Living
BIGGER in the
NOT-SO-BIG-HOUSE TEXT BY LAUREN CARLSON PHOTOS BY VIA DESIGN
W
hen Scott and Sue Sikkema made the decision to downsize from their 3200-square-foot house on the Northeast side of Grand Rapids, neither imagined the complex, threeyear project that would ultimately see them content and cozy in a renovated 1650-square-foot home in East Grand Rapids. Or, that their perfect place would take shape out of an existing rental property that Scott has owned for the past 30 years. “We thought it was going to be a lot of sacrifice,” said Scott, who found that this new project — and his family's new lifestyle — actually allows them to live bigger by maximizing storage space, prioritizing the things that really matter and intentionally crafting a home that fulfills the need to live with purpose.
REAL ESTATE BACKGROUND In 1989, when Scott had freshly earned his undergrad, he purchased the home on Wealthy near Eastown and lived there for the subsequent 12 years with a series of roommates. Even after moving out, he maintained the income property without making any major renovations over the next two decades. Meanwhile, he was building his career in design and manufacturing within a series of local companies. Thirteen years ago he founded Cleo, a commercial cabinetry company that, for the majority of its 13 years, focused on the office segment for local businesses. However, when COVID-19 all but halted commercial development as quarantine mandates forced office workers home, Scott and his staff began to shift into creating custom looks for residential consumers. These residential cabinets, adapted from commercial solutions in the same Europeanmodular inspired design, offer a higher-value option and a quicker turnaround than most custom companies. Scott accomplishes this by staying local, fabricating at a nearby factory in northeast Grand Rapids. “We aren't trying to sell outside of Western Michigan,” said Scott.
