OmahaHome October 2021

A LWAY S L O C A L , A LWAY S B E AU T I F U L

OCTOBER 2021

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O M A H A M AG A Z IN E.CO M

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“I loved autumn, the one season of the year that God seemed to have put there, just for the beauty of it.”

— L E E M AY N A R D , A M E R I C A N N O V E L I S T

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OmahaHome Entr y way

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Double Heart Farm

B A R N YA R D B E A U T I F I C AT I O N

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CALIFORNIA COOL

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A rchitecture

PROTEC TED BY MOTHER E ARTH

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POP SUGAR WONDERL AND

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C O M I N G T O G E T H E R I N T H E C O O K S PA C E

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ASID Award Feature

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

Double Heart Farm’s welcoming barnyard features wood fencing to define the space, a Southwest-inspired pattern on the barn doors, and their beloved 1989 Jeep Grand Wagoneer. Story on page 3. Photo by Chris Stout-Hazard.

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ctober is here, and fall is around us. The days are full of colorful dropping leaves, crisp air, and a joyous anticipation of the holidays around the corner. If you love autumn as much as I do, you likely have fall decorations out. I find accent pieces work best where you spend the most time— your kitchen, living room, and entryway. Gourds, wreaths, and seasonal candles nestled into your home decor add cozy fall vibes.

Did you know that Oct. 26 is National Pumpkin Day? It wouldn’t feel like autumn without them, so don’t forget to incorporate pumpkins and some mums in your entryway to bring the harvest spirit. And if you carve them, save the pumpkin seeds and bake with a little olive oil and your favorite seasoning. I like them sprinkled with garlic salt and cayenne pepper.

This issue, OmahaHome offers some advice on fall tree planting, something many of us will be doing to replace trees lost in wind storms this summer. The variety you choose is important to enjoying beautiful fall foliage for years to come.

We also showcase several homes that have undergone dramatic renovations. Much like trees come fall, they were stripped of their old decor, only to be remade and provide new beauty for another year. The comparison seems appropriate, don’t you think?

This season is fleeting, so get out and enjoy it, as winter won’t be as kind to us (or so the Farmers' Almanac says). As always, please reach out with any ideas you feel are a good fit for OmahaHome.

Happy fall!

Sandy Matson Contributing Editor

VOLUME 11 · Issue 7

CREATE YOUR OWN ENVIRONMENT

EDITORIAL Managing Editor

DAISY HUTZELL-RODMAN

In nature, evolution can require a process of thousands of years.

Senior Editor TARA SPENCER

At Curt Hofer & Associates, helping you to create your environment is second nature to us. Bring your designs, your inspiration, your preferences, pictures and even pins. Together we’ll move through a process that lets you ease into a flawless execution of your ideal surroundings.

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Contributing Writers

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BARNYARD BEAUTIFICATION A Rusty Outbuilding & Empty Lot Become an Attractive Gathering Spot STORY & PHOTOGR A PH Y

Chris Stout-Hazard DESIGN

Mady Besch

hen Roger and I first visited Double Heart Farm, we swooned over the old barn with its red lap-board siding, metal roof, and voluminous attic with a hay loft. We spent hours pondering how we might use it. Could it be an office? A guest house? A party space? Then we moved in, immediately realizing we needed the barn for, well, typical farm stuff. Lawn mowers, chain saws, wheelbarrows, and the like quickly filled it. Unless we devised a scheme to store all that equipment elsewhere, the barn would have to remain just a barn.

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We still enjoyed hanging out around the barn, so we decided to transform the area surrounding it into a space for working, entertaining, and relaxing.

We defined the area with a large plot of gravel, which provided a level surface to build. Our first step was to erect a dedicated shed for Roger’s garden equipment. My dad, Randy Stout, and I laid a concrete foundation and assembled the structure, and I modified the shed to give it more character by installing windows, applying a board-and-batten treatment to the walls, and hand-cutting dozens of diamond shingles to decorate the gables. Roger and our assistant, Rachel Prentiss, painted the shed exterior a bold teal, and the interior a gallery white.

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Renovators Rooforia Home Exteriors installed remarkably realistic faux slate shingles on the roof. Finally, we furnished the building with vintage lockers and cabinets for supplies, wall hooks for tools, and a little bit of artwork. Sure, it may only be a shed, but it’s a stylish shed!

