Secret World

December 18, 2024

Words by Andrea Darr
Photos by Matthew Anderson

Inspired by a famous literary passageway, a project client carves out space for a roaringly cute nook for the grandkids.

chloegel Design Remodel’s clients come to them for everything from kitchen and bath updates to whole-house redos.

“I mostly do the same kinds of projects,” says designer Donna Kirsopp.

Her repeat Leawood client was asking no different—at the start. “This customer has a whimsy about him,” she notes.

He and his wife hired Kirsopp to redesign the family’s kitchen and garage, which required an addition to the back of the home. The extra square footage gave them space to play with upstairs, as well. It altered roof lines and created vaulted ceilings inside.

Tucked into a seating area off the primary bedroom, Kirsopp set up a desk area using
a traditional furniture piece beneath
timbered framing.

Still, there was more space they could utilize.

“We knew there was more space right behind the bath,” Kirsopp says. “It would give us the opportunity to take advantage of the vaulted ceiling.”

The client knew exactly what to do with it. With three university degrees—one of them in literature—he wanted to reference a favorite children’s book series.

“He brought up Narnia early in the conversation,” Kirsopp recalls.

He had purchased a French armoire with thoughts of a secret world through it, following the storyline of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Kirsopp was wholeheartedly on board with the chance to do something beyond the norm. The project team cut apart and re-fabricated the wardrobe, opening it up to a world of imagination behind.

The gable roofline meant tall ceilings, which Kirsopp crowned with timber framing, and a perfect place to add a loft. A ladder ascends to a high-perched twin bed.

Two porthole windows bring in light through their unusual shape, while walnut parquet floors add additional character.

The clients’ granddaughters—who live out of state but visit regularly—can curl up on the upholstered bench. Organized storage drawers underneath—instead of one big messy box—hold books, colors and toys.

Kirsopp, who had worked with mural artist Jean Gorton on past projects, brought her in to brainstorm ideas.

“She’s exuberant about life, and she was giddy about this project,” Kirsopp notes.

One scene that would be clearly recognizable from the film is the forest path. Kirsopp and Gorton worked together to flesh out a full wall mural that darkens like the night sky toward the loft then fades back into sunrise.

“It’s 360 degrees in terms of colors,” Kirsopp says.

Gimbal lighting focused on the wall highlights specific areas. But what really makes it stand out is a scaled lamppost relief with a flicker candle at the top and its electrical wire hidden in the column.

A secret access door through a bookcase allows the girls to crawl through another wall into the primary closet and go around. Reepicheep, Narnia’s mouse leader, is painted at the bottom of the closet door, helping the girls to “see the right path.”

It is a nostalgic throwback for those of us who grew up with the story and a source of wonder for the next generation hearing it for the first time.

Designer/Builder: Schloegel Design Remodel, @remodelagain