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CREATE YOUR OWN ENVIRONMENT

VOLUME 10 · Issue 5

In nature, evolution can require a process of thousands of years. 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 let’s you ease into a flawless execution of your ideal surroundings.

Contact us today to see why Curt Hofer & Associates has earned top awards for our iconic design and inspired living spaces for more than 26 years.

EDITORIAL Managing Editor DAISY HUTZELL-RODMAN Senior Editor TARA SPENCER Associate Editor LINDA PERSIGEHL Contributing Writers HANNAH AMROLLAHI · RACHAEL CAVANAUGH JENNA GABRIAL GALLAGHER · KATY SPRATTE JOYCE LISA LUKECART · KATRINA MARKEL · PATRICK M C GEE CARRIELLE SEDERSTEN

CREATIVE Creative Director MATT WIECZOREK Senior Graphic Designer DEREK JOY Graphic Designer II MADY BESCH Contributing Photographers KESSLER PHOTOGRAPHY

SALES Executive Vice President Sales & Marketing GIL COHEN m Home Build sto er Cu

Senior Branding Specialist MARY HIATT Senior Sales Executive & 60Plus in Omaha Contributing Editor GWEN LEMKE Publisher’s Assistant & OmahaHome Contributing Editor SANDY MATSON Branding Specialists DAWN DENNIS · GEORGE IDELMAN Digital Sales Manager JILLIAN DUNN

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Transformations H I C KO R Y & A H I N T O F C O L O R

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Da n a nd Er in Johnson's Sa ndy Pointe La ke home per fect ly blends t hei r u rba n indust r ia l a nd fa r m house st yles. Stor y page 2 0.

P hoto by Bi l l Sitzma nn.

“America was built on courage, on imagination, and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.” — H A R R Y S . T R U M A N

J

uly is one of my favorite months for many reasons. The temperature is almost always hot, flowers and plants look their best, and it’s a time for Fourth of July celebrations, which come with opportunities for wonderful memories. Whether that’s hosting barbecues, watching fireworks, or relaxing by the lake, there are plenty of things to do with friends and family that cost next to nothing.

Kristen and Josh Hoffman’s thrifty, chic space is a perfect example of how you don’t have to spend a fortune to tie a room together all while making a home look charming, effortless, and truly your own.

Maybe your preference this summer is a cozy backyard retreat with lush trees and a pool, like the Buzzells’ serendipitous home on page 38, or lake living like the Johnsons in their Sandy Pointe oasis. These homes are both perfect for entertaining and spending quality time with those they hold dear.

Most of all, we hope you get out to enjoy the great outdoors in these next few months, whether it be taking a day trip outside the city, beekeeping in your backyard, garage sale-hopping to find a new piece of home decor, or simply picnicking in your favorite park.

Enjoy this summer with the ones you love.

As always, if you have any comments or story ideas (including sharing your knack for design) and would like the chance to have your home featured, please contact me at sandy@ omahapublications.com.

Sandy Matson Contributing Editor

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arah Rowe watched the apocalyptic comedy

Zombieland on a television at Brothers Lounge. Rowe sipped on cheap whiskey—Old Overholt—and mused on how art reflected reality. Zombies weren’t feasting on human brains, but a coronavirus pandemic surged around her. Many of the visual and performance artist’s jobs had just been canceled. As a single mother of a teenager daughter, the lack of money coming in worried her. Thankfully, income from her prints and paintings helped during this difficult time.

Rowe, of Lakota and Ponca descent, uses Native American rituals to create artwork in a spiritual way. Some of her designs feature the thunderbird, which represents power and strength to protect people from evil spirits. A black and white thunderbird appears in the middle of one print surrounded by a sliver of a moon and raining clouds. Geometric shapes, such as little crosses, appear between the thin legs of the beast. Most ideas are spawned from free-thinking sketches. Color and shape combinations fit together like puzzles or grow like rock formations. It’s a personal and visionary process that is typical in native art.

“There are universal symbols in there. I want people to have their own experience with them,” Rowe said.

Rowe carved the image on wood and inked it. She rolled thin Japanese rice paper through a press and peeled it away from the wood. Rowe also works on series. These dreamlike animals, a bestiary of tales, are put in these imagined landscapes.

Rowe doesn’t shy away from color. She utilized the Lakota medicine wheel to create bold color blocks of black, red, yellow, and white for an abstract painting of

Chief Standing Bear. The 24 by 36-inch painting was filmed as a stop motion movie for the backdrop of the Standing Bear Cantata and later sold at Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts.

