Bohemian Dreamin’

Winter 2022

Bohemian Dreamin’

December 3, 2021

Designer Shauna Ward leaps into a career she loves and takes her Weatherby Lake home along for the ride.

Written by Andrea Darr | Photo by Josie Henderson

hauna Ward, a former pharmaceutical rep, realized her knack for design—and a shining opportunity fueled by Covid.

She and her husband moved into a house at Weatherby Lake in November 2019, making mostly cosmetic changes to a solid floor plan that featured gorgeous, high arches and windows overlooking the water.

Shauna took on the task of general contracting, lifting the house out of the 1990s through updates in paint, tile, lighting and plumbing fixtures.

Her enjoyment of the process prompted her to make the leap to become a professional home renovation consultant.

“I enjoyed the blessing in disguise,” Shauna says. “It was an opportunity to learn, and it became a passion of mine after hearing horror stories from others. I want to help people get connected with the right people.”

She embraces all walls—including the floor and ceiling—and her talent for finishes is evident throughout the home.

“There are just so many things I like!” she says.

In the music room, where previous homeowners might have dined, Shauna’s grand piano is the center of attention—and its drama is seemingly doubled by a black-painted ceiling. Formal as the contrast is, Shauna casually toned it down with a bohemian style bench, rug and elaborately carved daybed.

Shauna excels at seeing what works—and simply making it better. You can see this skill on display in the kitchen, where she ordered new cabinets and traded out some of the uppers for open shelves. The shelves are stocked only with daily essentials that contrast beautifully against the white-tiled wall.

Shauna’s husband contributed to the design process by picking out the quartz fixture above the dining table. A white-painted brick fireplace would have been too farmhouse-looking, so it was painted Tricorn Black to coordinate with the island.

The previous bathroom layout had the tub and shower separated, which Shauna adjusted to create one single wet room. It works especially well for bathing her young son.

Shauna had great fun selecting light fixtures, like the double-sided sconces from Katy Skelton that flank the bathroom vanities.

Braxton Fuller artworks flank the downstairs fireplace. Leather sectional from Anthropologie.

Shauna, who grew up in Parkville, relocated back home from Liberty, Mo., when she married her husband, a Lawrence, Kansas, resident. “We both loved the idea of moving to the lake,” she says.

“I love the arches and the natural light,” Shauna says. “The house was already great, but everything was oak, oak, oak. We brought it from the ’90s into the present.” On the ledge sits the couple’s first anniversary gift: a scene of the lake on the Fourth of July, painted by Seth Smith.

“The house had good bones,” Shauna says. She only moved one wall in the basement, which created this bar area at the base of the stairs. Shauna originally wanted to do more with the staircase by modernizing the spindles but settled on painting the existing ones black.

Throughout the house, textural wall hangings fill open space and add color—but, Shauna sighs, “I’m probably getting too much yarn art.” A ceramic piece by Jodie Seigal dangles in the hall. “It’s art I’ll always have,” Shauna says.

It was an opportunity to learn, and it became a passion of mine after hearing horror stories from others. I want to help people get connected with the right people." ~ Shauna says.

1 Comment

William Brown

December 10, 2021


What an absolutely Beautiful Home! Shauna definitely has the ability to see potential and turn it into something special. I admire her ease of mixing design elements like textured & colorful rugs throughout with her choice of geometric pattern motifs on her upholstery and art pieces for added depth and personality. - Will