Continuity and a cohesive aesthetic inspired this mid-century Lake Quivira home revamp.
Project by NSPJ Architects | Story by Ann Butenas | Photography by Josh Mais with Sherpa Media
When Jonathan and Kerri Brocker moved into their charming Lake Quivira home in late 2018, they were drawn to its quaint and casual vibe. Outside of a few changes made by the original owner with respect to exterior painting and the addition of an updated deck, this home remained virtually untouched in terms of renovations since it was originally built in 1954. When the Brockers moved in, the home still had its original blue siding, white trim and the wood decks with copious hand rails. It definitely was not lacking in long-standing character and charm. Despite not moving forward with time from an updated aesthetic point of view, this home offered the Brockers what they needed: a place to live with their three young daughters.
“It was very livable,” said Kerri. “However, we purchased this home knowing we would eventually remodel it, primarily focusing on the exterior. However, we also did some interior remodeling, but not a complete transformation.”
In an effort to bring their vision to life, the Brockers partnered with Tim Homburg, Co-President/ Principal Architect with NSPJ, a full-service, award winning architecture, landscape architecture and land planning design firm. Together, they artfully collaborated to help translate their dreams into reality.
“This was a renovation of an existing home,” indicated Homburg. “It’s a warm contemporary home that offers a warm color palette. With this being a lake home, the owners needed a front elevation re-do to enhance the overall look of the exterior of the home.”
Located on the first tier of the lake, the primary living area faces the front of the home. This gave Homburg the opportunity to create a nice outdoor living space to complement the interior areas.
“This place offers a good balance and scale and also speaks to its contemporary design,” noted Homburg.
When redesigning the deck, Homburg opted for exterior cable rail to provide maximum lake views. It was designed fully to code but also created to remain as invisible as possible, so as not to impede the views that a typical, heavy hand rail might do.
Homburg worked alongside Adam Pfeifer, project architect, on this renovation.
“Adam was very instrumental in the design elements,” stated Homburg. “The synergies created between all of the elements made it successful.”
While the original pitched roof remained in place, Homburg added stained wood around the garage and entry, continuing that motif around the side and then seamlessly dropped it down to the terrace area, contributing an updated style without interrupting the original voice of the home.
“Our goal was to add to the existing home, not take anything away from it,” expressed Homburg of the split-level home, rich with clean lines and a generous open floor plan, giving a round of applause to Kerri for her inspired contributions to the design partnership.
“She is extremely talented and actually drove a lot of the concept,” he noted. “She had a great vision for the interior of the home. We pride ourselves on working with all parties to have the best designs emerge from everyone’s thoughts. We understand the best idea is always the next idea.”
An interior designer by degree, Kerri has worked in the commercial arena using technology to design, manufacture and customize interiors. As a result, she had the distinct advantage of being able to purchase all of the raw materials herself for her home remodel and was also able to project manage the job. Kerri jokingly confessed that most of the input for the interior design of the home came from her and not from her husband.
“Oh, I did give Jonathan a say, and he would tweak a bit here and there, but he left all of it to me!” she laughed.
A self-described minimalist and clean freak, Kerri appreciates the simplicity of the design of her home, which is simple yet makes a bold statement. As one who loves artwork, Kerri revels in the abundance of windows which frame some of the most exquisite renderings available.
“All of these windows take the place of actual artwork, as they allow us to see nature’s art,” she emphasized. The oversized skylights in the main living area do their part in allowing as much natural light into the home as possible.
The interior of the home enjoys a predominantly white color palette with subtle, yet not overly-daring, pops of color throughout to add to its personality and style. The master bedroom, which sits above the garage, was the one room that originally lacked a lake view. As such, a corner window was added, providing the perfect ambiance for a relaxing retreat at the end of the day.
The kitchen is another focal point, with its clean and simple lines, balanced with just the right amount of storage and cooking space. Around the corner from the kitchen is a wet bar area that boasts a delightfully outspoken tile backsplash, creating the perfect backdrop for the accompanying ice machine, wine fridge and warming drawer.
Transitioning back to the outside, the Brockers cannot seem to get enough of the newly-designed deck. Prior to its renovation, the deck sat higher and was outfitted with wooden slats that blocked the view of the lake.
“We added stairs and lowered the deck,” noted Kerri, who grew up loving the water and will be the first to raise her hand for anything that can be enjoyed in, on, or near the water. “We can now sit in the family room and actually see the lake.”
The Brockers also wanted a fire pit. Homburg knew exactly what to do with the space to make that seamlessly happen. With the strategic placement of four boxes on the deck, two of the them flank the stairs and serve as fire pits, and the two located on either side of those boxes are used as flower beds. All together, they create a completed railing effect.
“Functionally, it worked out perfectly,” said Kerri.
Working with Homburg and the NSPJ team provided a highly satisfactory experience for Kerri and Jonathan.
“They were amazing,” she emphasized. “I would recommend them to anyone doing a construction project. We needed help with the exterior of our home so we hired them and presented our ideas, putting their ideas on top and they nailed it in one try.”