Dr. Mikal Brotnov Eckstrom, a post-doctoral researcher for Center for Great Plains Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, loved it so much he is commissioning Rowe to make a similar version. Eckstrom believes it is important to buy indigenous art from indigenous artists. Rowe listens to her elders and interprets history in a contemporary way.

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“I think that is crucial.

Native people are still here, they have not left. Putting these stories in the present tense in a present format is so important,” Eckstrom added.

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With a B.A. in studio art from Webster University, Rowe interacts closely with the community, building power bundles with middle school students, at-risk populations, and trauma patients. She makes extremely long threads of prayer ties, and tangles those up so it is easy to stick feathers and herbs into them. These are sometimes hung in houses, positioned near trees, or placed on graves. Other items, or even a written note, can be added, but it should be organic material because these are oftentimes burned in a visual representation of prayer similar to a pipe. Power bundles should never be photographed because of their sacred ties, she explained.

Ironically, Rowe conceived of an apocalyptic shopping experience last winter.

The concept morphed into an interactive satire show, Commercial Break, which centered on the disintegration of capitalism. The show was held March 6 at Petshop in Benson.

“Her work is incredibly collaborative and participatory. It asks, ‘What’s going to happen to the Earth when we buy each other to death?’” said Annika Johnson, Ph.D., the associate curator of Native American Art at Joslyn Art Museum.

Rowe said she’d never be one of those screaming maniacs in Zombieland.

A better strategy would be to find a weapon, be prepared, and laugh about it. Sure, that weapon might be a brush, paint, and a wall, but it sends a significant message.

Connect with Rowe at instagram.com/lady. wink to view or buy her prints and paintings.

Visit bffomaha.org/commercial-break.html to view her art show exhibit Commercial Break.

“Her work is incredibly collaborative and participatory. It asks, ‘What’s going to happen to the Earth when we buy each other to death?”

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“I’m kind of spiritual about it. I will pray about something and, literally, the very next day it will turn up in a thrift store.”

— KRISTEN HOFFMAN 8

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Benson

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STORY

Jenna Gabrial Gallagher

PHOTOGRAPHY

Bill Sitzmann

DESIGN

Mady Besch

“N

othing in this house costs more than, like, $5,”

said Kristen Hoffman, who shares a 1,000-square-foot home in Benson with her husband, Josh, and two young daughters. That includes most furnishings in her petite, but very stylish, main living space.

She’s exaggerating, of course—but, in truth, not by much. Most of the Hoffman family’s favorite finds have been scavenged from relatives, garage sales, thrift shops, and sidewalk discards. Take the 1970s-style rattan peacock chair in her dining room.

Similar pieces are available for more than $1,000 on chic furniture websites like Chairish. Hoffman scored hers for free on Craigslist. The complementary wicker étagère is from her mom’s basement—it belonged to her sister when they were children.

The vintage barber shop shaving station turned up in front of someone’s house down the street, and she hauled it home to use as a planter. As for the statement midcentury credenza that anchors the room? “Oh, that’s one of my best finds ever,” Hoffman said proudly. “It was $20 at the Goodwill on 72nd and Ames.”

“People think Kristen just walks into a thrift store and finds 15 things. The reality is that she sometimes has to go 15 times to find one thing.”

— JOSH HOFFMAN J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 2 0

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If she makes it sound easy, her husband assures everyone that it’s not. “People think Kristen just walks into a thrift store and finds 15 things,” Josh Hoffman said.

“The reality is that she sometimes has to go 15 times to find one thing. There are items she’s spent months looking for—she’s just really diligent.”

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“I’m kind of spiritual about it,” said Hoffman, a former Omaha Magazine art director who now has her own business as a freelance designer and portrait artist. “I will pray about something and, literally, the very next day it will turn up in a thrift store.”

The couple recalled the time they were at a warehouse sale at Hutch, a vintage home furnishings store in midtown Omaha, and Hoffman was describing the rug she wanted. “Actually, it’s just like the one we’re standing on,” she told Josh, who found the $50 price tag that looked like it had been attached as an afterthought, and they took the rug home.

Hoffman hesitated to assign a particular name to her broad-ranging personal style. It’s more about individual pieces that she loves. But she does have a few design rules: “I really like to use a color palette—a lot of deeper greens and terra cotta, lots of whites and charcoal gray and black. I try to keep the colors

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building to a higher sta ndar d.

as muted as possible and keep texture to a minimum,” she said.

