Name: Jerad (Intern Architect/Contractor) & Jessica Foster (Registered Nurse)
Location: Prairie Village, Kansas
Size:1184 Sq. Ft.
Type: Mid Century Modern Drummond
Years Lived In: 3 come January
>> Enter Slideshow & Thumbnails
In January of 2006, Jerad and Jessica Foster purchased a Donald Drummond home that was designed by Architect David B. Runnels. This particular house was in the Revere Quality Homes Program which was part of several magazine publications "back in the day". The house was purchased from the original owners, who had lived there since 1951. Their new Mid Century find was in rough shape, (as you might expect from a home that is over 50 years old) but that didn't stop them from putting in the work it took to bring this home back into the 21st century.
The house was taken down to the studs and the pictures in this tour are the result of several years of homeowner DIY diligence. You can read about their renovations on their home remodeling blog. They experienced many of the same thing that normal home owners go through and it's a refreshing take on this long (and worthwhile) process. You will see everything from decking that was going up in the snow, to concrete finishing and wall paneling being hung in place.
If you are from the KC Metro area and this house is your cup of tea, don't forget to visit KC Modern for a two part driving tour of the homes in this same area.
AT Survey:
My Style: Our style is a mixture of mid century modern dashed with a some quality woodwork. In a house as small as ours style has to be functional every thing we have serves a purpose.
Inspiration: Great Mid Century Designers and Architects who took advantage of Post-War America and strived to provide high design to the masses. We spend a ton of time surfing the net and reading magazines and vintage home books from the 50's for inspiration.
Favorite Element: It would have to be how open our house is. From the front door you can see the whole house. Both Bedrooms, the bathroom, the kitchen/dining, and the pool and patio. We also love all of our windows (all 28 of them) they allow us to enjoy plenty of daylight and views of the exterior.
Favorite Room:. Jessica; the Kitchen Jerad; the patio/yard
Biggest Challenge: Completely gutting and renovating the house in 10 months while we were working our full time jobs.
What Friends Say: Can we have a party at your house? Did you find that on Craigslist too?
Proudest DIY: We completed 95% of the construction of our home remodel ourselves. Recently it was the design/build of our platform bed made with solid Walnut.
Best Advice: Take the time to blog your entire remodel process. Be diligent and try to post weekly if possible even if you don't accomplish much. Looking back over the process your remember so many small moments that otherwise would have been forgotten. We blogged our entire remodel here www.drummondhome.blogspot.com
Found Treasure: The house itself, while driving a different way home from work I noticed a for sale sign in a neighborhood I knew had some MCM houses. Six days later we had purchased our first house. I thought it was perfect it had had a very rough 55 years and needed a complete gutting and remodel.
My Indulgence: Buying Woodworking tools and designer furniture.
Dream Source: Estate Sales and Craigslist
Reality Source: I build what furniture I can and I have bartered several custom pieces for trade in order to indulge our expensive furniture taste. I love finding a bargain in unsuspecting places.
Had forever: Danish Modern Dining Table and matching Credenza that we got from the original owners of the house.
Just got: Vitra George Nelson Wall clock, a gift from one of our neighbors for helping them tile a bathroom.
>> Enter Slideshow & Thumbnails
Resources:
Living Room Furniture:
White Couch is a vintage sofa I picked up from my boss; no idea who the maker or designer is.
Entertainment Center is one I custom built from Bamboo Plywood (www.studiobld.blogspot.com).
Rocking Eames shell chair was a wedding gift from my Grandma (Retro Inferno - Modernica).
Herman Miller Case Study Storage unit (www.RetroInferno.com)
Brown Dux sofa was a Craigslist find.
Jens Risom Solid Walnut Rotating Coffee table (purchased at a local shop) we had no idea who designed it until we recently stumbled across another table labeled on the web.
Bertoia Diamond Chairs were a wedding present from my coworkers.
Plycraft Lounge chair was an estate sale find.
Accessories:
Fireplace set is from Crate and Barrel.
Bowl on Coffee Table is from Target.