The next—and biggest—step was incorporating a vintage 1951 travel trailer in the yard. The 33-foot Spartan is crafted of polished aluminum and has been lovingly restored from ruins by our friends James Grenfell and Tracey Gobey. We’re continuing the restoration work and equipping it to function as a mobile headquarters for our furniture company, as well as an occasional guest house.

Then came the finishing details. Instead of replacing the rusting, dented metal barn doors, we painted them in a bold pattern pulled from a pillow in our dining room. We used galvanized stock tanks and garbage cans to create easy-to-maintain raised planters. We added a pair of picnic tables—one painted in stripes matching the colors of the barn doors, and the other “wrapped” in artificial grass—to provide seating for our guests at parties. And we built custom fencing to border the area, defining it and providing a touch of privacy.

Instead of replacing the rusting, dented metal barn doors, we painted them in a bold pattern pulled from a pillow in our dining room.

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Our barn may forever remain “just a barn,” but we loved transforming the land around it into a welcoming, oneof-a-kind spot for gatherings, and we can’t wait to share it with friends.

Until next time, Roger and Chris, at Double Heart Farm.

This article is part of a series chronicling the home renovation of Roger Hazard and Chris StoutHazard, furniture designers with Roger+Chris.

Read more on doubleheartfarm.com or follow along on instagram.com/dblheartfarm.

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Story Kim Reiner Photography Bill Sitzmann Design Mady Besch

Blanket Statements Textiles Artist Kris Khan Shares Her Artistic Interpretations in Soft, Useful Ways

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Maker

Kris Khan’s first career

was caring for people. She tended to patients in intensive care and pediatrics as a nurse for 30 years and, for a time, she worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia.

Now retired, the born nurturer has found a way to continue providing comfort for others while cultivating her creativity.

Khan is a quilter. She’s a fastidious collector of brightly colored fabrics, and an artist who sets her own rules and work hours. She’s also particular about her commission projects, choosing only those that sync with the colors and fabrics she wants to work with.

“A quilt is just a blank slate. You can make whatever you want,” Khan explained.

“You don’t have to fit a body with curves or fit a window. That’s when my inner artist is let out of the box.”

Gifted a sewing machine at age 13, Khan taught herself to sew, fashioning doll clothes early on. Her projects were, and continue to be, useful.

As a young mom, she made her triplets’ clothes. Even as she worked long hours as a nurse, she found time to sew every day. She had a stash of go-to hostess gifts (pot holders), and was known to give her friends functional gifts, such as cosmetic bags.

In 2014, she followed her now ex-husband from Atlanta to Omaha “kicking and screaming,” as she described it. Much to her surprise, she absolutely loved her new home city. She set up a studio inside Hot Shops Art Center in downtown Omaha and has never looked back.

“I really found a community here that I never had before,” Khan said.

At Hot Shops, she befriended Des Moines-based potter Deb Anderson, whose twin sister had a studio near Khan’s. Anderson and Khan began trading pieces. Anderson started decorating her cabin with items made by Khan— first pillows, then a quilt.

“Kris has some really special fabrics in her collection, which she combines brilliantly,” Anderson said.

A colorful array of items greet visitors as they enter Khan’s studio. Her fabric is organized by shade following a ROYGBIV color pattern along a wall of shelves. Khan explained her compulsivity and matter-offact nature drive how she sorts her fabrics within each color. Comparing herself to a painter who needs to have the perfect paint on hand, she needs the ideal fabric easy to locate and grab.

Sharon Medcalf, Ph.D., became a regular customer after venturing into Khan’s studio during a Hot Shops open house. First, she bought practical, yet whimsically designed, items, such as placemats and bags. She returned for each open house to buy something new. Eventually, she commissioned Khan to create a cover for a small metal door in her apartment. She had a color scheme already in mind.

“In fact, I sent her a picture of a bouquet of flowers that I had on my table,” Medcalf recalled. “I wanted a wall hanging of a similar bouquet that I could hang on the metal door. The result was fabulous! She made me a beautiful wall hanging that I now have hanging in my new home.”

Like most of us, Khan pivoted in 2020. The former nurse recognized a need during the pandemic and began making dozens of face masks.

“As I get older, I look back and see themes in my life,” Khan said. “The creativity and desire to make things has always been there. I’m also a carer and a nurturer. I think that’s what made me a good nurse and, I hope, a good parent. It was the motivation behind making all those masks. I wanted to protect the community...It’s why I make quilts instead of paintings. I really like that [customers are] going to actually use them. I really hope they get loved and used.”