“Since we have a small house, the more minimal we can keep things, the better. And I’m adamantly against painting furniture!”

The couple was able to buy the home, which sits just off the main strip in Benson, for under their budget in 2014 and have been excited to watch its value nearly double. “It was just a blah, boring house, but we love the neighborhood and I could see what it could be,” Hoffman said.

She tries to choose pieces from the early 20th century to stick with the period of the home, which was built in 1909, and she avoids being too precious or trendy about anything.

“I’ve killed one too many fiddle leaf figs,” she laughed, referring to the popular prima donna plant of the Instagram age. “My ficus is so wiry and crazy, it adds a lot of life to that corner of the room.”

While Hoffman enjoys decorating, more than anything it’s about the thrill of the hunt, she said. “Some people like to go get their nails done, or whatever. I like to spend my downtime thrifting.”

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A R C H I T E C T U R E

Backyard Mountain Retreat STORY

KATRINA MARKEL

PHOTOGRAPHY BILL SITZMANN

DESIGN MADY BESCH

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W

ith its attractive tree-lined streets, well-manicured lawns, and upscale homes, Huntington Park is a lovely enclave in northwest Omaha. But passersby might never know that tucked into one of these suburban lots is an outdoor entertainment area fit for a mountain resort.

The backyard oasis, ideal for a summer in quarantine, was nonexistent in 2017 when the homeowners moved in. In fact, the lot was downright boring. So, they solicited the help of Elite Landscaping, who designed and installed the yard’s lush landscaping, as well as hardscapes and pool design.

“There was just a f lat yard all the way to the fence, and now look at the depth and the elevations and the trees and the plants,” the homeowner said. “It was a complete transformation.”

“Hardscaping and swimming pools are my personal passion, but since I’ve had the company so long, I really have a lot of knowledge about plants and trees and shrubs, so it’s really easy for me to add that into the project,” said Jason Decker, Elite Landscaping’s founder and a landscape designer for 20 years.

As the Huntington Park homeowners researched companies to build their backyard escape, Elite Landscaping and Decker really stood out.

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The hardscaping materials included weathered sandstone from Oklahoma and mossy mountain boulders from Arkansas. A few of the boulders weigh between 4,000 and 6,000 pounds, and one was turned into a natural gas-fueled fire pit.

A RCHITEC T UR E

“[They had] just a different level of expertise,” said the homeowners, who knew they wanted a grotto included with their pool design and started a search based on that.

The family, which includes five children between the ages of 11 and 20, knew they wanted space for family entertaining and a rustic feel as well.

“We went with more of a natural look,” Decker said. The landscaping crew planted spruce trees along with maple and birch to add privacy. They also included ornamental grasses, daylilies, black-eyed Susans, and other perennials. Juniper plants were added to pockets in the waterfall and will creep around and over the rocks.

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Decker said “the Colorado” is a commonly requested style, probably because it’s the closest mountainous state.

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“To me, this has a little bit more of a Tennessee vibe to it,” said Decker, who seeks inspiration when he travels.

Access and logistics were the biggest challenges on this project, Decker said. It was important not to block the busy suburban street or inconvenience neighbors.

“We were trying to put a pretty complex project in a pie-shaped backyard,” he said.

The hardscaping materials included weathered sandstone from Oklahoma and mossy mountain boulders from Arkansas. A few

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of the boulders weigh between 4,000 and 6,000 pounds, and one was turned into a natural gasfueled fire pit.

“That will become kind of a centerpiece for family gatherings, and it’s amazing,” said the homeowner.

The fire pit and a stand-alone hot tub will allow the family to use the backyard most of the year. A swim-up bar with a granite counter and a refrigerator, cooler, and trash receptacle help keep the activity outdoors, and wet feet out of the house. Patio areas were tiled with natural travertine pavers.

“This has a lot of prettiness to it and kind of looks like petrified wood,” Decker said. “I think a man-made paver would have made it look not as natural, for sure.”

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Stone steps lead up to a raised patio, which is integrated with the undulating landscape and a stone waterfall that pours over the grotto and into the roughly 650-square-foot pool. The pool f loor is finished with a black plaster that catches the light and sparkles.

Decker said that he wants people to see how much can be done with a typical residential property, “We want to make every project magazine-worthy.”

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feature

‘A Vacation Every Day’ Vision Realized The Johnsons’ Sandy Pointe Lake Dream Home

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STORY HANNAH AMROLLAHI PHOTOGR APHY BILL SITZMANN DESIGN MADY BESCH

Dan and Erin Johnson

designed their dream home with one essential element: uninterrupted views of water on the horizon.

