Ozark, Part 1

No, this is not a blog about Marty Byrde and the Netflix acclaimed show 'Ozark' but instead a beautiful transformation story with a beginning, a middle and an end that you won’t want to miss. 

Our story starts in December of 2017 when a wonderful couple found K. Renee through a recommendation from longtime clients of ours.  Thank you so much S & G, we are forever grateful. 

Our new clients were building a second home in the beautiful Lake of the Ozarks.  This, in itself, is an overwhelming proposition.  They decided it would be helpful to find a design team that could not only help them furnish their home (which was simply a piece of land and drawing on paper at this point) but to help advise them through the overwhelming task of selecting materials, finishes and all of the 838 (or more) decisions that needed to be made along the way.  

As part of buying complete furnishings for your home from K. Renee, consulting of this kind is a complimentary service that we often offer to our clients.    We first met regarding this particular project in late 2017 to discuss our client's overall goals for the home, to get to know their personal style and for them to get to know us.    

Their vision for their home was that it was to be comfortable, welcoming, cohesive, modern with a rustic, industrial vibe and lake-friendly.     But of course, before we even began thinking about furnishing selections, there were many, many initial decisions to be made starting with the exterior finishes, colors, and stone.   

If you have ever built a home, you know there are an overwhelming array of options and choices, and we spent a great deal of time finding the style of stone and color scheme that appealed to our clients and fit well in the natural landscape of the home.

In March of 2018, the construction of the home commenced, and the urgency to make all sorts of decisions escalated.  We met with our clients (whose Iowa home is about an hour and a half North of Des Moines) at least once a month along with lots of emails and phone calls to work through exterior and interior finishes along with things like cabinet design, painting, and lighting selections.   

Our client's construction company, Thomas Construction, was always helpful during this process and as we honed in on our preferred selections were able to create sample boards that genuinely represented how it would work on the exterior.

From there we began to work on the interior finishes from flooring to tile and everything in between.   These are just a few of the inspiration boards we worked on throughout the process.

Over the next several months, lots of choices were thoughtfully made like working on cabinetry and countertop configurations for the kitchen that best suited the lifestyle of our clients and their family.  

Our team also made a few trips to the Ozarks to check on the progress of the home construction as well as to help select the stone for the countertops that would be installed in the home.   

Before we knew it, the walls were up, and the house began to take its beautiful shape.  The next thing on the list of decisions were interior paint colors, trim and paint for the cabinetry.   Our clients didn’t want the home to be dark and heavy but light, warm and welcoming.  

Kelli has such a keen eye for paint color and offered options for the wall color, paint, cabinets, and trim.    We ended up choosing Repose Gray for the walls, Mindful Gray for doors and trim and Dorian Gray for the painted cabinets.

I think you will agree that the paint colors turned out beautiful.  Wait until you see it finished and furnished!  (Teaser.)

As 2019 approached, the end of the road was in sight for a completion date of some time in April.   Our focus quickly changed from the interior, and exterior finishes to lighting, interior layouts, and furniture selections   Stay tuned for Ozarks, Part Two and, of course, the beautiful result of the completed home (with video) in Part Three.   

I can’t wait to show you this project of light and love.   Not only are we thankful for the opportunity to work with our clients but for the long-lasting friendship and mutual respect that we have forged.    That, for us, is truly living life beautifully. 

Have a wonderful week,

Julie

P. S.    Don't forget about giving the women in your life some love this weekend for Mother's Day.    We have perfect big and little gifts just right for moms of all ages. And we thought we would make Saturday a MOMOSA day for daughters, moms, and grandmoms by serving Mimosa's and La Mie pastries as well as handing out flowers and having a special capsule of jewelry and clothing available for your shopping pleasure.    Let us pamper you all!