Central Ohio Home and Garden Magazine - Spring 2011

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One of the perks about being a part of the Central Ohio Home & Garden editorial team is that during photo shoots, I get to go inside extraordinary houses and meet the fabulous people who live in them. It’s fun learning why they chose a motif or purchased a particular piece of furniture. It’s also wonderful to listen

as homeowners reminisce about all the great memories they’ve shared in their homes – or for new homeowners – the excitement in their voices as they talk about making memories in years to come.

In this issue, we introduce a couple of new features. The first, called At Home With, gives readers a glimpse into the lives of the people who build, design and decorate some of central Ohio’s most beautiful and unique homes. We unveil the feature with the very charming and unassuming Kevin Knight, president of Kevin Knight & Co. He graciously invited us into his home and candidly shared his thoughts about what he considers important in life and how he finds inspiration.

The other feature, Open Spaces, is about just what its name implies. Open spaces can be inside or outside, and in this issue we take a look at porches. Staff writer Jeff Thitoff cap-tures both the personal and practical reasons people are resting easy on their porches.

For homeowners with children or grandchildren, you’ll want to check our Best of Home highlight on Kid Spaces. We talked to homeowners and builders about why creating a space dedicated to children is so worthwhile – for everyone who lives in the house. In the photo above, I was at the home of Westerville couple Juanita and Marvin Rusk, who turned their basement into a one-room activity center for their grandchildren.

We found some awesome Things We Love at the spring Central Ohio Home & Garden Show. Hope you had a chance to check out the show. But if you didn’t, find a sampling (see page 65) of some of the cool stuff that turned our heads.

Rebecca WaltersEditor

04 Central Ohio Home & Garden SPRING 2011

Cover photo by John Knouff

Editor/Designer

Rebecca [email protected]

Staff Writer

Jeff [email protected]

Contributing Writers

NaNcy byRoN alissa cuRtis

katheRiNe haRbeNMichael leach

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JohN kNouff

Image Processing

JohN kusicNick PelaR

Vice President Sales

abby claRk

Custom Publishing Sales Manager

DeboRah [email protected]

Advertising Sales Director

RhoNDa baRloW

Advertising Sales Managers

RaNDy heRshoff chRis keRR

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aDaM tRabitz

Account Executive

sheila huNt [email protected]

Central Ohio Home & Garden is a publication of The Columbus Dispatch’s Advertising Department. For advertising information, contact Deborah Jackson at 469.6136 or email [email protected].

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ContentsSpring 2011

on ThE CoVEr At Home With 10Insight on Kevin Knight

dEPArTmEnTsBest of Home 16Dedicated spaces for children make sense

Great Outdoors 49Making a splash with outdoor water features

Open Spaces 54Porches – reconnecting with the past

Inspiring Ideas 60Modern marvel - renovating a century-old charmer

Gourmet Style 66 Sassy sinks – not your mother’s kitchen sink

Our Backyard 70

16

60

49 66photo Courtesy lauryn byrdy photography

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Insighton Kevin Knight

It’s not whether you fall, but in what direction.

For custom home builder Kevin Knight, the goal has always been to fall forward.

“Everybody has times when they’ve failed here or there,” says the unassuming 56-year-old president of Kevin Knight & Co. “But you have to fall forward, not backward.”

Knight has applied that wisdom since the day he graduated from The Ohio State University with an architecture degree – and a pipe dream to venture down South and dabble in preserva-tion of architecture. Reality smacked hard and swift.

“I had a wife, a kid and a lot of debt,” Knight recalls. “That had to take precedence.”

So he took a job locally, drawing residential designs for Cedarbrook Homes, and didn’t look back.

“I don’t regret one moment of it,” he says. “I don’t begrudge it at all.”

And why should he? Although residential building in central Ohio wasn’t the first occu-pational choice for this son of a Maumee, Ohio, antique dealer, it turned out to be a great fit.

“If someone told me in college this is what I’d be doing, I would’ve said no way,” muses Knight,

whose custom home at the 2010 BIA Parade of Homes won both the Favorite House and the Favorite Décor divisions of the Raymond Barry People’s Choice Award. “I didn’t go to college to be a builder. I loved drawing and painting. I wanted to preserve old buildings.”

But Knight fell forward and the rest is history.“I love what I do,” he says. “I’m able to be cre-

ative every day. I get to work with creative people that are really talented. I am blessed.”

Style? What Style?Knight’s artistic bent is evident in the homes

he builds. His longtime penchant for watercolor painting, his fervor for travel, his passion for preserving and reusing materials from older structures – it all feeds the overall look and feel of his creations.

But don’t try to define Knight’s building style. “I hope I don’t have one,” he says. “Having

a style is easy. Once you pick a style, you can perfect it. That’s not challenging. We’re trying to create an attitude and an atmosphere. When people walk in the house, we want them to be happy. We want them to smile. We want them to just feel good.”

Columbus architect and fellow watercolor en-

At Home With

10 Central Ohio Home & Garden SPRING

StORy by nancy byron PHOtOS by john knouff

he paints. he sails. he bristles at the thought of having a signature style. you might be surprised at what you don’t know about this award-winning, easy-going custom home builder.

thusiast George Acock says Knight’s affinity for quality is his signature. “He has a passion to do well-designed, well-executed projects,” Acock says. “He always wants to do a great job.”

“I want to take it to the next level,” Knight says. “I want to really make the house sing and let the inhabitants of that house experience life in a dif-ferent way.”