“We’ve always been drawn to the water,” Erin said.

That pull intensified in 2009 after visiting relatives in the Virgin Islands. They briefly considered buying a home in an island paradise, but the Johnsons eventually found “the vacation every day mentality” of lake life at Sandy Pointe in Ashland.

“We’ve been Nebraska residents for all 40 years of our lives and we were hell-bent to stay,” Dan said.

After years spent renovating houses, the couple wanted to realize their own vision.

Dan, a project construction manager, had the background to act as on-site manager on their home build, and Erin had the ambition to handle the design and budget.

“Having experience and knowing my wife’s commitment, there was no doubt in my mind we could achieve it,” Dan said. “We both wanted the challenges of building ourselves.”

The Johnsons took their vision to lake communities around Nebraska.

“We knew we needed to get the right lake,” Dan said.

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

F E AT U R E

They settled on Sandy Pointe, halfway between Omaha and Lincoln. “[The community] was planned out great,” Erin said. “You could tell it was very family-oriented.”

The property developers, Dan Muhleisen and Roger Severin, supported the unique design.

“Our house was always going to be cutting edge,” Dan said. “Instead of standing in the way, they encouraged it.”

The Johnsons selected the lot with the widest berth of water and enough depth to allow for a southwest positioning of the home, which captures the longest sunset. In December 2015, they started grading.

The first contractors called were window fabricators to help realize Erin’s vision of an uninterrupted view of the lake through 20-foot by 10foot glass doors.

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“They draw you to the lake,” Dan said.

“You come home and it immediately relieves your stress.”

“[Vollmer] deserves tremendous credit,” Dan said. “The kitchen island is a centerpiece in the home.”

The Johnsons also preserved another of the lot’s natural assets, its trees. A felled hackberry is incorporated into the home as a stunning headboard, shelves, wooden trays, and a seven-seat kitchen island.

Gentle repetition of the style, material, and color—from light fixtures in the kitchen and stairway to white walls throughout to light wood stain on shelving, railings, and counters—help blend the interior spaces effortlessly.

Inventive touches, such as the tiling of the kitchen backsplash and shower, make new rooms feel both familiar and refreshing.

“The remnants of the tree are worked throughout the property,” Dan said.

“We ran out of it.”

Dan Vollmer, a carpenter and owner of The Barnwood Store (formerly Barnwood Trays), fabricated the island from four slabs with a live edge that celebrate the wood from grain to bark.

“We’ve done other tops,” Vollmer said, “but nothing that wide, that long, and that heavy.”

The kitchen’s open design continues the communal f loor plan, while the full-size fridge and freezer facilitate hosting guests.

“We wanted it to be clean but warm,” Erin said. “My husband has more modern tastes. I have more farmhouse tastes. We had to meld the two together.”

Ashley Welch at Salt Creek Mercantile in Ashland was very helpful in f inding home materials and furnishings that mix urban industrial and farmhouse styles, Dan said. But not everything could be locally sourced.

The homeowners acquired elements of décor from several states, pulling ideas from Pinterest and former vacation spots the couple loved as well.

Focal points, like the dining table, received specif ic attention.

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“We wanted it to be clean but warm.

My husband has more modern tastes. I have more farmhouse tastes.

We had to meld the two together.”

—E R I N JOH NS ON

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Oftentimes, “the right piece and the right size ended up being custom work,” Erin said.

The Johnsons also considered environmental impact when choosing home materials and features, seeing eco-friendly products as worthy investments. The house is a rare Nebraska residential property certified as a LEED green building, but achieving this designation was an uphill battle.

“We knew we were inefficient from the start with the [glass] doors,” Dan said.

In order to meet the strict criteria, Dan focused on conserving energy.

He used spray foam insulation in the interior and exterior walls, installed heated f loors, hung solid core doors, and purchased energysaving Bosch appliances to help tamp down utility costs.

While Dan was focused on saving energy, Erin worked to eliminate wasted space. Rather than individual guest rooms, which frequently sit empty, the Johnsons designed a 15-foot-tall bunk room with six beds and skylights that provide starscapes at night. The beds include private nooks equipped with USB chargers.

“When you have a lake house, everyone wants to visit,” Dan said.

Daughters Kiya and May Johnson gave input during home design as well. Kiya enjoys her balcony, which adds character to the house and is a good space to relax.

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“It was very much a family project,” May said. “We all had to go through everything together. It felt like home before we moved in.”