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spaces

Studio Style in Blackstone What Shelby Bockman’s Apartment Lacks in Square Footage, it Makes Up for in Locale & Cool Vibes

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Story Hannah Amrollahi Photography Bill Sitzmann Design Mady Besch

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helby Bockman’s entire 500-square-foot studio in Blackstone Corner, a luxury apartment building at 36th and Farnam streets, could fit snuggly inside a single room of an expansive west Omaha home. But that doesn’t make it any less appealing, she said.

In fact, Bockman might argue that studio living is the way to live as a city dweller, requiring less housekeeping and monthly expense and freeing up more time and money to enjoy the arts and entertainment of the urban center to which she was drawn.

“The area matters, and the building itself (matters),” she explained, more so than the actual square footage.

“Everything in your apartment, you can make work.”

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S PAC E S

Bockman moved to Omaha’s Blackstone district from 120th Street in June 2020, becoming the first apartment owner in the building. Her studio looks out onto Farnam Street, aka main street Blackstone, as well as the Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel, the Cottonwood Pool Club, and southwest sunsets.

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Bockman takes advantage of the nightlife and restaurants in the area, including Red Lion Lounge and Mula. She was especially excited to see the restored Kimpton open in 2020 and loves spending time there. She even spent last Christmas at the revived hotel.

“I saw everything coming in” [as they furnished it], Bockman said. “I think it’s just the coolest place in Omaha.”

Preparing for studio living took some real work, Bockman said.

She had to downsize considerably and identify key possessions.

“If I don’t think I’ll love it in two years, I have to say goodbye,” Bockman said, sharing her method to minimalism.

After paring down her belongings, Bockman had few decorative items to move and spent a year filling the apartment with an eclectic collection of new finds from HomeGoods, and Beyond the Vine and other local retailers.

217 N. Jefferson St. Papillion, NE 402.331.9136 • papillionflowerpatch.com 12

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Bockman’s apartment entry is a small hallway with a cork board wall displaying watercolor portraits she’s painted, along with other posters. The hall extends past her sleeping nook and an additional clothes rack, and opens into the living area and kitchen.

“If I don’t think I’ll love it in two years, I have to say goodbye,” Bockman said, sharing her method to minimalism.

“Use the wall,” Bockman said, offering a tip for studio space planning. “You need to get something on the wall.”

By forgoing a desk and choosing a bookcase divider between the sleeping nook and living area, Bockman created substantially more stor-

age and display area for clothes, books, and art. The bookshelf wall also acts as a barrier between the living room and sleeping area for more privacy. In addition, an elevated bed with shelves built below provides yet more storage in the sleeping nook.

Her galley kitchen is well-appointed, with a slate-colored subway tile backsplash, clean white cabinets, and an oven, a microwave, and a large fridge, though Bockman seldom cooks at home.

“I’ve never been someone who sits down and eats,” she said.

White walls add a sense of space to the room and allow the colors and textures in furnishings to take spotlight; among them, a deep-red velvet chair, a rug in a weathered Persian design, and furry throw pillows.

streets along Farnam. The building’s lot was once home to a mansion built in 1894 that acted as a residence, mortuary, and fraternity house before demolition.

In addition to apartments, Blackstone Corner features commercial space on the ground level; restaurants; and gyms on every floor specializing in cardio, spin, or yoga. Other building amenities include a large communal patio with grills, firepits, and a lounge area—plenty of options where Bockman can host gatherings with friends.

“You don’t have to have [private] space,” Bockman said. “It is doable.”

Blackstone Corner was developed by GreenSlate, which owns more than 15 properties in the area, most of them between 35th and 42nd

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California Cool THE SMITHS’ ROCKBROOK RENO WAS INSPIRED

BY THEIR TIME LIVING ON THE COAST

Story

Katy Spratte Joyce

Photography Bill Sitzmann

Design

Mady Besch

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ot many people could recognize the potential in the nondescript, split-level Rockbrook home on the large, corner lot. It had been on the market for ages.

But Adam and Lora Smith took a chance on the older house.

They put together a master plan to reinvent the space and never looked back.

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The Smiths, both farm kids from northwest Iowa who attended Iowa State University together, were married and moved to the West Coast following graduation. Lora, a physician’s assistant, and Adam, a commercial general contractor, had three children and spent more than a decade in San Francisco. Then, after years of making a 1,000-square-foot condo in the city work for the family of five, and spending every vacation traveling back to the heartland to visit friends and relatives, the Smiths made the decision to move east and make Omaha their new home.