Take, for example, the rooftop garden featured in Knight’s 2009 BIA Parade of Homes residence. Or the exercise pole in the basement of his 2010 BIA Parade home.

“I got so much grief over that,” he says of the pole, noting, however, that it’s the whimsical elements in a custom home that make it so unique.

Knight’s own house, for instance, was built upon “a caricature of a steam wheeler (paddle boat),” he says.

“We’re a sailing family,” Knight explains. “That’s how I met my wife, Laurie – teaching sailing at Maumee River Yacht Club when I was in high school.”

Although there’s only a tinge of nautical décor inside his home, the unique design includes walkouts on different levels and a third-floor crow’s nest overlooking the Scioto River.

“My wife and I like to sit up there, relax, turn off all the lights and just look out over the city,” he says.

Get up and GoKnight finds creative motivation,

not by trying to one-up other home builders, but by broadening his own horizons.

“I’m not trying to compete with anybody,” he says. “I’m just trying to do what I do.”

“I want to take it to the next level. I want to really make the house sing and let the inhabitants of that house experience life in a different way.”

At Home With


To accomplish that, he turns to travel. Kelleys Island, Chicago and upstate New York, where his daughter’s fam-ily lives, are among his more regular stops, but he has found inspiration in more exotic locales, too.

“I went to London for a wedding last fall,” he says. “I’ve been to Morocco, which was very interesting, very cool. My wife went to school in Norway several years ago. We’ve been to France.”

Yet it’s Havana, Cuba, with its rich art history and centuries-old architecture, that fascinates him most.

“You’ve got to get out of this town and go to other

places and see what’s going on,” Knight says. “My wife and I are campers, so we don’t have to stay in a fancy hotel or anything. We just love to travel. I tell (young people) all the time, ‘Whenever you get the opportunity to go, go.’ Do not sit in one place and read books. The world is your book. Go out there and see it.”

all play,no Work

Knight’s ultimate goal is to completely blur the line between work and play.

“I try to roll it all into one,” he says. “That’s the real art

and master of living: When you don’t draw a distinction between labor and leisure.”

Perhaps that’s why Knight measures success, not by how much profit his company turns or by the number of accolades hanging on the wall, but by how much enjoyment he and those around him get from what they do.

“If we’re not having fun and our clients aren’t having fun, then we’re failing,” he says. “If this is work, then we’re not doing our job very well.”

Knight’s naturally laid-back personality and approach to business may help him achieve success.

“Kevin is very personable

and easy to get to know,” Acock says. “He’s just a really great guy. And he’s very flexible to market directions.”

That, Acock adds, has made him a survivor in a sometimes difficult industry.

“I’m not trying to build an empire,” Knight says. “I’m just trying to enjoy what I do and stay in business.

“When I walk away from the job and drive home at night, I want our clients to be happy and I want to feel good inside.” •

Kevin Knight’s house is designed after a steam wheeler paddle boat. Arched windows, such as this one seen in the inset photo, flank each side of the house, where paddles would be positioned on the boat.

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Juanita and Marvin Rusk live alone. Yet more than half of their 7,000-plus-square-foot home in the Medallion Club & Estates section of Westerville is designed with kids in mind.

“I always knew, if we built a house, I wanted plenty of dedicated space for our grand-children,” Juanita Rusk says. “They’re here several times a week, every week. They’re the biggest part of our lives.”

Upstairs, two lofts – one designed as a play area and the other as a reading room – complement vibrantly painted, themed bedrooms with walk-in toy closets.

The lower level is equipped with a home theatre that includes three elevated rows of recliner seating and a mini snack bar complete with a wheeled popcorn machine, red velvet roping and ‘50s-style decals of a dancing hotdog, popcorn box and fountain drink.

But that’s not all. The base-

ment is also home to a golf simulator, air hockey table, bas-ketball free-throw game, pool table, game table and rollout, ping-pong table.

“They use it all,” Rusk says of her grandchildren, ages 10, 7 and 2. “If they want some-thing relaxing, they may play in their room. If they want to be more active, they run downstairs and play air hockey or basketball.”

Kid spaces don’t have to dominate a floor plan or be all about play, however. Some children and teens prefer a place to simply relax and talk with friends.

M/I Homes Area President Theresa Lynn P. Collins says having any kind of “flex space” for kids is becoming more of a necessity for modern hom-eowners.

“When you have young children or even teenagers, most people like a space where they can truly be themselves,” she says. “Different families

have different needs based on the number of children in the family and how they’re actu-ally going to use the space. But fewer people are seeing value in having a formal space. They want to invest their money where they’ll actually use it. To make the house live like we truly live.”

KIDS nEvER HAD IT So gooD

Some homeowners are drawn to a house or floor plan because of the unique bonus spaces intended for kids. That was the case with the family re-siding in the house M/I built for the 2010 BIA Parade of Homes in new Albany.

Although the striking carousel horses that graced the kid-inspired loft space during the parade were more eye-catching than practical, just having an area specifically set aside for kids was a big selling point.

“We’re redoing the space with our kids and teenagers in mind,” the homeowner says, noting her four daughters range in age from 11 to 18 years old. “We are using the space more like a family room for them.”

The redesigned loft will include custom built-in book-shelves and a computer station, a pull-out couch, a television and a large table for doing puzzles, school projects or play-ing games.

“It’s really a space for them,” she says. “They want to hang out up there. And if they’re having friends sleep over, it would be a good space.”

nilay Bhatt, president of Dani Homes Ltd., says kid-oriented spaces are a smart idea for several reasons – most notably encouraging together-ness among siblings.