The house has an asymmetrical, modern industrial facade softened by wood and designed for road or lake viewing. Outside, a sunken fire pit, 15-seat outdoor island, and a bar are all situated carefully to preserve the view.

The Johnsons contracted out or completed each project themselves, adding a second shift to their full-time careers.

“We gave up three years of our lives, and almost all of 2017 to 2018 to construction,” Dan said. “It is not rocket science.

If you give up the time, anyone can do it.”

Erin remembered packing a swimsuit, towel, and change of clothes each morning in hopes of getting in some fun after another long work day.

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“If the boat was still out, we’d get on the lake. You’d almost race to see the sunset,” Erin said. Now that the family is settled, “We couldn’t imagine leaving.”

“It’s the crowning achievement of our marriage,” Dan said. “When I look at this house, I look at what Erin and I can do.”

“It was very much a family project. We all had to go through everything together.

It felt like home before we moved in.”

— M AY JOH NSON

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Each year brings new categories and old favorites, and we want to hear about all your favorite businesses around Omaha. The categories range from appetizers to luxury cars, and everything in between.

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HELP OMAHA BUSINESSES— YOUR VOTE COUNTS!

Featured in the May 2020 issue.

Photography by John Gawley.

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From left: Rick Knudtson and Heather Tomasek with their daughter Ella

STORY Katy Spratte Joyce PHOTOGRAPHY Bill Sitzmann DESIGN Mady Besch

F E A T U R E

DOWNTOWN

Vib es in the prairies

After eight years living in downtown Omaha, Heather Tomasek and her husband, Flywheel cofounder Rick Knudtson, were ready for a change. A fun agreement to take turns picking homes meant it was Tomasek ’s prerogative to find the couple’s next abode.

With an old dog and a new baby, she set out to find the perfect future place for their family.

cancer, she decided instead to focus her energies on caregiving. At that point, armed with Pinterest mood boards for each space, Tomasek turned to longtime friend and fellow UNL Architecture grad Alex Trout, employed as an interior designer with D3 Interiors. Trout was able to streamline the process, allowing Tomasek to devote her attention to her mother.

Speaking on the inspiration for the basement finish, Trout said: “The homeowners wanted a space to entertain family and friends that had a unique feel. They recently moved from downtown Omaha to Elkhorn and wanted to bring that downtown loft vibe to their suburban home. We achieved this with the use of materials such as reclaimed brick, tile that mimics concrete, dark cabinetry, and a custom glass wall with matte black mullions (verical elements that divide window panes). All of these materials give it a modern, industrial feel.”

The couple searched for ages for a house in the storied Dundee neighborhood, but couldn’t find something that Tomasek was thrilled to have her talented friend help checked all the boxes on their wish list. Enter The Praicomplete the project and, chuckling, referred to the ries, a Lanoha Development neighborhood in southwest process as “dreamin’ and scheming” with a pal. It’s no Omaha with beautiful, mature trees and family-friendly surprise that Trout enjoyed this project as well, adding, amenities, including a community pool and clubhouse. “[Rick and Heather] were amazing to work with. They As a trained landscape architect, Tomasek was immedihad a clear vision for the space, but needed help pullately entranced with the suburban ing all of the pieces together. From the first enclave. “There was so much natmeeting to the finishing touches, they comural beauty that set it apart from pletely trusted the design process and trusted As a trained landscape other developments,” she said. in my expertise.” architect, Tomasek was After settling on this community, immediately entranced it was time to get down to the Echelon Homes was hired as contractor to with the suburban business of building a home. finish the roughly 1,800-square-foot baseenclave. “There was so ment, which was a major undertaking. With much natural beauty that But a walk through a TruVian office, workout room, guest bedroom and set it apart from other sion Custom Homes’ spec home full bathroom, family room area, kitchen developments.” turned Tomasek ’s dreams into nook, and dining area, the lower level is the an immediate reality; she fell in size of many single-family homes. (Tomasek love with the house. After a few test drives to see if her noted that the dining area became something of a puzzle husband could adjust to the 40-minute commute—quite headquarters during quarantine; a fun way to stay busy a change from his former two-block jaunt to Flywheel’s as the days turn into weeks and even months of Harney Street headquarters—the family realized they social distancing.) could make it work. After all, with Knudtson’s work day starting at 9 a.m., the traffic rush to downtown Perhaps the coolest features of the basement are the could be avoided. custom wine room and adjacent lounge.