Lora and Adam researched the city from afar, but ultimately decided it was too difficult to settle on a neighborhood. So, they rented a home at first, searching for a house to buy for a year. They had a strong idea of

what they wanted—for him, open and bright, and for her, contemporary and open with simple lines. At long last, the couple resolved to purchase and remodel the home in Rockbrook, chosen for its good schools and proximity to downtown Omaha.

To revamp the abode, incorporating several design themes and ideas influenced by the Smiths’ time spent in the Golden State, the pair tapped Austin Abboud of Advance Design & Construction Homes of Omaha. Lora had sketched out the design which, for the most part, is what exists today, and walked three builders through the home before choosing ADC. Abboud served as general contractor on the job, which he described as “as big of a remodel as we’ve ever taken on.”

“This project required a vision for what could be after a complete renovation,” Abboud explained. “After meeting with the clients at the home to determine [their] specific needs, we transformed the existing structure into a modern, West Coast feel,” a residence tailor-made for the Smiths. The metamorphosis began in 2019 with the design phase, then construction followed in December. The entire remodel wrapped in August 2020.

“This project required a vision for what could be after a complete renovation.

After meeting with the clients at the home to determine their specific needs, we transformed the existing structure into a modern, West Coast feel.”

—Austin Abboud

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ADC built two additions, one on the front of the home for the kitchen, and a second on the backside for the primary bedroom suite. Walls were removed to craft a massive entertaining space on the main floor.

A walk-in door from the backyard was added, allowing access to a large, intentional drop space complete with mudroom, laundry room, and full bathroom.

The upstairs was reconstructed to its initial conf iguration of four bedrooms, providing each of their kids their own room and a guest suite perfectly positioned for visiting grandparents.

The unique design elements of the Rockbrook renovation are almost too numerous to list. Abboud said there’s usually one or two standout features per project, but the Smith home has over a dozen, including a large, custom-built Iron Envy front door sourced from Texas that allows guests to see entirely through the home to the covered patio out back. In the great room, 48-inch by 48-inch square cement panels adorn the bespoke, modern fireplace. A custom-built wood slat wall/ceiling feature, designed from the homeowner’s vision, is an aesthetically stunning element. Another rare design feature is the home's exterior Nichiha pref inished fiber-cement siding, which is generally reserved for commercial projects. Lora’s favorite design feature, however, is the giant glass doors off the great room that slide fully open and extend their indoor/outdoor living space well into the backyard.

Technology was a focus of the

Smith house remodel as well. “We put a lot of time and energy into making it a smart home,” Lora explained. The couple can control nearly everything with their phones, from automatic blinds to lights to Sonos speakers sprinkled throughout the house for the ultimate sound system.

What else is on the horizon for the Smith’s contemporary dream home? It’ll change as their family’s needs shift. What is now a basement play room will likely become a teen lounge with billiards and a home theater space for movie nights. Whatever the future holds, the clean, simple, natural-light-filled residence is sure to remain a family-friendly design knockout.

The Smiths’ Rockbrook home was one of several residences featured on the Omaha NARI (National Association of the Remodeling Industry) Spring 2021 Home Tour in April. To see more tour homes, visit omahanari.org

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A R CH IT E CTU R E

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Mother Earth UNDERGROUND HOME PROVIDES I T S O W N H E AT I N G , C O O L I N G S T O R Y D A I S Y H U T Z E L L- R O D M A N | P H O T O G R A P H Y B I L L S I T Z M A N N | D E S I G N M A D Y B E S C H

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hose driving on 65th Avenue just north of Ames Avenue will encounter the sight of a driveway sitting without a house nearby—or so it will seem.

The reality is that the house is there, and the driveway is on top of it.

The residence is the only earth-sheltered house in Omaha, and it was the brainchild of Lloyd Clair Texley, Ph.D., a former Omaha Public Schools teacher.

“He was interested in science. He was concerned about nature,” said Mary Jane (Texley) Kermmoade, Texley’s daughter. It was that concern for the environment that led Texley to design and build the unique structure over 10 years in the 1980s. He was detail-oriented; so much so that, according to Kermmoade, the workers called him “Lord Lloyd.” Texley and his wife moved into the house in 1990.

“It goes from about 54 degrees to 74 degrees year round without heating or cooling modifications.

The ground temperature dictates the inside temperature.”

— Rebecca Weitzel

“If [visitors] come through the front door, they always say ‘Oh! It’s bigger than I thought it was,’” Weitzel said.

It is also a two-story home, which includes a loft. In the ceiling of the second story is a big hole, which was a crane access point used to build the home. The opening extends out to the stacks, so it's simply part of the structure.

