The Essential Lake House
At Prairie Lee Lake’s edge, a family trades tradition for quiet clarity—and finds beauty in restraint.
Words
Jen Moore
@misses.moore
Photos
Matthew Anderson
@matthewaphoto
Architect
NSPJ Architects
@nspjarchitects
Builder
Harkrader Homes
@harkraderhomes
elissa and Chad Bowles didn’t want a big lake house. They didn’t want a second story, or a basement, or anything that echoed the traditional millwork and formal rooms of their primary home in Leawood. What they did want: light, simplicity, and space to be together.
They also had a lot that gave them no choice but to think with precision. “It’s a long, narrow slice of land on a bluff,” says Melissa, a self-taught designer who sees minimalism not as a trend, but as a value system. “It overlooks a bend in the lake where nothing can ever be built, just trees and rock formations. That view will never change. We wanted to build something that honored it.”
To architect Clint Evans of NSPJ, the site presented more than just a challenge—it offered the kind of constraint that invites clarity. Creative limitations, like poetry, demand precision. “You have to make every move count in a project like this,” Evans says. And this plot of land inspired him.
When people go to the lake today, they often want to build something they can show off from the water. And this one is exactly the opposite of that. It is very unassuming in how it blends into its environment.
– Clint Evans
Instead of a home that sprawled, he and Melissa designed a home that unfolds—one deliberate step at a time. Low ceilings at the entry, then a soft descent through subtly stepped floor levels, gradually rising ceiling heights, and finally, a living space that opens like a lens to the water.
“The house draws you in,” Evans says. “When people go to the lake today, they often want to build something they can show off from the water. And this one is exactly the opposite of that. It is very unassuming in how it blends into its environment.”
The one-story layout was key for Melissa. “I wanted a space that would bring our family together.”
Evans worked in clerestory transom windows to bring in natural light from above, especially in the bedrooms. “Even the moonlight comes in,” Melissa says. “Those windows change the feel of the house all day long.”
Inside, the space is layered but minimal. The kitchen wall reads like a seamless bank of cabinetry, with an inconspicuous pantry right around the corner. “I didn’t want a random door breaking up the line,” Melissa says. “So we designed it to feel hidden, almost like a refrigerator panel.”
Inside is everything that doesn’t need to be on display: extra appliances, shelves, a second fridge, and, as she puts it, “all the coffee.”
The material palette is restrained, yet warm. Engineered hardwood floors stand up to lake life and two big dogs. Custom red oak cabinets were stained a deep, dark hue for contrast.
“There’s so much white oak everywhere,” Melissa notes, “and I love it—but I wanted something cozier, more grounding.” The walls, trim, and ceiling are all painted a soft gray—Sherwin-Williams Shiitake. “It changes color in every light. It’s warm and inviting without being too gray or too brown.”
Throughout the home, storage is integrated and intentional—closets built out with cabinetry, a hidden dry bar beside the fireplace, a breezeway-turned-atrium entry that connects the garage. “Every square foot had to earn its keep,” Melissa says. “We didn’t want clutter. We didn’t want to over-furnish. We wanted to live light.”
In a space so pared back, every material choice holds weight. “We were very strict about what came in,” Melissa says. “My husband and I had to agree on every piece.” That discipline created room to breathe—visually, emotionally, and even socially. Friends often comment on how calm the home feels, how it seems to slow time. “It’s quiet, but not cold,” Melissa says. “The house feels like it’s part of the landscape—like it was meant to be here.”
This emphasis on simplicity isn’t just aesthetic—it’s lifestyle. With no tech for the kids, weekends now revolve around dominoes, morning fishing, and late-night talks in the plunge pool or sauna. “It’s just how we want to be,” Melissa says. “We’re in the same space, doing things together. It feels like family again.”
Even the outdoor spaces are dialed into that intention. A screened living room with drop-down panels opens to lake breezes by day and closes off against bugs at night. “It’s probably my favorite room,” Melissa says. “In fall, we open the big doors and let the whole space breathe.”
For Evans, that blend of spatial clarity and lived joy is the project’s highest success. “Melissa didn’t know what to expect, but this, she said, exceeded her expectations.”
And in the end, what began as a narrow lot became a wide-open life. The land asked for less; the Bowles and Evans answered with intention. Every move counted. Every detail earned its place. What remains is a home that feels like an architectural haiku—spare, grounded, and quietly profound.
Resources
Architect: NSPJ Architects
Designer: Melissa Bowles
Builder: Harkrader Homes
Cabinetry: Johnson Custom Cabinets
Countertops: Rocktops
Smart Home, Security & Alarm: Modern Perceptions Appliances: Ferguson Home
Barrel Sauna: Nootka
Pool: Modpools
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