Midcentury raised ranch in Crestwood can be featured on tour | House & Backyard

They discovered it in 2016 once they had been seeking to transfer from their Lindenwood Park dwelling to a much bigger dwelling for his or her rising household, with twin daughters, Cece and Rosie, now 6.

The 1963-built raised ranch dwelling they discovered can be featured on ModernSTL’s “The Coronary heart of Crestwood Tour — From Midcentury to Trendy” on Might 14.

Dan grew up in Crestwood and his mother and father nonetheless dwell there, so once they stumbled upon this home, the placement was match, although it wasn’t essentially love at first sight. Whereas the home had been effectively maintained and was in good condition, it didn’t precisely match their model. The rooms had been all carpeted and wallpapered, and heavy draperies coated the home windows. But Karen was capable of look previous the décor to see the potential.

“I satisfied him,” she says. “We got here and checked out this home and didn’t put a suggestion on it till a month later. There was a contract on it that fell by, so we got here again and regarded once more.”

One of many greatest promoting factors was the principle suite addition, which was constructed within the Nineteen Seventies with uncovered brick, vaulted ceilings, a fire and a sliding door resulting in a small deck. Karen cherished the house a lot that she briefly thought-about utilizing it as the principle front room, although now completely appreciates having it as a personal retreat.

The open residing and eating room off the lobby includes a wall of home windows, permitting the house to flood with gentle in the course of the day. Raised over the storage, it appears like a perch, overlooking the road beneath. “I really like how the bushes are at all times altering,” Dan says of the view.

The room is crammed with the midcentury trendy furnishings and artwork the couple has collected over time, largely bought at property gross sales and on Fb Market.

On the opposite facet of the lounge wall is a comfortable household room and a newly transformed kitchen, which the Brunses accomplished in October 2021. Whereas the kitchen was initially related to the household room and eating room, the doorways had been small and it felt closed off. They opened it utterly to the household room and widened the opening to the eating room for a better movement. They vaulted the ceiling and added beams to match these within the household room, making it really feel much more spacious.

A guide from Kitchen and Bathtub Design in Kirkwood helped the Brunses choose and design the format of the thermally fused laminate cupboards. They selected quartz counter tops in white for the principle work space and black for the brand new middle island. A particular customized panel was added to the tip of the island and painted brilliant turquoise for a pop of coloration. 4 stools tuck below the island eating house, the place the household spends quite a lot of time hanging out, taking part in video games and listening to music collectively. What as soon as felt like a darkish and closed-off house has grow to be the center of the house.

“It feels prefer it was at all times meant for this,” Dan says.

The remainder of the initiatives the Brunses have undertaken have been DIY and largely beauty modifications. They pulled up carpeting all through the home and restored the unique hardwood flooring. Within the household room, they stained the unique floating wooden fire mantle. Karen thought-about portray the brick wall behind it, however has grown keen on the colour variations that match the house’s exterior. “I’m glad Dan talked me out of it,” she says.

In one of many spare bedrooms, Dan and Karen created what they name an “grownup chill room” with a document participant, a small desk for puzzles and different actions and a small nook, initially crammed with cabinets, that they changed into a built-in bench seat with storage created by Karen’s dad.

A completely completed basement playroom permits Cece and Rosie loads of house to unfold out with their toys, and exits to the storage. Karen not too long ago up to date the basement rest room and plans to relocate the laundry room to the principle flooring as a subsequent mission.

The Brunses actually love residing within the Crestwood space, particularly as their ladies develop, and revel in taking them to Crestwood Park and Laumeier Scultpure Park, each close by. Karen’s mother and father additionally not too long ago moved to the neighborhood simply few blocks away, and the household has made associates with close by neighbors, a number of of which may even have their houses on the upcoming tour. Dan and Karen stay up for sharing their dwelling with different midcentury trendy followers.

Ages • Dan is 41, and Karen is 40.

Occupations • Each are nurses. Karen is a case supervisor at an insurance coverage firm, and Dan works at St. Louis Youngsters’s Hospital.

Household • They’ve 6-year-old twin daughters, Cece and Rosie.