That was not a problem for Weitzel, who was in love with the environmentally friendly aspects of the home. ground, and then sent to a tempering chamber that drops to the top of the house.

Texley designed the plans while the couple lived in a small house on the property. He knew what he wanted for his dream home, even if others did not understand his vision.

“Banks were not interested in financing that property,” Kermmoade said. “He had a fight with the city.”

With designs in hand and cash to pay for materials and labor, Texley began building into the ground, a design that keeps the temperature in the house stable.

“It goes from about 54 degrees to 74 degrees year round without heating or cooling modifications,” said current homeowner Rebecca Weitzel, who purchased the house in 2008. “The ground temperature dictates the inside temperature.”

The direction of the house—solar south—means that the structure receives thermal gain from the large glass windows in the front.

The only part of the 4,000-squarefoot home that is not underground is the facade and the windows.

Insulating the house is between five and 15 feet of soil on top. The triple-dome structure lends itself to distributing the weight out onto the pilings. Also stabilizing the home is a double-mesh of rebar in the main dome.

Being underground, radon gas is a concern. The house has a commercial radon system that evacuates the dangerous element from the home, Weitzel said.

The home is so well hidden that one cannot see any power lines or communications lines running on poles around the property.

Texley had the lines run into the

Despite being subterranean, homeowners and guests do not feel as though they are stuck in a cave when inside. The dome structure creates tall ceilings.

The structure of the house was carefully designed to use the Earth’s natural resources whenever possible while retaining its strength and integrity.

There was one interior part of the home, however, that Kermmoade said her father didn’t think through completely.

“The bedroom has sliding [pocket] glass doors,” Kermmoade said.

“Those [see-through] glass doors went on the bedroom, and the wooden doors are between the living room and TV room.”

Privacy was an issue, so curtains were hung on the doors.

Positively impacting the environment, however, was worth all the home’s quirks for Texley, as it is now for Weitzel.

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n e r ste e S e d s ige h l l l e i r Pe r C ar R Y & Lin d a ann STO it zm ill S B Y sc h APH y Be GR Ma d

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Feat ure

Jerica Christensen's Benson Home is Bright, Punchy, and Full of Pattern

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alking into Jerica Christensen’s house is like stepping into the music video for “California Girls” by Katy Perry. It’s cotton-candy sweet, it’s bold, but mostly it’s fun.

Christensen, a part-time hair stylist, and her musician-husband Kyle, bought their 1960s Benson home in March 2015 knowing it needed to be overhauled. Previously a rental property, she described it back then less than favorably: “builder-grade plain,” “a little rough” and “thrown together” with a hodgepodge of materials.

The young couple wanted a house they could make all their own while respecting its history.

“We just don’t love the idea of coming into old houses and just gutting things if you don’t have to,” Christensen said.

They set about remaking the home with a few structural, but mostly cosmetic, changes per Jerica’s style. Her close friend and interior designer Megan Pettipoole described Jerica’s taste as “bright, punchy, and full of color and pattern.”

Christensen, who spends a lot of her time at home with two young kids, 9 and 6, explained the motivation behind her design style. “I’m really affected by the visual appearance of my surroundings. It affects my mood a lot, and so I think that I just am drawn to having cheerful, bright, happy interiors. And I love pink. Turns out, luckily, my husband likes it too.”

Aside from a few repairs and projects that required some muscle (her brother helped out with some of those), the Christensens have done all of the home updates themselves. “There’s a learning curve, and some of it is totally not perfect,” she admitted. “But we have a teeny tiny budget…So either we don’t get to do anything or we do it ourselves.”

Thankfully, she grew up watching her handyman dad build and repair things around the house, and credits him for her fix-it skills and can-do spirit.

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Redoing the kitchen early on wasn’t the original plan, but the dingy white cabinets, faux butcher block counters, and black laminate backsplash got under her skin. “I can’t look at something I don’t like for very long before I’m, like, I’m going to do something about this,” she said.

Christensen switched the countertops to Ikea butcher block, tiled the backsplash, and painted the cabinets—the uppers a crisp white, and the lowers a bold turquoise. She also installed new hardware, covered the laminate floor with new peel-and-stick tile, and removed the upper cabinets along one wall to make room for a new vent hood. “I actually just bought a regular hood and painted it pink because I couldn’t find any colored ones,” Christensen said.

But not every idea she has pans out. She regrets taking out the wall between the living room and kitchen. “I watched too much HGTV, basically,” Christensen explained.