“When you have multiple kids, it always matters for them to learn from each other,” he says. “It gives them a chance

KidSpaceSStory by NANCY BYRON PhotoS by jOhN kNOuff

Dedicated spaces for children and teenagers keep kids happy – and

adults from drowning in chaos.

KidSpaceS

The Rusks dedicated multiple rooms to their grandchildren. Shown here is

a safari-themed play area. Another loft area is more of a reading room.

On the opposite page, far left, is the Rusks’ basement. It, too, is centered

around children’s activities.



to be more united and close to each other in this sort of com-mon area.”

Collins agrees.“It encourages camaraderie

and keeps that family tie,” she says. “A lot of times you see a young person with a computer and a Tv in their bedroom and it takes away that family gathering time. This keeps the children together. And it gives them a space where they can have friends over to enjoy as well.”

UPSTAIRS vS. DoWn

Placement of a kids’ area within the home is crucial to its

usefulness.The goal, Bhatt says, is to

find areas near the center of the house where kids can con-gregate, but still be observed from a distance.

Twin lofts flanking an open-ing above the foyer and across from a balcony overlooking the family room accomplished that goal in Dani Homes’ 2010 BIA Parade of Homes model . one loft is designed primarily as a homework station, while the other is intended as a gaming and entertainment area.

“They can do multiple ac-tivities and still be close to the main area of the house where you can still hear them or see them,” Bhatt says. “That’s

different from having a bonus room above the garage. Most of those are so much away from the house on one side, you can’t have a good connection with the main living area.”

That’s exactly what the owner of the new Albany parade home likes about her daughters’ loft.

“It’s a little more private for them, but I still feel like they’re in the house,” she says. “It doesn’t feel that far away to me.

“In our old house we sort of did (a kids’ space) in the basement,” she adds. “But no matter how beautiful you’ve made your basement, it’s still the basement. I really prefer this. It’s more integrated into the home.”

Basements have other draw-backs, too, according to Kay green, president of Kay green Design Inc., who decorated the

M/I parade home last year.“A converted basement

would offer the perfect getaway that kids would love, but many times, parents would prefer their study and play space to be more accessible,” green says. “Parental supervision over a study nook between the kitchen and laundry room would allow for censoring of Internet browsing, for example. An upstairs loft that overlooks the downstairs great room might also be a good solution.”

DETAIL oRIEnTED

Collins says every family’s list of essentials for a kids’ space is going to be different.

“I don’t think there are any must-haves,” she says. “You just have to identify what you’re trying to accomplish

These twin lofts – each dedicated to different children’s activities – appeared

in Dani Homes’ 2010 parade model. They are separated by a two-story foyer

and overlook the family room on the first level.

“When you have young children or even teenagers, most people like a space where they can

truly be themselves.”

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based on the family.”For the new Albany ho-

meowner, moving the girls’ computers to the loft area cut down on main floor clutter.

“We don’t have as much homework or projects hap-

pening at the kitchen table – or all the paper that tends to gravitate around the comput-ers,” she says. “It has made the downstairs much neater.”

She hopes adding some built-ins with doors in the loft

area will continue that trend upstairs.

“We want cabinetry that’s closed to help hide things,” she says. “It feels peaceful to me when there’s a place for every-thing so it’s not spilling out all over the place.”

other elements that make a kids’ space pleasing to look at and engaging to use are dictated largely by age.

“For younger kids, an entertainment room with a puppet show stage, building blocks and jungle gyms would be the perfect fit,” green says. “With grade-school ages, personalized study nooks for each child to do homework and store their backpack would be popular. With teenagers, a movie-themed room, sports fan accessorization or video game equipment would catch their attention.”

The bottom line for any age, however, is to keep it colorful and current.

“Do use fun, bold colors and murals on the walls,” green says. “Don’t forget storage to tuck away toys, study materials and media. Do create a space that evokes imagination and creativity.”

If it’s a space for girls, green adds, don’t overdo the pink.

gRoWIng PAInSThe biggest mistake hom-

eowners can make when creat-ing a kid-friendly space at home is to forget that families, like children, change over time.

“You want something that will grow with the kids,” Rusk says, noting toddler favorites like Barney or Blue’s Clues will be passé well before children finish grade school.

That’s why she worked with local artist Melissa Martz and decorator Laura Einstein to develop a safari theme for her grandkids’ play areas.

“You want something that will provide fun for them and areas for exploration through their teen years,” Rusk says.

Little touches such as a lifelike stuffed parrot in a cage hanging in one corner of the loft and a large, live decorative palm by the balcony overlook-ing the foyer help create an exotic flair, while allowing the space to grow as her grandchil-dren do.

A large, dark wood Pottery Barn table that’s low to the floor and hides two big rollout storage drawers may be useful for coloring and building blocks now, but can evolve into a homework or game table as her grandchildren grow.

“Think about not just where you are in this moment, but five or 10 years from now where you’re going to be and what you would need then,” says the new Albany homeowner. “My intention is to be in this house forever. So I envisioned how the space would translate into our kids coming back home with their husbands and children. It’s the perfect place for a Pack ‘n Play. It can be a great guest space with a pull-out couch up there. So it works for me on that level, too.

“It’s a house that’s really going to grow with us.” •

Flex spaces can be transformed to suit any family’s needs. This

2010 parade model by M/I Homes featured carousel horses, but the current homeowner is redesigning the space into a lounge/study area

for her four daughters.