When the family moved into their dream home in 2018, the basement was unfinished, which allowed for a major creative project. As a graduate of University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s School of Architecture, Tomasek was uniquely positioned to take on the basement challenge.

However, after her mom fell ill with terminal breast

“[The lounge] is a small, cozy nook where you can cuddle up on the gorgeous sapphire velvet loveseat and read a book or enjoy a glass of wine,” Trout said. “The walls in the lounge have a modern twist on a traditional wall molding application. By painting the walls and molding a deep charcoal, it gives a moody feel to the space.”

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“The lounge is a small, cozy nook where you can cuddle up on the gorgeous sapphire velvet loveseat and read a book or enjoy a glass of wine.

The walls in the lounge have a modern twist on a traditional wall molding application. By painting the walls and molding a deep charcoal, it gives a moody feel to the space.” — ALEX TROUT

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Tomasek agreed, saying she loves the cool mix of textures in the lounge and the sexy, beautifully framed glass walls and doors that enclose the space. The glass allows for perfect views of the wine room, which features roughly 150 bottles of red and white on display. (There’s even a fancy port from downtown staple The Boiler Room.) Tomasek noted with a laugh that the wine stock is now “quite depleted” after so much time spent at home during quarantine.

This dreamy finished basement is not yet truly finished, as the homeowners have plans to turn the guest room into a bunk room for future sleepovers for daughter Ella and friends. But for now, they’re quite content to enjoy the very sophisticated, urban feel they’ve created in their new west Omaha nest.

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Serendipity in Skyline Ranches

The Buzzells’ 1970s Home Gets a Fixer Upper-inspired Makeover

Stor y

Photog raphy

Design

CARRIELLE

BILL SITZMANN

MADY BESCH

SEDERSTEN

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It was serendipity

found their Skyline Ranches home in 2014. They lived two miles away at the time, and Joni drove by the house almost daily while taking their daughter, Sydney, to school. One October morning, Joni saw a ‘for sale by owner’ sign in the yard. A short time later, she convinced husband Jon to go take a tour. A bit uncertain, they continued to shop around. Three months later, the home was still on the market—unheard of in Skyline—and the Buzzells decided to make an offer.

They had shopped for a house in Skyline Ranches for months back in 2009 without any luck. This time, a home had sort of fallen in their lap and sat waiting for them, it seemed.

“It was kind of one of those God things,” said Joni, who’s been married to Jon for 17 years. “This is where we’re supposed to be.”

For the Buzzells, the home’s winning feature was its location. Where others saw an outdated mudbrown and orange brick home with green carpet, low ceilings, and a choppy layout, Jon and Joni saw a house sitting on arguably one of the best lots in the neighborhood.

“To be able to get three acres this close to everything, that when we’re here we feel like we’re out in the country, and I’m 15 minutes from work…I would say we got a really good deal,” said Jon, an orthopaedic surgeon with OrthoNebraska. The location also works well for Joni’s commute to Gretna Public Schools, where she’s employed as a substitute school nurse.

The home’s popcorn ceilings were the first things to go, even before moving in in May 2015. Then, all the carpet came up, and everything inside and outside got a fresh coat of paint. The family lived in the unfinished space for three years, opting to wait on further interior renovations.

“I think it’s helpful to live in [a house] first so you can figure out what your f low is,” Jon said.

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From left: Sydney, Jon, Sophia, and Joni Buzzell

“To be able to get three acres this close to everything, that when we’re here we feel like we’re out in the country, and I’m 15 minutes from work…I would say we got a really good deal.”

— JON BUZZELL

Instead, they tackled their backyard, out of necessity, really. The pool was unusable, the retaining wall was crumbling, and rotted-wood decking around the pool would pop up when you walked on it. “I had two little girls. I didn’t even want to let them back here. It was so dangerous,” Joni said.

conceal the HVAC and steel beams supporting the second f loor so as not to detract from the rustic interior design. The team at G. Lee Homes accomplished this by creating U-shaped, hand-planed maple covers that fit over the beams and look like solid wood.

The nine-month interior renovation wasn’t without a few hiccups, Hall said. The catastrophic f looding last spring created a waterfall through the home’s west basement window and left them with three inches of mud to clean up. Months later, when the crew pulled off the basement wall paneling, they found black mold from f loor to ceiling. Fortunately, the f looding happened before much of the basement renovation was underway, and just after “We can come out new kitchen cabinets being stored here again, which there had been moved upstairs.