The project wasn’t a total loss, as they recycled the framing lumber, using it for an outdoor project. A removed upper kitchen cabinet found a new home as a bench in her kid’s reading nook as well. “We try, if we can, to not waste things.”

Christensen decorated her dining room with two-tone walls—colorful, large-scale floral wallpaper on top over solid lavender paint on the bottom. “I have always loved bright colors my whole life. I think it runs in my family,” she said. “My great- grandma was a very eclectic decorator, and she loved antiques and vintage. We spent quite a bit of time [at her house] as kids, and she would let us dress up in her old clothes. I think that my love for vintage just evolved into a love for bold patterns.”

She also built their dining table from an old kitchen countertop given to her by a friend, and used lumber hydro-dipped in various colors of paint. Christensen often repurposes found items, such as an old record player bought thrifting that now sits in the dining nook and houses barware, coffee mugs, and teapots.

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"I’m really affected by the visual appearance of my surroundings. It affects my mood a lot, and so I think that I just am drawn to having cheerful, bright, happy interiors."

— Jerica Christensen

F E AT U R E

Once she had a few projects under her belt, Christensen embarked on the tedious task of stenciling 33 Frida Kahlo faces on the risers of her taffypink steps to the second floor. “Then I started painting her skin, then her hair, then went through and did the flowers…” The homage to one of her favorite artists almost ruined her back, but definitely makes a statement.

One of her most time-consuming projects was repainting an old piano a bright yellow and adding wallpaper inlays. “It’s been in my husband’s family a really long time. He learned to play the piano on it. It was this cherry red and all scratched up, ” she said. “They were gonna either toss it or give it to us…and I was like, I just can’t.” It took a lot of sanding, but Christensen is happy with how it turned out.

The couple’s patio is an ongoing project. “The mural was the first thing I did out here,” Christensen said. “It’s very bright, especially in the morning, which is why we built the pergola.”

She also built a terrazzo table out of scrap wood, a project initiated to prepare for her husband’s college graduation party. “I do love terrazzo.

I want it everywhere. It’s very cool.”

The couple loves spending time in their backyard and hopes to expand their outdoor living space.

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Christensen shares many of her home design DIYs on her Instagram with her nearly 4,000 followers. “[Jerica’s] doing something that a lot of people, at least in Omaha, aren’t doing. That’s really exciting,” Pettipoole said of her friend. “She doesn’t spend a lot of time worrying about what works together, or ‘which color should I use?’

She just kind of goes for it. It’s really refreshing.”

View more photos of Christensen’s home at instagram.com/jericachristensen.

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hether you’re looking to plant on a blank canvas in your new subdivision or replace a grand, old silver maple lost in the recordbreaking windstorm Omaha experienced this summer, homeowners should consider several factors before making a tree nursery purchase. Among the biggest considerations, a species’ suitability to our climate and weather.

John Fech, a certified arborist and educator with 34 years of experience, said there’s a big variety of trees that do well in eastern Nebraska—and the best-selling species aren’t necessarily the best suited. Locally, he advises planting bald cypress, black gum, catalpa, chinkapin oak, ginkgo, golden raintree, hackberr y, hickor y, honeylocust, hophornbeam, Kentucky coffeetree, pecan, red oak, sawtooth oak, swamp white oak, tuliptree, yellow buckeye, and yellowwood.

All of these varieties are tolerant of Nebraska weather, which often includes wind gusts. “None of the trees I’ve recommended will have a strong tendency to blow over [in a windstorm],” Fech said.

He noted that many popular trees, such as cottonwood, silver maple, and Bradford pear, littered yards and streets after 80 mph straight-line winds swept through Omaha in July.

A tree’s suitability for each planting site should be assessed individually, Fech added. Suitability can be determined using the Missouri Botanical Garden plant finder index, which offers guidance for sunlight exposure and water/moisture conditions, and rates a tree’s vulnerability to pests and diseases found in your area.

“None are immune or totally resistant [to pests],” Fech said, noting that Japanese beetles eat just about everything. Planters should be familiar with care of their selected species.

Dan Lambe, president of Arbor Day Foundation in Nebraska City, said when planting in an area occupied by a downed tree, it is usually preferred to remove the old stump and most of the roots, as “the old roots can get in the way of new growth." If removal is prohibitive, “you should consider moving the location five

or more feet away,” he added. La mbe recommended doing the same when planting to replace an uprooted tree. “It may be necessary to fill the hole with new soil, which can mean settling could occur,” resulting in the new tree sinking to an unhealthy level. Moving a distance away reduces this risk.