Vases in Case Study Storage Unit are from Crate and Barrel.
The pillows are from Macy's.
Lighting: George Nelson Criss Cross Bubble Lamp from Modernica
Rugs and Carpets: Angela Adams (Retro Inferno), the entryway rugs are just carpet samples.
Artwork: Starburst III
Dining Room Furniture:
Teak Table and Credenza we purchased from the previous/original owners of the house.
Stacking Eames Shell Chairs (www.RetroInferno.com)
Accessories:
Vases; Sears, Crate and Barrell, Home Depot
Concrete Planter is from Crate and Barrel
Lighting: dining table light was purchased on www.lightology.com
Artwork: Alexander Girard for Herman Miller Action office Panel we purchased this one from a friend who got it at a local estate sale.
Kitchen Appliances:
Kitchen Aid stove and dishwasher, LG fridge
Cabinets are custom from H&S Cabinets
Accessories:
Planters are from CB2.
Drawer pulls are from Epco.
Lighting: www.lightinguniverse.com
Bedroom Furniture:
Custom Built Solid Walnut Platform Bed (www.studiobld.blogspot.com)
Matching custom Nightstand
DIY closets w/ built in dressers
Lighting: Ikea
Artwork: Prints purchased on Etsy
frames from Crate and Barrel
Office Furniture:
Florence Knoll Walnut Executive Desk an estate sale find
Eames Aluminum Group office chair (www.RetroInferno.com)
Bookcase is from Ikea purchased on craigslist
Danish Modern wall unit was obtained in trade for some of the existing lights that we took out of the house.
Lighting: George Nelson Bubble Lamp purchased from the original owners of the house
Artwork: Frank Lloyd Wright prints
>> Enter Slideshow & Thumbnails
(Thanks Jerad and Jessica!)
Congrats Jerad and Jessica! It's so exciting to open up my daily lunch blog and see someone I know! Your place looks amazing. Mike and I will have to stop by the next time we are in Kansas City.
view mviamontes's profile
Best home on Apartment Therapy, EVER!
view spinsLPs's profile
Why does this house remind me so much of the Brady Bunch house?
I think this is one of the better (if not best) appointed homes on AT in a long while (and we all know how often AT is updated :P).
Thanks for sharing all your resources and Job well done! I have to go droll over the pics for the 5th time now...
view Danny & Carlos's profile
beautiful! as a short person, I love that all the kitchen storage is low! and the windows are gorgeous
view Enamorada's profile
great place!
view Piztachio's profile
The home office needs work but otherwise very sublime.
Living in a mansion wouldn't veil the fact that I was living in Kansas, though. I'll take my 600 sq feet pad in the city any day!
view tinnie's profile
I love the lights in the living room! Where are they from?
view RedMaiko's profile
Oh my, I am very very impressed. your house is SOOOOO beautiful I wanna live there!!!!!!!!!
view cvsus's profile
"Why does this house remind me so much of the Brady Bunch house?"
I'll potato-sack race ya to the cookies!
view btoddster's profile
Great kitchen, but I can't get over the fact that I have to stare at the butts seated on those Bertoia chairs while I slave over my fabulous kitchen. And something is off with your living room...like the couches are too small in relation to the room, and the Bertoia chairs are too small in relation to the couches/eames lounger. Otherwise, kick ass house!
view somedudeinvicenza's profile
Love the sunken kitchen. Great house! Nice job!
view lightspeed's profile
tinnie:
view suziegoombs's profile
agreed best house on at ever. i'm so jealous. this is a fantastic job. great vision. superb results.
view animalhouze's profile
Very nice! We have a 1960's split level with a wider range of furniture designs - in principle I like a less museum-like approach better, but in this case, yours is just very very well done and I'm a bit jealous...
view particlebored's profile
I thought I was getting tired of the constant mid century inundation but this is absolutely beautiful! I love the touches of actual modern. Amazing job, guys. You must be so happy to come home every day.
I live in the Bay Area and love it here but the thought of living somewhere quiet, spacious (landwise) and affordable sounds tempting sometimes.