Photo courtesy of Dave Fox Design BuilD RemoDeleRs

Plus: Functionality

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According to a poll conducted by the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) on its Web site, the majority (56 percent) of homeowners cites functionality as the largest concern when it comes to their home.

Visitors to NARI National’s Web site, www.NARI.org, were asked to take part in this poll.

“The functionality of a home is very important, especially over the long term, as many homeown-ers in this economy have opted for remodeling over moving to new homes,” says NARI of Central Ohio President Todd Schmidt, CR, owner of Renovations Unlimited.

Functionality of the home generally starts with good design. Remodelers can help homeowners take special care to look for the miss-ing details in any home design – from the location of the electrical outlets to the location of light switches.

To address concerns, homeowners should think about how they intend to use the space in the future. Young families with small kids may use the space differently than empty nest-ers. Multi-generational households oftentimes require universal design principles to be incorporated to increase the accessibility for everyone who lives in the home.

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clients and incorporate them into the design.

“It’s all about personaliza-tion – homeowners want to know that their space can be converted easily into a dif-ference space in the future,” Schmidt says. “As children age and move out, they want to be able to make that space their own.”

When planning a remodel, here are a couple details you may want to think about:

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Other results from the poll showed that 22 percent of homeowners were concerned about lead paint in their homes. Another 13 percent said room size and 9 percent found acces-sibility of their homes to be a major concern.

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The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) Contractor of the Year (CotY) awards are the most prestigious awards given in the remodeling industry.

Contractors from around the country vie for the awards on an annual basis.

Winners are recognized for excellent workmanship and professional achieve-ments. The competition enables NARI members to compete in 27 different catego-ries locally, regionally and nationally.

A panel of impartial judges who are experts in the remodeling industry and related fields selects winners.

Entries are judged on problem solving, functionality, aesthetics, craftsmanship, innovation, degree of difficulty and entry presentation.

NARI of Central Ohio presented 14 local Contractor of the Year awards in December at its annual awards gala.

Selecting the right remodeler is the most important decision homeowners will make in a remodeling project.

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Long gone are the days of homeowners putting in new finishes and appliances in their home and calling it a success-

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“Today’s homeowners are smarter and more strategic when it comes to remodeling their homes,” says NARI of

Central Ohio President Todd Schmidt, CR, of Renovations Unlimited.

“They want their design to cater perfectly to their life-styles and how they intend to use the space,” he says.

Good design means more than customization of the home.

Design work can bring multi-functional capabilities to

a room, for example a kitchen that also serves as the living room.

Or, it can enhance the flow of the space by widening walkways and adding more ac-cess to the space from various parts of the home.

“Once my clients start to sense the magnitude of pos-sibilities within a remodeling project, they start to get very

Remodeling design influenceshomeowner satisfactionRemodeling is more than upgrades. It reinvents spaces to fit lifestyles.

Photo Courtesy of ross Builders & Design llC


specific about the design and how it’s going to impact their space,” Schmidt says.

Many remodelers put cli-ents through special exercises to get them to think about their lifestyles.

“It’s my job to ask clients detailed questions about how they live and the things that are most important to them in order to create a perfect

space,” Schmidt says. Whether it’s through a

questionnaire or a walk-through of the current home, the main goal is that the remodeler knows what is desired.

The unstable economy may have a slight relation to the recent findings.

A more practical attitude toward spending in the last

few years has amplified the homeowner’s involvement in each step of the remodeling process. That way, no leaf goes unturned.

“To be successful as a re-modeler today, you must have full transparency with your clients,” Schmidt says. “That usually means open communi-cation lines and joint decision making in every aspect of the

job – budget, design, material selection, timeline and man-agement.”

This also reflects the long-term perspective most people have when it comes to their homes.

“My clients remodel their home for the rest of their lives, they don’t think of remodeling as a short-term investment,” Schmidt says.

Whether it’s through a questionnaire or a walk-through of the current home, the main goal is that the remodeler knows what is desired. Many remodelers put clients through

special exercises to get them to think about their lifestyles.

Photo Courtesy of Dave Fox Design Build remodelers


The breakdown of the poll results showed that 22 percent of homeowners considered having their needs met as sat-isfactory and 20 percent noted accessibility and timeliness of the remodeler during the project as influential.

Surprisingly, finishing on

time and safety precautions and cleanliness of the remodel were much less significant with four percent and six per-cent, respectively.

For homeowners who are considering a remodel, Schmidt offers a bit of advice.

“Make a note of everything

you do in your home and how you access it over the course of a few days,” he says. “What paths you take, which counters you set items on, where you store belongings, and where you sit and relax – those are the things that are going to determine your remodeling

outcome.” NARI can connect you with

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Making a SPLASH withWATER

spring 2011 Central Ohio Home & garden 49

Story by MICHAEL LEACH PhotoS by JoHn Knouff

Great Outdoors

Outdoor living spaces with kitchens are uber-chic must-haves, but the coolest element in a home landscape continues to be everyday, take-it-for-granted water.

Whether a private lake or a simple fountain, water calms and refreshes.

“It’s something people think about and desire for their land-scapes,” says Pete Marsh, landscape designer at Buck & Sons Landscape Service. “It’s the life-giving aspect. It has always drawn people.”

Water “harkens back to a sooth-ing, healing place for stressed out people to go,” says John Reiner, Oak-land Nursery co-owner and land-scape designer. “In America, people are under a huge amount of stress: job stress, electronic stress, commut-ing stress, computer stress... They’re always connected. What is water, but the antithesis of this?”

