TUDOR EARNS A SECOND LOOK

from Inspired Living Omaha, March-April 2020

ALONG CAME CARL

This time around, Rockbrook ‘gingerbread’ house is the right fit

Kylie Haffey loved the look of the Rockbrook residence − it reminded her of a gingerbread house. But when she and husband Patrick toured the 5,000-square-foot interior of the Tudor-inspired home it wasn’t as magical. The kitchen was tight and disconnected from the main living area, and the addition left something to be desired.

“It was too much for us to take on,” she says.

They opted instead for a house in Dundee. Three years later the gingerbread house came back on the market, only this time it had undergone extensive renovations. The addition looked more natural and the main floor had been reconfigured to create a large kitchen off the living and dining rooms. STORY MARJIE DUCEY PHOTOGRAPHY JEFFREY BEBEE + CHRIS CHRISTEN

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FOYER Samoyeds Happy and Sherman love to watch out the front door for squirrels and people. “They let me know when they see something good,” Kylie says.

ADDITION The couple spend most of their time in the family room, but its size was overwhelming at first. Kylie filled it with furniture to make it feel cozier.

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“I liked the kitchen,” Kylie says. “My husband cooks a lot and now I can sit in here with him. The master bedroom has a fireplace, and the house has a much bigger yard.”

That’s important when you have two large Samoyeds that enjoy Nebraska’s winters. An automated doggy door gives them outside access from the laundry room, once the tiny kitchen. Flower lover Kylie is also looking forward to expanding the

already pretty backyard garden beds.

Time is at a premium for the young couple. Patrick is an endodontist, a specialist who focuses on root canals. Kylie manages his office. They met at the University of Pennsylvania where the former Kylie Beutler — a Millard West grad — received a gymnastics scholarship.

Their long hours mean they have little time to tackle huge

KITCHEN Kylie designed and made the counter stool covers.

ADDITION The couple have six fiddle leaf figs. They like the sculptural look of the leaves. These two were a birthday present.

OFFICE The stained glass windows were originally owned by Kylie’s grandparents and have been in the family for years.

GUEST BEDROOM The guest bedroom was painted pink when the couple moved in and they opted to keep it. “I think it’s a pretty color,” Kylie says.

LIVING ROOM The amethyst-colored geode on the mantel is one of several that Kylie has been collecting for years. She also likes to keep fresh flowers in the house.

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renovations. But they’ve taken on several smaller projects.

They’ve added wallpaper in the entryway and guest bathroom, brightened the front hallway with green paint and wainscoting and replaced many of the can lights. The chandelier in the dining room was an eBay find. “I just wanted a different style,” Kylie says. Although she downplays her sewing abilities, Kylie designed and made chair covers to dress up the dining room and kitchen. The kitchen chairs were a Craigslist find that she transformed with black paint. She brought drapes from her Dundee home and plans to purchase fabric for more. Chintz and floral prints are favorites, some of which she finds by the yard on eBay. “I just like fabric,” she says. “Mostly I love window treatments. Eventually, I’ll get to all of the windows in this house.”

Couch and chair coverings are a must, too, with fur babies Happy and Sherman as well as Himalayan cat MooMoo making themselves at home on the furniture.

Their animals are really sweet, Kylie says, but can be labor intensive.

“They shed a lot, but they are worth it.”