apd_studios+
Sneak Peek: A Purposeful Pairing of Form & Function in Leawood
Story by Judy Goppert
In September, Kansas City Homes & Style takes readers inside a custom-built Leawood residence that’s anything but standard. But before we reveal the finished home, we’re pulling back the curtain on the thoughtful design process that shaped it – and the architect behind the vision.
When the Devins family purchased a uniquely sloped lot on a busy Leawood thoroughfare, they were initially working with a builder’s model plan. However, even with modifications, it didn’t feel quite right. The home didn’t respond well to the land, and it didn’t reflect how the family lived. That’s when the team at MOJO Built brought in architect Adam Pfeifer, founder of apd_studios+, to help reimagine the project as a truly custom home.
What followed was a collaborative design process rooted in listening. “The Devins were looking for a forever home,” Pfeifer says, “one where they could easily age in place, but large enough to host family and friends, but not so large that it felt cavernous.” The design brief was robust: a main-level primary suite, generous entertaining zones, a full lower-level lounge, and even a dedicated space for their beloved French bulldog, complete with its own outdoor run.
The project’s greatest design opportunity lay in its constraints. With 12 feet of elevation drop from front to back and a major roadway running along the side of the property, the lot presented challenges that Pfeifer saw as creative fuel. “Instead of fighting the site,” he explains, “we let it guide the original concept.”
The resulting design organizes the home into two distinct volumes: a quiet, linear bar of private rooms aligned parallel to the street, buffering interior spaces from traffic noise, and a perpendicular wing of public spaces that steps down with the site’s slope to create a walkout lower level. Nestled between these two forms is a light-filled entry that offers tree-framed views from the moment you walk in the door.
Large windows and sliding doors reinforce the home’s strong connection to light and landscape, while a covered outdoor room, strategically placed on the east side of the house, offers shade, comfort, and year-round usability.
This balance of form and function is typical of Pfeifer’s approach. “We don’t have a ‘signature style’,” he says. “We believe that good design can transcend any style but, it starts with understanding the client, simplifying the diagram, and working with the site, not against it.”
With deep, generational, familial roots in construction and historic renovation, Pfeifer brings a practical sensibility to his work, one that’s appreciated not just by clients, but by builders who regularly seek out his collaborative mindset and buildable solutions.
Founded in 2020, apd_studios+ specializes in residential architecture at all scales. The Devins’ residence is a striking example of what can happen when design is guided by restraint, clarity, and the real lives of its future occupants.
Stay tuned for the full tour of the Devins’ home in the next KCH&S issue. Trust us – you’ll want to see how it all came together.