Relief from the hot, desert climate may be one reason that water was used in the ancient Middle East where some of the first gardens were created. Status was probably a factor, too. “If you had water in the garden,

you were upscale,” Reiner says.In the following millennia, tran-

quil pools, splashing fountains and frothy cascades delighted the well-to-do around the world.

Today, a water feature is possible in almost any al fresco living space. Pond liners, electric pumps, filters, self-contained fountains and other 20th century technological innova-tions eliminate the need for a royal treasury and palace grounds for savoring the feast of sensual delights that water affords.

Along with appealing to people, a small pool can entice birds, frogs and other wildlife to the home landscape.

“It brings nature into your life,” says Kathy Green, president of the Central Ohio Water Garden Society. “It’s a good way to get away from it all, whether you meditate or look at the fish.”

Water offers something an outdoor kitchen can’t. “It’s more relaxing and it gives you a great (design) focal point,” says Joel John, landscape architect at MJ Design Associates.

A decade ago, ponds with water-falls and streams were popular, but some designers say that’s changed. Trendy now are “pondless” water features, such as waterfalls or boul-ders fitted with waterspouts. Their re-circulating pumps and catch basins are hidden beneath a bed of stones. Simpler still are plug-in fountains that come in a variety of sizes and styles and can be found at

For homeowners who don’t have natural water sources, ‘pondless’

water features, such as waterfalls or boulders fitted with waterspouts, are popular today.

Great Outdoors

50 Central Ohio Home & garden spring 2011

many garden centers and home stores. Such water features are fine for compact spaces, but the aquatic minded need more for plants, fish or both.

Before taking the plunge, designers suggest you consider several factors.

Do you desire the pleasant sight and sound, the chance to raise fish, grow water lilies or perhaps all of the above?

Your goals determine the size, depth, filters and pumps needed. Hardy water lilies and inexpensive gold fish, for instance, make do in a 24-inch deep pond, while koi may need up to four feet.

Avid gardeners may want plants to grow along the edges of the pond, so “shelves” around the pond’s perimeter are needed to accommodate

the marginal plants – those that grow in shallow or boggy soil – such as reeds, papyrus and cannas.

Where should a pond go? Water garden enthusiasts and designers suggest a spot close to the house or adjacent to a favorite outdoor relaxing spot. If you stick it out in the middle of the yard, “you aren’t going to use it,” John says.

Keep in mind that a full sun area best suits most water plants. Additional landscaping is usually needed to seamlessly tie the water feature into the existing design. Ideally, a water feature should be included when making plans for other outdoor living areas, such as a kitchen or terrace.

Many do-it-yourself types can tackle a modest water gar-

den. Green says her only regret was making her first pond too small. The second water garden includes a small stream and falls.

However, the engineering of streams, excavating, installing pumps, wiring and select-ing flora and fauna can seem overwhelming. “It can be a constant source of aggravation if it’s not done properly,” Reiner says.

Landscape designers can pull it all together for a price. A small pond and filtering system can be installed for $4,000 to $5,000.

Don’t forget maintenance.At first glance, a water gar-

den may look less complicated than a flowery border, but “it’s like having a little swimming pool. It can get pretty ugly,”

John says. Some companies service ponds, take care of periodic draining, cleaning, winterizing pumps and other chores.

Green hardly fusses over her watery domain. Cleaning filters regularly, netting the pond in fall to keep out leaves and occasionally treating it with Algae-Fix pretty well covers it.

Her pond rewards even in winter. She uses a livestock trough heater to keep ice from covering the entire surface. This helps the fish and the bit of open water draws birds and other wildlife. “It’s been so much fun, “ she says. •

For more information, visit the Columbus Landscape Associa-tion’s Web site at www.columbus-landscape.org.

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A Penchant for Porches

Story by JEff tHItoff Photo by nAnCy Bryon

Porches have long been a gathering place for family and friends. These days, some folks are bringing out inside amenities to further enhance the experience.

There’s something nostalgic about sitting on the front porch.

Prior to the advent of the home air conditioner, the front porch was a hot commodity.

It was where families spent their evenings, lazing on a swing, play-ing a game of checkers or enjoying an ice-cold beverage to keep cool.

Although some might claim that air conditioners led to the demise of front porches, these open-air areas are once again gaining ground – in homes both old and new – as gath-ering spots for family, friends and the environmentally conscious.

The windowless room with a view is desirable as more people are choosing to stay outdoors – but safe from the elements. Reasons vary from wanting to save a few pennies to simply wanting to reconnect with neighbors.

The style chosen is determined by two factors – what the home-owner wants and what the home can support.

Some houses have room for a small, simple covered area while other homes can feature a larger wraparound porch that runs along the front and continues to one or both sides of the house.

Some prefer a sunroom, or a screened-in porch, that still wel-comes in the outdoors – but with-out the added element of insects and other pets.

Others might go with a simple breezeway, a covered walkway between the garage and house. A courtyard in the front of the house

Photo CourteSy of sunCrAft Corp.

can also serve as a porch, and it usually features a fountain, statues or a garden.

Lately, more people are go-ing with a traditional covered porch.

Some of the M/I Homes’ communities are required to have front covered-areas or porches while others allow buyers to decide, according to Theresa Lynn P. Collins, area president. Collins said front porches are included on more

than 75 percent of new builds by M/I Homes.

LAzY DAYS Grove City resident Randy

Mosher enjoys the air flowing through his porch. He makes use of it for a good portion of the year.

“It extends the seasons for us,” Mosher says. “It’s nice to be outside, yet out of the sun in the summer and we can still be

outside when it rains.”Rich Kiefer of Westerville

had no protection for his front door.