Promoting strong lateral root growth that can withstand sustained winds requires conscientious tree planting, Fech said. “Dig a wide planting hole, but not a deep one—just deep enough to set the root mass in.” The hole should be three times the size of the tree’s root mass. This will allow the roots to move into the disturbed site without being obstructed by unbroken soil.

Avoid using any peat moss, compost, or topsoil in the planting hole itself, Fech said. Although a seemingly good idea, filling the hole with compost will cause the roots to preferentially stay in the planting hole rather than spread, seeking nutrients and, consequently, the tree will not develop strong lateral roots.

He also noted that the root balls of nursery trees will likely be tightly tangled.

Muss them up, he said. “It harms them a little bit in the short run, but the roots will grow back extensively laterally. If they aren’t loosened, they will stay in the hole.”

Staking trees may also be a good idea in windswept areas to prevent them from blowing completely over,

Fech said. “They should be tied loosely so they can sway a couple of inches and develop strong lateral roots.”

Blowing actually promotes more growth and long-term stability. He advises removing the stakes after a short time, however, so that trees don’t become dependent on them. Six months to a year is usually sufficient.

O vera l l, planting trees is fairly simple, and the same techniques can be applied across the board.

Choose the right varieties and utilize these tips, and your newly planted trees will withstand the winds of tomorrow.

The Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder can be found at missouribotanicalgarden. org/plantf inder/plantf indersearch.aspx.

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feature

Coming Together in the Cook Space Amid Building Material Delays, a Busy Couple Push Through a Shadow Ridge Remodel to Create Their Ideal Shared Home 36

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P

artners Jenny Kirklin and Darin Cook were extremely busy in late 2020 preparing for their March 2021 wedding, raising their 16-year-old son, and shuffling between Jenny’s Omaha villa and Darin’s digs on Beaver Lake near Plattsmouth. They decided it was time to settle into a shared home within city limits.

“We needed to simplify,” Darin said. “We started the building process, and that was going to be two years. Typically stuff you can get in four to eight weeks can take four to eight months, and then some,” he explained, referring to post-pandemic construction supply-chain issues. Well, that was just too long.

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The building delay led the couple to look at other options, including remodeling an older home. They were repeatedly drawn to a house built in 2001 in the Shadow Ridge Estates neighborhood near 192th and Pacific streets, eventually buying the property in December.

“The house had great potential.

It just needed a cosmetic makeover,” Darin said. The singleowner, 20-year-old home had many original—and now dated— features, including cherry wood accents throughout and beige and tan color schemes.

Jenny and Darin brought in Chad Wallace with Sudbeck Homes as general contractor on the remodel, and contracted Elizabeth Monical, owner of Monical Design, for the interior makeover.

“Her team came to our house and talked through what we wanted,” said Jenny, who now goes by Cook. “It was a huge collaboration.” Monical was able to see Jenny’s villa style and translate it to the new space, incorporating generous natural light.

A main emphasis of the renovation was creating an ideal entertaining space in the communal living areas. The team accomplished this by installing wooden beams and painting the toohigh ceilings in the great room a darker shade to visually drop them; changing out the island, installing ‘event-ready’ appliances, and bumping out the butler’s pantry in the kitchen; refreshing the dining room with new paint; and lastly, with insurance funds from a storm damage claim, replacing the hail-dented exterior door and windows facing the back deck with larger panes, expanding their view of Shadow Ridge golf course.

“And we put a big sound system throughout the whole house.

We’re big Lumineers fans. Also Avett Brothers. We like ‘Yacht Rock Radio’ on Pandora,” Jenny said, emphasizing the fun role music plays in their daily life.

“The best part was that [the Cooks] were open to all the different things that were necessary to make [the new design] feel complete,” Monical said.

“I like very monochromatic finishes and adding color to the top layer, so you can change it without changing the whole countertop… like pillows, artwork, fresh flowers.”

— Jenny Cook

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F E AT U R E

Monical said they went with a California modern-inf luenced style in the kitchen. “We knew we wanted a big island and loved playing with contrast, from white space to dark cabinets and throwing in white oak.” As for the butler’s pantry addition, she explained, “Now, people want a kitchen space that they can keep completely clean [for] when guests are there around the island. You need [a separate] space to do prep work.”

Jenny said she loves the versatility of the neutral kitchen materials they chose. “I like very monochromatic finishes and adding color to the top layer, so you can change it without changing the whole countertop… like pillows, artwork, fresh flowers.”

