Kansas City Symphony’s 44th Designer Show House

Creating fabulous spaces can sometimes look easy to the undiscerning eye. However, orchestrating all the elements to come together can be challenging at best.  But it is the challenge – that drives me.

As a Designer, one of my rules for design I use is “if everything is emphasized then nothing is emphasized”. Meaning, the magic comes from choosing where the emphasis is placed. You need a certain amount of continuity and a certain amount of variation – this creates harmony within a space. Ultimately, this is what I as a designer attempt to achieve. You know when you have entered into such a space as it draws you in and causes the eye to move about the room – evoking your senses to the author’s intent. Light, color, texture, shape and form intermingle; objects dominate or recede to produce a winning solution for each project.

This rule was employed in the design solution for the west staircase in the Kansas City Symphony’s 44th Annual Designer Show House. The unique banister railing and turned spindles, 8 ½”deep trim moldings, painted a creamy white that line the base of the walls, stairwell and surround the windows and doors are magnificent. As a response to this, a light neutral color playing with textures were chosen for the larger surfaces allowing the emphasis to be placed on these rich architectural elements.

Sherwin Williams ‘Stone Lion’ SW7507 is the base color beneath a stunning faux finish of platinum metallic foils and textures done by Artist Jennifer Allwood of the Magic Brush, Inc. (follow the amazing Jennifer at themagicbrushinc.blogspot.com). Stone Lion is a color in which in some light seems more khaki and others more grey. I find using colors that are often hard to define make great backdrops to design a space around. So if you find yourself tilting your head and saying “is that brown or is it a purple”. Use it. Paint colors that have range such as these, are great to use with the more saturated colors selected for the accents in the room.

You will find this to be the case throughout the two story space of the west staircase in the accessories and the art pieces. The art was selected from Prairiebrooke Art Gallery. The saturated color of teal blue is found in the dupioni silk pillows and repeated again in the art work. A vibrant red is seen from the bromeliad flower on the lamp table of the first floor landing.  Found again in the art work and with the red bird who is perched atop the drapery rod just outside the west side porch. Who seems to have escaped its antique bird cage just beyond the door, resonating with freedom to come and go as it pleases.

Lastly, the warm neutral color of the honey caramel in the wood floor and the banister railing brings balance to the cooler neutrals in the khaki grey tones of the walls and carpet. The honey caramel color is again repeated in the art work, draperies and the Puccini tile mirror. The Puccini tile named ‘Feng Shui’ was selected to create a piece of art itself. The 4”x4” tiles are hand crafted ceramic tiles that are the border to a beveled glass mirror.

Choreographed Conflict by David Young

Gracing the niche on the second level landing is a bronze sculpture. It is named Choreographed Conflict. The sculpture shows the strength of a woman in spite of her physical command. David R Young, the sculpture, currently resides in Prairie Village, KS and has a studio in house. He received his Masters Degree in Sculpture from the University of Iowa and after graduating, decided that he wanted to teach high school art and moved to Grand Island, NE. He has commissions throughout the Midwest, Deadwood, SD (Wild Bill Hickok grave), Lincoln, NE (Sunken Gardens), Scottsbluff, NE (Centennial Park), Grand Island, NE (Stuhr Museum and City Library), Arkansas City, KS (Cowley College), Alliance, NE (Carnegie Arts Center), St Paul, NE (NE Baseball Hall of Fame) and numerous others in both private and public collections. Most of his work has been commissions and if you are interested in David’s work, call at 913.381.2599 or DavidRYoungSculpture.com

The ‘Fine Arts’ crystal and platinum metallic chandelier of the first floor landing complements the graceful elegant lines of the architecture. Its’ platinum metallic is repeated in the shimmering faux finish foils on the wall.

Stair Carpet

You often hear that using dark colors can make a space feel smaller. However, it is by using strong ‘contrasts’ in a space that is often more guilty of doing this. So for this long narrow space, the stair carpet and the walls carry the same base color however, are separated by pattern and textures. The carpet which sports a classical Moorish design; this low-piled loop consists of Antron Legacy nylon which is perfect for stairs. Meaning it will not show traffic patterns, is color fast and will wear like iron. The carpet was expertly installed by Mike and Pedro of KC Flooring.

So what was the biggest challenge in designing this space? Stay tuned as we are still trying to figure out how to get the faux finish to the top of the walls along the narrow staircase. Amazing as Jennifer and her girls are – they need to grow one more arm so they can hang on to the ladder – which is straight up and down and applying the foils – which requires two hands. Goal is that no one dies or is injured. The doors will open to the public on April 25….I guess you will have to come see what we ended up doing.

What an interesting journey this home has been through. It is one of the earliest homes built in what is one of Kansas City’s most prestigious areas to live in. Learn who first owned this land, and the war that was once fought on it. Which legendary home owner lived in it and whose descendant’s financial backing along with JC Nichols developed the ‘first outdoor’ shopping mall known as the magnificent Country Club Plaza?  And who also has a Kansas City boulevard named after them. You will find the answers to these questions at the 44th Annual Symphony Designer Show House web site showhouse.org, at the top of the Home page .

Thanks for allowing me to indulge you in this design process. The Designer Show House opens to the public on April 25, 2013 and will show through May 19th. Also visit showhouse.org for the location and advanced ticket purchase locations. Hope you get a chance to view this year’s Kansas City Symphony Designer Show House.

I would love to hear how I have inspired you.