If guests showed up at his door while a storm was rolling through, they were forced to stand in the rain, snow or cold until Kiefer responded to the knock.

He had Columbus-based Suncraft Corp. install a covered porch in 2009.

“It adds an extra dimension

to the front of the house, and we have a spot where we are going to put in a swing,” Kiefer said. “We love the way ours turned out.”

In addition to enjoying the simple pleasures associated with the front porch, Jess Biller, president of locally owned Paramount Construction and Remodeling, says homeowners are bringing more elaborate indoor amenities outside.

If it’s something that can be

porches come in all shapes and sizes, from elaborate

wrap-arounds to simple stoop coverings. Their appeal is both

personal and practical.

spring 2011 Central Ohio Home & garden 55

enjoyed outside, then people are trying to find ways to get it outside, he says.

“People are bringing their flat-screen televisions and sound systems outside and gathering for big sporting

events,” Biller says. “Ceiling fans are popular as well.”

Leah Wagenbrenner and her husband recently purchased a home in Upper Arlington, and are in the process of adding a covered porch.

Her former residence had a small front stoop. As such, Wa-genbrenner is looking forward to having a nicer spot to watch her children while they play outside.

She has fond memories of spending time on the covered porches at her mother’s and her grandmother’s homes.

“I have always wanted a porch and this is the perfect house for that,” she said. “It’s a brick home and the architec-ture lent itself for putting one on.”

COOL BREEzESSpring and summer in

central Ohio can change from enjoyable to unbearable within a matter of minutes, and drive even the bravest of souls to seek

refuge inside their protected, air-conditioned homes.

But as the mercury rises, so does the cost of keeping a house cool.

Biller says that although the economy is improving, people are still trying to avoid the AC and taking advantage of the outdoor breeze for comfort.

In some cases, the home-owner makes the choice to save money by spending more time under the porch and less time in the air conditioning.

In other cases, the choice was made for the homeowner.

“Last summer, we lost power after a storm and the tempera-ture inside our house was just too high,” Biller says. “We went out on our porch and saw a lot of our neighbors doing the same – it ended up being great

Photo CourteSy M/I HoMEs and JE EvAns pHotogrApHy

56 Central Ohio Home & garden spring 2011

Photo CourteSy pEABody LAndsCApIng

Traditional covered porches allow homeowners to recon-nect with neighbors and save

on summer utility costs.

just sitting outside talking with our friends and it felt like something from a different era.”

THE RIGHT FITGetting the architecture of

a house to match up with the porch is crucial, says Jeff Bo-rovetz, president of Suncraft. The transition from house to porch needs to be seam-less and the rooflines need to match as closely as possible.

“This isn’t something where you wing it and just get a pile of wood and start build-ing,” Borovetz said. “When we’re done with a porch, it looks like it was designed and built with the house origi-nally.”

Adding a covered porch to

a property doesn’t guarantee it will increase the value of the home, but it should help drive potential buyers if you decide to sell, says Anthony Bolognone, a sales agent with Solutions For Real Estate.

“Wrap around porches are beautiful, even a smaller, narrow porch can be great depending on the house,” Bolognone says. “As long there is a roof over it, you will get a return – but it might not mean an increase in the sale price.”

Of course, as Kiefer found out, there might be a downside to having a covered porch installed.

“My ‘husband list’ got longer,” Kiefer says. “I still have to get the swing up and now I have to build a couple of Adirondack chairs.” •

Photo CourteSy M/I HoMEs and JE EvAns pHotogrApHy

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Vintage homes are old charmers. Their storied stories pay

homage to handcrafted details such as built-ins, crown mold-

ing and brick fireplaces. They also come with drafty windows, small rooms and scarce amenities.

Owners of older homes are left with a dilemma: to renovate or not?

Renovation doesn’t have to mean rewriting history. If done thoughtfully, everything old can be new again while preserving a home’s original charm.

Interior decorator Candace Greenblott knows a thing or two about balancing old and new. She and her husband, Stanley, live inside a beautiful example of vintage meets modern.

“It really is the best of both worlds,” she says.

Gone are the dark and diminutive rooms that once graced the 100-year-old home. Yet original features such as pine flooring and brick detailing were preserved, even while the home’s foot-print expanded. This once-tiny, historic dwelling has been transformed into a chic modern showplace – inside and out.

It now boasts three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and modern amenities such as walk-in closets and a second-floor laundry. Yet it still blends effortlessly into its quaint German Village neighborhood.

The 3,200-plus-square-foot “cottage” is proof that whether ripping out walls or simply painting them, homeowners have options for bringing the past into the present.

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and interior designer Chris King renovated the cottage into a slick modern beauty the summer before the Greenblotts purchased it. Candace simply had to dress it up.

“We did a transitional inte-rior that could go traditional or contemporary, depending on the client’s style,” King says.

according to hugus, the original 1890s cottage was about 900 square feet. It was updated and enlarged in the 1960s, and it grew again when hugus renovated it in 2006.

When the Greenblotts purchased it in 2007, they had all the building blocks of a breathtaking, thoughtfully updated home.

Most homeowners, however, have a bit more work ahead of them if they aim to get their vintage homes into modern shape.

“With older homes, you really need to have a plan as the basis of your decorating,”

Candace says.

peRSOnal SpaCeCrafting a beautifully mod-

ern home from vintage bones requires blending. a good designer works with the time-tested elements of a home, Candace says, but doesn’t copy them.