The backyard also needed new water lines from the house, so they installed a new septic system, too, which allowed them to redesign the entire backyard layout. The new pool, pool equipment, and electrical box were all relocated further away from the house. Rock from the old retaining wall was repurposed to make a fire pit.

With the yard complete, major renovations inside we’re so excited the home finally began about, because you in spring 2018. They Buzzells also had to live tocrave that deck time. The settled on a renovation gether on the home’s second f loor We use this every plan that was ambitious while the main f loor was under chance we can.” by most standards: open construction, and even spent six — JONI BUZZELL the main level by tearweeks in December and January ing down walls separating living in their barn while conthe living area into five tractors re-routed and replaced rooms; relocate the kitchen; relocate the maselectrical wiring throughout the home. But, Joni ter suite to a new 880-square-foot addition said, they made the best of it. on the first f loor; add a half bath and laundry room; and dig out the basement underneath the These days, the Buzzells are loving their finnew addition. ished farmhouse and say the live-in renovation was worth all the sacrifice and wait. Though Joni said her home’s interior was inspired by during the warmer months, you’ll typically find the HGTV show Fixer Upper. She used brick, the family outside in the yard or picnicking on wood, and shiplap to create a modern farmthe deck. Daughters Sydney and Sophie spend house. Having a soft, neutral color palette their summers swimming with their friends, was a must, she said, after painting a previous while Jon grills burgers and veggies or smokes bedroom blue and learning the hard way that a rack of ribs that he later tops with his homecolor just isn’t for her. “I get tired of things so made Carolina Reaper pepper glaze (made with fast. We no more got that up, and I hated it. So, his home-grown peppers). for five years, I had to live with that. I’m like, never again,” Joni said.

“You can tell he’s the cook of our family,” Joni said. “I can cook and I will cook, but his is just Angie Hall, a project coordinator at G. Lee so much better. I’d rather be pulling weeds Homes, helped bring Joni’s vision to life, using than cooking.” hand-scraped solid maple hardwood f looring throughout the main level, a warm white on all Speaking of the summer weather, Joni added: the walls and brick fireplace, and adding new “We can come out here again, which we’re so gray brick finishes and white shiplap accents. excited about, because you crave that deck time.

The biggest undertaking was finding a way to We use this every chance we can.”

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BEE YO U R OW N K EEPER H A RV EST

STORY

PHOTOGRAPHY

DESIGN

PAT R IC K MCGE E

PROVIDED

MADY BESCH

T

he Bohemian Cemeter y at 52nd and Center streets in Omaha seems like an unlikely place for local beekeepers to congregate and discuss bees, but that’s where Omaha Bee Club officers Lynn Danzer and Bob Loghry met up with club members earlier this year to distribute annual bee shipments.

Danzer and Loghry loaded wooden packages containing roughly four pounds of bees each (including one queen apiece) into pickup trucks for delivery. Of those members picking up bees, a vast majority live in Omaha, Danzer said.

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Still, people from places other than Omaha arrived for their shipments. One club member, Tom Dugan of Greeley, Nebraska, said he gets a few bees every year to keep as a hobby. Another club member, Tucker Cain, 17, of Council Bluffs, has been keeping bees with his father for a year.

To many people’s surprise, beehives are allowed in residential areas in Omaha; however, many local jurisdictions have space requirements and limits on the number of hives one can host.

But be advised, not all nearby communities agree. Papillion and La Vista do not allow hives, while in Elkhorn, neighborhood covenants dictate whether hives are allowed. Danzer suggested checking local ordinances before installing hives on your property.

Some club members keep their hives at the Bohemian Cemetery because they can’t house them on their personal property. Danzer keeps many of his own hives there as well.

Those interested in beekeeping need to apply for a permit through the Douglas County Health Department and pay a $10 fee, Loghry said. The department may also require a property inspection when deciding whether to grant a permit.

Loghry said getting started in beekeeping is an easy process: “Get the boxes first, then get [the hive] all set up, then get the bees.” Added Danzer: “Then, let them do their thing.”

out combs and the queen begins laying eggs. Well-fed bees can build out enough comb to fill a hive in about a week, he said.

A prolific queen bee lays 2,000 eggs a day, Danzer said, so a healthy colony will require two boxes after just a few weeks.

“It doesn’t take long for it to grow.”

While there are many varieties of bees, some are better suited to Nebraska than others. Carniolan bees and Russian bees do especially well in Nebraska’s climate due to their colony’s wintertime behaviors.

Loghry said insecticides and pesticides, such as those commonly found in lawn chemicals, can be deadly for city bees.