Don't hate on Kansas! And yes, when is 1200sf a mansion?!
view oakland's profile
Does anyone know about where this is? I wouldn't mind driving past. I probably live within 10 minutes of it. Kansas City is a great city to live in. I don't mind if it stays a nice secret...
view dharmabum's profile
Congratulations from the crew at KCMODERN
view moderns-r-us's profile
Congratulations on a job well done. You put in the work and it shows. Love it!
view LBhirise's profile
I am sorry! I didn't mean to hate on Kansas... I am so insanely jealous of this house...it's a great house! That's all I meant to write. Good job on the house.
view tinnie's profile
an MCM lovers dream. great job on everything.
view STYLeyes's profile
Congrats on the write up Jerad. Hopefully you had time to fill that rut I put in your yard before the next photo shoot. The house looks amazing as always. Love the new planters in front along the walkway and garage. Make me some!
STLModern (aka: Dan)
view STLModern's profile
GORGEOUS! I'm totally impressed with all the items that you guys made yourself like the bed, dresser and the record storage My Father is a bit of a woodworker and I'm going to send him the link to your blog right now so he can check it out. Perhaps I can get him to make me a dresser! ;-)
view Monica's profile
WANT. THAT. KITCHEN.
view PhillyLass's profile
RedMaiko - The lights in the living room are the Criss Cross Lamps designed by George Nelson and made by Modernica in LA
http://www.ylighting.com/bub-crisscross.html
view modernmecca's profile
That home is stunning! I think I could handle being land-locked in Kansas if I lived there!
view twenty twenty-one's profile
My fave tour so far!
view ridge_van_winkle's profile
Very cohesive. My favorite elemets are the sofas.
RedMaiko: I think the lights in the living room are:
http://www.dwr.com/product/categories/lighting/pendants/nelson-crisscross-pendant.do
Or a look-alike.
I agree that looking at the backside of those chairs from the kitchen is a bit odd, but not a deal-breaker (depending, of course, on the particular backside). :-)
view Cool Breeze's profile
But did you know those panels between the columns are movable just to protect you backside form unwanted viewing?
view moderns-r-us's profile
love the clean lines, great job
view Stephvixen's profile
It's amazing how wonderful MCM furniture looks in the right setting - an MCM house. There's a reason why it all fits so well, and why the computer looks so out of place, despite it being one of the newest things in the house! Can you imagine what an Eames-styled desktop would look like? :)
All in all, beautiful beautiful home. Congratulations.
view birdie_dc's profile
Love this home. The use of wood and the placement of things. Done in quiet good taste. I also want to comment on the photography and the presentation of each space, wonderful visual flow. I mostly want to thank the owners for the way they gave us a portrait of themselves as the last photo, putting a period at the end. So much better than inserting themselves as a distraction in the actual presentation of their home. Sensitive and smart. Thank you so much.
view click212's profile
Beautiful! Sorry if I can only manage this one word, but I am speechless. Thank you for sharing your home.
view pungster's profile
Your house Rocks! Amazing blend of vintage and new! I love the fact that you made your 1200 sq. ft. home a "Mansion". It is all about loving your space, living in 100% of your space and sharing your space with other people who appreciate it! I would take this "High Quality, Attention to Details, Functional Space" Mansion over any 6000 Sq. Ft. "Over done, Vastly Spreadout, Cheap Track Home" Mansion any day!! Way to go, I know you gave Blood, Sweat and Tears. Enjoy your Home everyday! And, yeah I want to come to a Party at your house!
view Funky Town's profile
Now I understand the title. It IS a dream house!
Now that it's finish. What will you do with all that free time? Do you have the end of project blues?
view Patrick F. aka PsychoPat's profile
I actually am looking at purchasing another house to redo! I've been spending a lot of time building furniture as well so that keeps me busy.
view jfoster's profile
My wife and I love this home. Such a classic mid century design that was given new life. David B. Runnels would be proud and I think this young architect has a very bright future. Thanks!
view sworden's profile