“You’re better off trying to blend than match, then it becomes unique,” Candace says. “If there’s a cohesiveness about your plan, it doesn’t look chopped up.”

The street-facing side of the home features a two-story of-fice with original pine flooring.

Instead of tearing out the pine or attempting to match it and failing, hugus and King simply ran new maple floor-ing in the opposite direction throughout the rest of the downstairs.

The mix is visually striking and looks like an intentional design choice, not a botched match. It’s part of the home’s

history.“With a 100-year-old floor,

you want to keep the nicks and little chips,” Candace says.

She recommends preserving original tile fireplaces, wood trim and brick features when-ever possible as these details will be few of a kind.

“It’s what layers homes and gives them dimension,” she says.

The lIGhT fanTaSTIC

There is one vintage fea-ture, however, that Candace wouldn’t dream of preserving.

Older homes often fall short on windows, and to make mat-ters more shadowy, they favor small formal rooms.

But even vintage homes can feel light, open and modern.

“When I first walked up to our home, I felt almost claus-trophobic,” Candace says. “But then I opened the (front) door, and there was so much light (inside).”

The living room features a wall of french doors, installed by hugus, that lead to an ex-tensive outdoor entertainment area the couple renovated.

They added more blue stone, installed additional plant beds and created multiple seating areas decorated with pops of summery orange.

Off the living room, the couple’s kitchen features more french doors that lead to a smaller patio. These “glass walls” instantly make the home feel contemporary, well lit and airy.

“I love how the indoors and the outdoors blend in the home,” King says.

The Greenblotts’ home illustrates how more windows can do wonders, but it also shows homeowners how they can lighten up without calling a contractor.

as a designer, Candace has other tricks to make window-hungry homes feel full of light.

first, she looks to walls and floors. light-colored flooring can make the smallest and most compartmentalized home feel bigger and more open, she says. The same applies to walls.

Candace avoids heavy drap-ery, uses mirrors to create the illusion of space and light, and invests money and planning into artificial illumination.

Multiple light sources create


“You’re better off trying to blend than match, then it becomes unique.”

Inspiring Ideas

a warm and inviting look, she says. pendant lights, sconces, ceiling fan lighting and lamps are equally important. The designer also likes under-cabinet lighting, in addition to uplighting behind plants and sculpture.

a BeauTIful aRRanGeMenT

furniture placement, size and style also can help mod-

ernize a home. “Don’t just put it all against

the wall,” Candace advises.The designer placed her

leather sectional at an angle to make her living room appear larger and more interesting.

Similarly, the size of furni-ture can dwarf or enlarge a room. Just because a sofa fits through the door doesn’t mean it’s the best fit for the space.

and more furniture is not necessarily better, Greenblott says. She applies Coco Chanel’s

advice to the home. The famous clothing designer advised women to remove one accesso-ry before leaving their houses.

OnCe a ClaSSIC Candace says it’s helpful for

homeowners to think of their homes like their wardrobes.

The basics – khaki pants or a navy blazer – never go out of style. They don’t bend to fads, and they go with anything.

“Trends are good for ac-cessories, but try to keep your home renovation purer and truer,” she says. “Try to keep hard surfaces classic, then ac-cessorize with trends.”

When King and hugus

renovated the home, they had the same thing in mind.

King incorporated rich ma-terials to give the home a luxu-rious accessibility that didn’t feel generic. In the bathrooms he created patterns using natu-ral stone tile. he recommends using unique hardware and faucets in the same way.

The Greenblotts’ walls remain neutral. So does their classically styled furniture. Bolder accent pieces, art and accessories, however, will be replaced as the Greenblotts’ taste for them wanes.

“houses should always be developing,” Candace says. “There’s no ‘OK, now I’m done.’” •


“Trends are good for accessories, but try to keep your home renovation purer and truer.”


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The group shown here is a solid cherry (also available in oak), American-Made bedroom set from Vaughan Bassett Appalachian Hardwood series. No veneer is used in the construction of this collection and all the drawers are made with dove-tailed joints. We also offer kids bedroom furniture by Lea, as well as bedroom and dining sets by American Drew. Come and explore Minerva Park’s 32 showrooms today! Mention this ad and save $100 if you place an order (4 pieces or more).

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Things we Love

These cool finds turned our heads at the recent Spring Home & Garden Show.

Crooked HouseThese fabulous houses come with a kid-sized door, peephole and a Maine-ce-dar wooden base. A variety of floor plans and designs are available. The days of the old tree house are gone – this is the new clubhouse in the neighborhood.Starting at $1,449 KidsCrookedHouse.com

Totally FlippedGive any place in your home a touch of the beach with this set of hanging decorative flip-flops. Made of metal, you get the look of a beach house, without the hassle of dealing with sand.

$389fortinironworks.com

Perfect PlacementThese fashionable placemats, made by the Pacific Trading Co., are durable, machine wash-able and heat resistant and come in bright, vibrant colors.

$7 eachfortiniron-works.com

Block O FirepitA new way to show off your Buckeye spirit is with a Block O-themed fire pit. It stands 28 inches off the ground and measures 34 x 46 inches. Use with natural gas or propane.

And there’s room underneath for tank storage.

$2,299sciotovalley.com

A Touch of GlassThese sturdy, unique decorative ornaments can be displayed anywhere, inside or outside, and beautifully catch the sunlight and reflect the moon. They come in many different sizes and variations of swirling colors. $9 to $43franklinartglass.com


Fit For a PrincessThis James R. Moder chandelier from the Bel-Air collection features Swarovski-cut crystal and would be an amazing ad-dition to the room of any princess – young or old.

