Identity Shift
Words by Susan Cannon | Photos by Nate Sheets
A thoughtful, lengthy renovation of a Postmodern home in the Northland uplevels the contemporary edge of this late-1980s house.
he 1980s signified a “more-is-more” aesthetic throughout culture. It was also a decade reflective of a new contemporary eclecticism in architecture and design, which eschewed the streamlined minimalism of mid-century modernist homes—clean lines, flat roofs, floor-to-ceiling windows, restrained decor, et cetera.
Instead, a playful imagination was brought to the fore of architecture: Think Frank Gehry, Michael Graves, the Memphis Group—leaders bringing a new sense of exuberance to the design landscape. The influences of this postmodern movement filtered into residential design, with bold, expressive elements, including geometric shapes, asymmetric rooflines and multiple planes and angles. It was also a departure from the open floor plan that was a coveted feature of modernist homes and that is indeed favored again today.
Case in point is this sprawling 1989 Contemporary, located in the private, woodsy neighborhood of Briar Point in north Kansas City. During a recent two-year renovation process, Nate and Jessica White of Trove Homes focused on ideating abundant creative solutions to bring the house up to date.
Homeowners Eric Guettermann and Whitney White, who had known one another growing up in Briarcliff, reconnected in 2021 and made plans to put down roots together with the purchase of this home. In a twist to the story, Eric had started the project as a bachelor. He had just finished a renovation on his previous home in Fairway—redesigned by Trove Homes—when a new life with Whitney opened up. Nate, also a licensed real estate agent who created an agency branch to Trove Homes, found the Briar Point home for them.
“We love the house, the views and the neighborhood…but not so much the original interior,” Eric says.
“It was a confusing maze of rooms, particularly downstairs,” Whitney adds.
But once they saw the new layout and overall vision Trove had for the home, they took a hands-off, trusting approach, allowing Nate and Jessica to masterfully transform the home beyond all their expectations, including a striking facelift for the exterior.
“One of the things I love about remodels is that every house has a story to tell,” Jessica says. “Eric had grown up just around the corner and had many specific memories of this house, so it was fun seeing the couple’s excitement to be back in the neighborhood and allowing us to make the house unique to them.”
The redesign called for embracing some preexisting architectural elements while rethinking others.
“We completely reimagined the layout to take each space on a journey of discovery for a new purpose,” Jessica explains.
She cleverly played with textures; juxtaposed dark and moody room with light and airy spaces; and prioritized lighting fixtures and illuminating details, choosing the warmth of brass as a common thread throughout the house. The home now flows with an element of intrigue and surprise at every turn.
All 9,000 square feet of the house needed to be completely overhauled, from major structural features to finishing touches.
“We added 23 new headers in order to open up the house throughout and to eliminate a lot of the awkward angles,” Nate says.
They removed outdated window moldings and instated a modern look with crisp white walls for the expansive spaces and dark hues for other spaces.
There were also several challenges to overcome, such as resurfacing the living room’s massive stone fireplace—which is in full view upon entering the home—without adding more weight or removing the stone. By concealing the existing structure and finishing it with coats of Roman clay, it exudes a warm concrete look.
In the kitchen, the view of downtown had been severely minimized by the house’s original diminutive windows. The designers eliminated a large storage room off the garage, a bathroom and an office abutting the back of the kitchen to make space for the new customized kitchen that’s nearly double its original size. The designers installed a wall of windows where cabinets had once been, offering spectacular views of downtown Kansas City.
The nearby but closed off dining room was incorporated into a new open floor plan by removing its wall, opening up its space to create a fluid entertaining area with a serving station for gatherings in the kitchen. This created a natural flow into the updated living room, filled with abundant natural light and ample lounge seating.
Also on the first floor, the primary bedroom underwent cosmetic updates, whereas its adjoining bathroom required an overhaul.
“We wanted a grottoed spa feel but also something that would flow with the rest of the home’s modern aesthetic,” Jessica notes.
Trove eliminated doors from the bathroom into his-and-her closets and redesigned one spacious walk-in with a new entrance from the bedroom. They also expanded space for a larger shower adjacent to a modern bathtub, given special prominence with white plaster walls and integrated lighting that hints at the feel of a private underground grotto.
In the basement, the awkward angles of the home’s architecture dominated the space with outdated style and limited usability; gutting it entirely was imperative.
“Countless hours were spent navigating many obstacles,” Nate says. “The fireplace couldn’t move, so we used that as a baseline to determine where everything else should find a home.”
Trove’s creative process modernized the downstairs’ sprawling footage so much that it feels like a completely new home.
“We knew the bar needed to have the best view in the space, so we placed it in front of new plate-glass windows overlooking the backyard,” Nate describes. “Its facade is curved on the ends as a design element to soften the space and also to allow room for furniture in front of the modernized fireplace.”
An intimate seating area framed by layered wood accents are backlit to give a cozy nook a warm and inviting glow.
On one side of the main living space, a masculine wing is replete with a series of dark spaces that accommodate a pool table that transforms to a ping pong table, a golf simulator room and an indoor hot tub. On the other end, a guest suite has access to the back garden, a new custom bathroom and a relaxing TV den.
Once the extensive project was complete, Eric and Whitney married in 2023 and used their remarkable residence as a backdrop for their wedding pictures. They have since increased the size of the family with twins, and Eric’s daughter from a previous marriage lives with them half the time. Her living space is upstairs next to her new baby siblings.
Across the hall is Whitney’s office and customized bathroom with access to a large outdoor balcony that faces the city. And—as if she hadn’t already been busy enough with the multiple transitions in her home life—just one week prior to her wedding, Whitney closed on a business acquisition, buying KC Concrete Company, which primarily installs concrete finishes for residences. She is growing the company, just as she has done with her family in this postmodern home with its new identity.
Resources:
Interior Designer/Contractor: Trove Homes
Real Estate Agent: Nate White, Compass Realty Group
Cabinets: Cabinets by King
Fabrication: Central Surfaces
Flooring: SVB Wood Floors
Hardware: Locks & Pulls
Lighting Fixtures: Wilson Lighting
Windows: Westport Glass
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