My Houzz: Eclectic, Earthy Charm in a 1951 Family Home in Kansas
This creative couple with twin toddlers embrace ‘Scandinavian jungle kitsch’ and functionality in their home decor
Many of the couple’s end tables were built by Aaron, which helped the couple save money when decorating. Aaron also made the wood bench under the TV. Potted philodendrons add a touch of green to each corner of this room.
Woven basket, left: Plum + Sparrow; basket, right: Home Goods
Woven basket, left: Plum + Sparrow; basket, right: Home Goods
Bev and Aaron are pictured here with their twin toddlers, Will and Natalie. “We were living in a downtown Kansas City loft and were trying to grow a garden on our window sill. Didn’t go so well,” Bev says. “That’s when we started to look for a place to put roots down, pun always intended. We’d been looking for a home about a month, when at the last second, Aaron added an ugly, boring, sad little khaki house with a saggy red shingle roof to the list. ‘G…great…,’ I said. But of course, we walked through the unexpectedly airy ranch house with old hardwoods and charming windows in every room and said, ‘This is it.’ I probably cried a little.”
“It wasn’t ‘the perfect’ house, but we knew it could be,” Bev says. Quirky details like an original pull-out wooden cutting board in a kitchen cabinet, a giant Lazy Susan in the pantry and a laundry chute in the hallway closet floor drew the couple in. “But it was the almost floor-to-ceiling living room window with a complete view of the backyard that sealed the deal. That, and they left a vintage strawberry planter for us, which was gravy,” Bev says. They now have plenty of gardening room, including space for a volunteer melon, which is growing up the pole by their back door.
“It wasn’t ‘the perfect’ house, but we knew it could be,” Bev says. Quirky details like an original pull-out wooden cutting board in a kitchen cabinet, a giant Lazy Susan in the pantry and a laundry chute in the hallway closet floor drew the couple in. “But it was the almost floor-to-ceiling living room window with a complete view of the backyard that sealed the deal. That, and they left a vintage strawberry planter for us, which was gravy,” Bev says. They now have plenty of gardening room, including space for a volunteer melon, which is growing up the pole by their back door.
Pictured here is their dog, Charlie, in their family room.
Sectional: Pier 1 Imports; coffee table: Nebraska Furniture Mart; browse similar white coffee tables
Sectional: Pier 1 Imports; coffee table: Nebraska Furniture Mart; browse similar white coffee tables
An incense holder Aaron made out of reclaimed driftwood is displayed on the mantel.
Aaron also made the stand the lamp is on.
Bookshelf: Nebraska Furniture Mart
Bookshelf: Nebraska Furniture Mart
The couple painted all the walls in White Heron by Benjamin Moore. The trim is Ultra White, also by Benjamin Moore.
“Part of the fun of remodeling and decorating is the budget,” Bev says. “I’m frugal by nature, so obviously I’m drawn to the clearance rack, free shipping and other inventive ways to save a buck — like finding an old door on the side of the road and calling it a kitchen table. We’ve never had credit cards, so each year we pick one big project, save up, set a budget and make it our beeswax to stick to it. To spread the expense out, we purchase one or two items a month, while we’re saving, so it doesn’t feel like a punch in the pancreas when the remodel arrives.”
Aaron made the wooden corner table that swivels and is set on skateboard wheels. The chandelier is a thrift store find.
Aaron made the wooden corner table that swivels and is set on skateboard wheels. The chandelier is a thrift store find.
“Outside of extending the front porch and adding a curvy walkway, we’ve really done the rest ourselves. And by ourselves, I mean Aaron and not me,” Bev says. Their friend Eric Hubbs, a general contractor who used to own his own remodeling business, also helped update parts of the home. Together, they remodeled both the kitchen and the bathroom, giving the spaces a simple, clean, cohesive feel with white subway tile, cabinets, countertops and wall paint.
The wood-and-white kitchen is styled with primarily neutral tones with a subtle hint of color, thanks to the kid-friendly dishware for the twins.
The wood-and-white kitchen is styled with primarily neutral tones with a subtle hint of color, thanks to the kid-friendly dishware for the twins.
The kitchen renovation cost just under $11,000. The couple ordered some items on Amazon and found others at the local Habitat for Humanity Restore, which Bev says “is a goldmine for those who enjoy repurposing old crap and making it cool.”
The open shelving is used to display Bev’s collection of white and cream handmade coffee mugs.
The open shelving is used to display Bev’s collection of white and cream handmade coffee mugs.