Loghry said a hive will become self-sufficient in time, but that transplant bees should be fed sugar water until they build

The same chemical poisoning risks exist in rural areas due to treated crops. Bees are also susceptible to parasitic mites unless treated, he said. Several natural methods can be used to safely control bee mites, including dusting them with powdered sugar (yes, sugar!).

While healthy hives will produce plentiful honey, it’s best not to be greedy, Loghry said. “The first year you won’t get that much honey off of it. You’ll want to reserve it for the bees.” He recommends leaving 65 to 80 pounds of honey in the hive, so that the bees have adequate nutrition over the winter.

For those wanting to learn more, Danzer and Loghry lead hands-on classes for aspiring beekeepers at the Bohemian Cemetery on the first and third Saturdays throughout the summer months. Veils and equipment are provided. Danzer encourages folks to stop over if they’re interested—he’s happ-bee to teach.

Visit Omaha Bee Club’s Facebook page or omahabeeclub.com for more information.

While there are many varieties of bees, some are better suited to Nebraska than others. Carniolan bees and Russian bees do especially well in Nebraska’s climate due to their colony’s wintertime behaviors.

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project becomes more than just a job when you can help a family turn their less-thanideal space into something new and fresh and a place they are proud to share with guests.

When this family moved into a house in Tomlinson Woods, they knew there were many features of the main living space they’d love to change someday (particularly in the kitchen), but the home’s wonderful location made it worth the dreaming and waiting.

Among the things on the client’s wish list: add more lighting; create a brighter color palette overall; remove the cumbersome kitchen soffit; relocate kitchen appliances for a more practical work triangle; and install a large kitchen window. With structural elements working in our favor, these were all things we could accomplish.

Walking into the home, one could look through the back windows onto a beautiful, wooded yard.

As private and peaceful as this backdrop was, sunlight tended to get lost in the branches, creating a dark and dull feel to the home. We were able to remedy this by selecting lighter, fresh paint colors for the walls and trim throughout, adding can lights in the kitchen, and replacing a small window above the sink with one much larger to allow in more natural light. By removing a space-wasting soffit, which ran along the perimeter and through the middle of the room, and simply relocating some electrical wiring, we completely opened up the kitchen in both width and height. We kept all the kitchen appliances, assigning new homes to some of them, and added beverage drawers to an area we designated “the bar.”

The finishes selected gave the home a simple, fresh feel, yet still provided detail and contrast for an overall pleasing space.

T R A NSF OR M AT IONS

STORY R ACHAEL C AVA N AU G H

PHOTOGRAPHY KESSLER PHOTOGRAPHY

DESIGN MADY BESCH

HICKORY & A HINT OF COLOR t A Main Floor Makeover

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Implementing a lighter color palette along with the additionOofMcan A Hlights A H Ocompletely M E J U LY / A U G U S T transformed the mood and feel of what used to be a kitchen that was never bright enough.

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T R A NSF OR M AT IONS

The kitchen had a generously sized island to begin with; however, the seating side dipped to dining height, which proved to be more of an annoyance than useful.

We left the overall size of the new island about the same, but raised the entire surface to counter height to provide them with something more functional.

The icing on the cake? Changing the finishes and overall feel of the kitchen and main f loor. A neutral sense of light and bright was the goal, with a hint of fun and color.

The client also had two design requests: a natural hickory f loor and a colorful island. We accomplished this look with beautiful engineered hickory f looring, white perimeter cabinets with a simple backsplash, and a quartz countertop with generous movement. We added some fun with a pleasing, yet striking, blue paint for the island and f loating shelves, mixed metals for the new light fixtures and cabinet hardware, and a patterned tile to accent the bar. We carried the light paint colors throughout the main f loor and added some dark, painted accents for contrast on the wood-planked pitched ceiling in the living room and stair details.

Meet the Interior Designer

RACHAEL CAVANAUGH

ALLIED ASID, JH INTERIO R DESIG N Rachael Cavanaugh is a designer and vice president at jh Interior Design. She has been with the firm for almost nine years and has thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the growth of the jh team. Rachael obtained her associate’s degree in interior design from Metropolitan Community College and has been an ASID member since the start of her career. Rachael does both commercial and residential design and loves the opportunity and challenges each new project brings!

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A kitchen is a place for gathering family and friends for food and drinks and entertainment. To experience all of these things in a kitchen that finally feels “ just right” gives great satisfaction. It was a pleasure to be part of this project and finally give this family a kitchen that meets their needs and desires.