$1,385northernlighting.net

Gourmet Style

Over the years, kitchen sinks have under-gone many trans-formations. Today’s

gourmet kitchen sinks come in a variety of materials, shapes and sizes and are made for more than just washing dishes. Features include instant hot-

and cold-water filters, deeper sink bowls, upscale gooseneck faucets and beautiful designs of the apron-front sinks. They are built to resist scratches and withstand scalding hot tem-peratures, while at the same time serve as a beautiful focal

point of any kitchen. Gooseneck faucets are high-

arching and often come with pull-down sprayers that extend from the head of the faucet.

Apron-front sinks, also known as farmhouse sinks, feature a decorative front panel that takes the place of the countertop or cabinetry directly in front of the sink.

When Upper Arlington resident Candace Bonfante began searching for a new sink, finding the right shape and size was most important to her.

“I knew I wanted a large

kitchen sink with a deep bowl,” Bonfante says. A sink made of a strong, durable material was a must-have.

“When you have 35 people over for holiday dinners, you need a sink that can hold that many pots and pans without chipping or scratching,” Bon-fante says.

TAke The PlUnGe

Bonfante found a deep, single-basin, 18-gauge stain-less steel sink, with a small vegetable sink to the side, which offers everything she was looking for and more.

known for its sleek, classic look and its easy-to-clean sur-face, stainless steel has domi-nated the market for years.

More recently, however, homeowners are exploring the benefits of other materials – such as cast iron and Silgranit.

A Grove City homeowner says when he and his wife began remodeling their kitchen in 2010, they started shopping for stainless steel, but after

learning about the durability of cast iron, they decided to expand their search.

“We were told cast iron was chip resistant and more heat resistant than some other ma-terials,” the homeowner says. “You could set a hot pan down into it and it wouldn’t hurt it.”

One of the most durable sink surfaces on the market today is Silgranit, made by Blanco, and is proving to be just as durable as stainless steel and cast iron. Comprised of 80 percent solid granite, Silgranit is resistant to temperatures up to 536 degrees Fahrenheit and cannot easily be damaged by acids or alkalis.

“Silgranit sinks are nearly indestructible,” says kathy kowalski of Chaplin Interiors. “They don’t burn or scratch, and they’re much more durable than other sinks on the mar-ket.”

So, why the craze about gourmet sinks?

“People want a high-fashion look with little maintenance,” kowalski said.

holly Means, selection co-

Sassy SinkS

STORY bY AliSSA CuRTiS


PhOTO bY PAul C. Klein

Today’s kitchen sinks are solid, sleek and stylish and they do a lot more than just wash dishes.

PhOTO bY JOhn KnOuff

ordinator for M/I homes says her custom-ers want the big commercial look in their homes even if they don’t cook.

“They want what they see on hG-TV,” Means said.

ReST eASYTom Brown, project manager for Bob

Webb homes says it’s not an upgrade in material his customers have been request-ing, but rather the way in which a sink is installed.

Typically, kitchen sinks are installed as drop-in or self-rimming, meaning they are placed into the countertop and mounted with the rim resting just above the surface.

now, Brown says, more homeowners are opting for sinks that are under-mount-ed, so no part of the sink rests above the countertop’s surface.

hIGh FAShIOn, lOW MAInTenAnCeAngela Bonfante, owner of Angela

Bonfante kitchen Designs, llC, and sister-in-law to Candace Bonfante, says apron-front sinks are what she recommends to homeowners looking for a sink that can add an extra touch of style to their kitchen.

“Apron front sinks add that perfect amount of character and design to a kitchen,” Angela Bonfante says.

Some of the more unique features of gourmet sinks include built-in sliding cut-ting boards and built-in countertop knife blocks.

Built to fit the shape of almost any sink, sliding cutting boards allow people to cut food directly over the sink and eliminate brushing debris across countertops. The

Franke knife Block, made for knives to be recessed into countertops near sinks, allow knives to be at the ready for any cook.

“Those features are great because they allow people to have everything they need right there at the sink,” Angela Bonfante says.

Families that have multiple cooks living in a household or those who are simply looking for extra sink space, are adding more than one sink to their kitchen, An-gela Bonfante says.

So, whether choosing a gourmet sink because of its durable material, fanciful features or unique design, Brown says it all boils down to the homeowner’s preference.

“We’re dealing with a more educated buyer these days,” Brown says. “Buyers who know specifically what they want and aren’t settling for the standard.” •


PhOTO bY JOhn KnOuff

Gooseneck faucets often come with sprayers that extend from the

head of the faucet.

Apron-front sinks, also known as farmhouse sinks, as seen in the photo on the far left, are also very popular.

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00 Central Ohio Home & Garden summer 2010

Our Backyard

Spring is my second favorite season. There’s something sweet about watching Mother Nature’s inhabitants come back to life after a long winter’s nap beneath the ground. Everything is fresh and new – the trees, grass and all of the beautiful annuals. Last fall, my children and I planted bulbs – tulips and daffodils – if memory serves. In recent weeks, we’ve spied a couple of shoots inching their way out of the soil. To be honest, I wasn’t confident whether any would take root. The beds were full of rocks so we couldn’t dig very deep and I thought for sure that the squirrels would have uncovered them over the winter. But to my surprise – and my children’s delight– they are slowly but surely making their way into the world. •

Spring is in the air70 Central Ohio Home & Garden SPRING 2011

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Documents

Central Ohio Home and Garden Magazine - Spring 2011