“Like with every home, the kitchen is the heart. It’s where I spend most of my time, hovering back and forth from the stove to the sink to the fridge, playing Craft Service for these bottomless-pit toddlers. But because the kitchen is both beautiful and functional, it’s also joyful,” Bev says.
Kitchen cart: Lowe’s
Kitchen cart: Lowe’s
“With our shotgun kitchen, we had to maximize storage areas, so we added square cubby holes to a wall where a thrifted poster of an Italian model shoving pasta into her face used to hang,” Bev says. The cubbies are filled with props that Bev uses when creating posts for her blog, Bev Cooks. Some are thrift store finds; others are from Home Goods.
Gold measuring cups: Golden and Pine
Gold measuring cups: Golden and Pine
The bathroom was renovated for about $4,000. The couple stayed with a primarily wood-and-white palette that includes new white subway tile.
Will’s bedroom features neutral colors, houseplants and a minimalistic decor that matches the rest of the home’s aesthetic. Aaron made the bookcase.
Dresser: Tarva, Ikea; see similar pine dressers
Dresser: Tarva, Ikea; see similar pine dressers
Natalie’s room shares the same look and feel as Will’s room.
Table and chairs: Latt, Ikea; Browse similar kid table sets
Table and chairs: Latt, Ikea; Browse similar kid table sets
Natalie’s toys and books are neatly displayed in her room on a wall-mounted bookshelf and wall shelves.
Natalie and Will have a secret entrance to each other’s rooms through a small crawl way in each other’s closets. Bev says it is something that Aaron is currently working on.
Backpack: Herschel Supply; toy piano: Schoenhut, Amazon
Backpack: Herschel Supply; toy piano: Schoenhut, Amazon
“Our bedroom is another favorite room of mine. Spacious and mostly clean, it’s a rather calming room,” Bev says. “Actually, with the continued theme of neutrals and nature, the whole house has a peaceful tone. It’s not peaceful. Oh no. Remember, two 3-year-olds live here. But it feels peaceful. I’ll take it.”
The hanging wall planters are thrifted theater can lights that Aaron flipped upside down and planted with cascading philodendrons. The matching table lamps were originally from Ikea. Bev updated them with aged copper spray paint.
Bedding: Stitch stripe duvet cover set, Parachute; white nightstands: Target
The hanging wall planters are thrifted theater can lights that Aaron flipped upside down and planted with cascading philodendrons. The matching table lamps were originally from Ikea. Bev updated them with aged copper spray paint.
Bedding: Stitch stripe duvet cover set, Parachute; white nightstands: Target
Aaron built the hollow coffee table in the bedroom. The bedroom vanity set is something Bev has had her entire life. It belonged to her grandparents, along with the dresser, and they gifted the furniture pieces to her when she was a little girl.
Printed image: Printed from Artifact Uprising
Printed image: Printed from Artifact Uprising
Bev found a fallen branch and repurposed it as a curtain rod in the room.
“During the warm months of the year, we keep our back door open, which spills out to a concrete patio with a big wooden table, a lush vegetable and flower garden, more potted plants and simple minimal decor, mostly odds and ends from garage sales,” Bev says. “It helps blur the lines from indoor living to outdoor hanging, which makes the space feel bigger. More room for wine.”
Kids picnic table: Reso, Ikea
Kids picnic table: Reso, Ikea
Bev has collected secondhand watering cans over the years. The copper-colored one is from Ikea and was a spray-paint DIY project.
A climbing rose bush by their back door crawls through a handmade string art trellis Aaron made.
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Who lives here: Aaron and Bev Weidner, their 3-year-old twins, Will and Natalie, and their dog, Charlie
Location: Prairie Village, Kansas
Size: 1,400 square feet (130 square meters); three bedrooms, 1½ bathrooms
Year built: 1951
Bev and Aaron Weidner have spent the past 10 years personalizing their family’s 1951 home. Bev writes about recipes, DIY projects and parenting on her blog, Bev Cooks, working out of her home. Aaron builds reclaimed-wood furniture and owns Flotsamist. “Our home is a cozy mix of minimalism and whimsy,” Bev says.
The couple renovated their kitchen and bathroom. They also took advantage of the open, airy feel of the home, thanks to a ton of natural light, by decorating to blend minimalism with a natural look. “We like to call our style ‘Scandinavian jungle kitsch,’ ” Bev says. “Lots of white, lots of wood, lots of toddler stains and a wink here or there.”
Aaron made the tree stump plant stand, pictured to the right of the fireplace, which is also movable thanks to an attached skateboard wheel.
The corner record stand belonged to Bev’s mother. She gave it to Bev, who spray-painted it white, when Bev was in college and got her first apartment.