amy explains. “We had the opportunity to join Shadow Glen, so decided we would build our new home in Cedar Creek.”

In this upscale Olathe community, the couple found the perfect corner lot on .67 acres of land where they built their dream home. The 5,500-square-foot house has four bedrooms, four bathrooms, two powder baths, and, best of all, features an indoor golf simulator and an outdoor putting green.

The process started when the couple toured a house in the area built by Starr Homes and liked what they saw. With Starr as their builder, they turned to Interior Designer Angela Arnone-Orel with Nova Design Group to bring their dream home to life.

“It has always been my dream to build a home,” says Amy. “We loved working with Angela and Starr.”

Over the years, Amy has enjoyed going on Parade of Homes tours and gathering ideas. She came armed with lots of ideas, magazine clippings, and Pinterest pictures when she initially met with Angela to articulate what she wanted.

“We wanted the home to be open and comfortable,” she says.

The result speaks for itself. The home feels crisp and clean, bright and airy. The open concept design boasts a color palette of white and blues on both levels.

“I knew from the get-go that they were very traditional in their style,” says Angela. “Amy loves blues, so we used blue tones in tile, wallpaper, and furnishings throughout the house. We pulled in pops of blue here and there without overdoing it.”

The blue begins on the main level with a large kitchen island painted in Sherwin Williams “Sea Serpent” blue – Amy’s favorite color – and continues with other shades of blue throughout the house. Angela carried the hue into the adjacent butler’s pantry with blue cabinetry and into the hearth room on the walls flanking the fireplace, and in furniture and window treatment selections.

The powder baths and the guest/pool bath provided a blank canvas for blue-forward wallpaper, tile, lighting and even a blue painted ceiling. A blue trellis patterned wallpaper adorns one powder bath with a blue ringed wallpaper in the other. A light blue penny tile on the floor and blue sconces all carry the tone through the guest/pool bath.

Even the laundry room got into the act with blue cabinetry and tiled backsplash, as well as blue appliances. The tiled floor rounds out the space with a beautiful motif in blue and white. Amy says the space makes her happy.

Colors aside, the couple willingly acknowledges that they essentially built the house around the golf simulator and primary bathroom, the two items they “were very specific on”, Amy explains.

“My husband had always wanted a golf simulator,” Amy says. “We ordered it the minute we signed the contract to build the house.”

Angela’s design incorporated an elevator “to allow easy transport of golf clubs to the lower level,” going from the mudroom directly into the golf simulator room, where the ceiling reaches 11 feet compared to the 10-foot ceilings elsewhere on the lower level.

The elevator also makes hauling a Christmas tree from storage to the main level much easier and, down the road, will support aging in place.

The Ogdens use the simulator often, frequently getting in nine holes of golf in the evening. Their grandchildren also enjoy the simulator’s interactive non-golf options.

Beyond the golf simulator room, the lower level includes a media space, home gym, bar area, and game nook complete with a Scrabble board mounted on the wall.

The other “must have” on the Ogden’s list for the house centered on creating the perfect primary bathroom. Amy credits Angela with bringing her dream bath to life.

“I had a very specific style in mind for the primary bath,” says Amy. “I told Angela exactly what I wanted, and she designed what I had pictured in my mind.”

The bathroom features double sinks – an essential for Amy since their previous house had only one sink, a soaker tub, and large shower. White cabinetry, ample mirrors, and extra lighting resulted in the “white and bright” bathroom Amy envisioned.

The wall above the vanity features inset beveled mirrors in a grid pattern. Light fixtures have been mounted directly onto the mirrors over each sink.

“We paneled the wall with mirrors to carry through the traditional style of the house,” explains Angela. “We repeated this paneled style on the wall above the tub.”

Throughout the house, polished nickel dominates light fixtures, plumbing fixtures, and hardware.

“The polished nickel has a really pretty finish with a warm undertone,” says Angela.

The shiny finish appeals to Amy’s self-described affection for “glitzy things”.

“I loved picking out the hardware and light fixtures,” Amy says. “Those items are like the jewelry for the house.”

The shine continues in the kitchen with the backsplash, featuring a textured white tile that catches the light.

“I wanted a pretty backsplash that sparkled,” Amy says. “I wanted something different that could still be timeless.”

The kitchen and butler’s pantry incorporate plenty of storage to house multiple sets of heirloom china and crystal. Angela “knew Amy wanted to display some pretty dishes” so she designed glass-front cabinets and space on the hood to showcase some of those items.

The dining area adjacent to the kitchen features a box vault with a stained tongue and groove ceiling, providing architectural interest. Two sets of large sliders link the dining area to the lanai, which wraps around on two sides of the house. On one side, the space opens up to the lanai’s main seating area facing a fireplace and television, while the other side provides access to a smaller, more intimate seating area.

The lanai has retractable screens to keep the bugs out in the summer or, when retracted, to allow more light into the house in the dining area. The main area on the lanai repeats the box vault ceiling from the dining area.

“As much as we possibly can, we’re on the lanai,” Amy says. “We love being outside.”

“ We often eat breakfast and dinner there. And we’re able to watch some gorgeous sunsets.”

The lanai overlooks the salt-water pool and hot tub. Amy grew up as a swimmer and always wanted a pool. She gives a shout-out to the pool contractor – Complete Pools – which did an outstanding job on this outdoor amenity. The far side of the pool features a waterfall nestled between two fire bowls.