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In addition, they tore out the hallway’s cabinetry and removed the grandfather clock to install sleek waist-level shelving for Jenny’s holiday china and display decor, which can be rotated from time to time.

“They are very into abstract and energetic art,” Monical said.

“Some art they brought with them [from their original homes]. Other pieces we sourced locally through our vendors and also some online artists.” The team pulled together art pieces from all over the world, with various textures and colors to create depth and engagement in simply-colored spaces.

The goal in the primary bedroom was to create an atmosphere of simplicity and light. They installed wallpaper to give the relaxed room a pop of color, altered the ceiling to include arches, and revamped the flooring. In the primary bath, they rotated the bathtub to extend into the main bath space.

“[Jenny] was a very strong, driving force in helping everyone stay on task,” Monical said. “It’s a struggle to [keep] these contractors on schedule. It was funny to see her get people to do things...I’ve never seen them move that fast. We joked that we should start our own business where we’re doing this for other people.”

Monical said having the couple’s alternate choices for tile, flooring, and other materials on file was also key to getting them into the home on schedule. “It’s a big timing issue.

We presented more things to them [than the average client] in case we couldn’t get something [delivered in time]. I don’t think it’s good to get something you’re unhappy with just to get something quickly.”

“You can’t overstate the effects of the post-COVID timeframe with labor shortages,” Darin pointed out.

“We were affected by it, and we still pulled [the renovation] off in six to seven months.”

The Cooks’ future plans include installing an outdoor pool and rock bubbler water feature. The couple love to travel to Arizona, Cabo San Lucas, and other vacation destinations, but with their home now company-ready, they hope to have friends and family visit them in Omaha, beginning with the holidays and Nebraska college basketball games this winter.

Extremely happy with the renovation, the Cooks said they plan to stay in their Shadow Ridge home a very long time. “It’s not a neighborhood that’s transient with people coming in and out,” Jenny said. “People stay for a long time.

Putting value into the house is definitely a win.”

J

ust 11 years after building their custom home, these homeowners were in need of a main-floor renovation. With the addition of twin boys to the household shortly after construction, the family's needs had changed over time. As their boys got older, they sought a brighter, more open main living space that would function better with their lifestyle.

Interior designer Anjli Ohs with Mod Lab Design of Lincoln proposed an open-concept layout that would achieve three goals: repurpose unused spaces into functional areas; maintain design features loved by the homeowners, such as a set of glass double doors; and create a space that would enable family members to see and feel connected to one another while in different parts of the main floor.

Meet the Interior Designer ANJLI OHS, Allied Member ASID

Mod Lab Design

Ohs holds a design degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and has 10 years of experience designing interiors from coast to coast. She has a passion for meeting people where they are in life, and helping them create a space that is intuitive to both their aesthetic and functional needs.

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STORY ANJLI OHS PHOTOGR APHY CAS E Y FR IT TON DESIGN MADY B ES CH

A MAIN FLOOR IS REMADE, CONNECTING A GROWING FAMILY

T H E P O W D E R R O O M WA S R E L O C AT E D AND FURNISHED WITH A STUNNING N AV Y B A S E C A B I N E T PA I R E D W I T H G O L D A C C E N T S A N D C U S T O M WA L L PA P E R T O G I V E T H E S PA C E D R A M A .

To accomplish this, columns surrounding the formal living room were removed, and the space was refreshed with a soft, neutral color palette to create an open, inviting feel. The powder room was relocated and furnished with a stunning navy base cabinet paired with gold accents and custom wallpaper to give the space drama. And the kitchen was reimagined with light cabinets surrounding the perimeter, a dark charcoal island for contrast, and silver glass pendants hung above the island to finish the ensemble.

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In addition to the family living space, the homeowners’ primary suite got a fresh look. A new walk-in closet was created by connecting a second bedroom to the space. The roomy closet boasts custom shelving, an island with builtin storage for accessories, and a chandelier to create a glamorous feel. The couple’s primary bathroom was also opened up.

The old jetted tub surrounded by walls was removed and replaced with a stand-alone soaking tub, while an adjacent walk-in shower wall was taken down and replaced with a glass panel to let in natural light.

Finally, a large vanity with hisand-hers upper cabinets and maximal storage was installed.

The end result was a happy client, content to stay in their reimagined dream home for years to come, and a winning design recognized at the 2020 Nebraska/Iowa Chapter ASID Awards with a silver award for Ohs.

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