Rise and Shine
City dwellers relocate to the Missouri countryside where they expand and rehab an old home, giving it a natural vibe while fashioning comfortable spaces suited to entertaining.
City dwellers relocate to the Missouri countryside where they rehab an old home to give it a natural vibe and comfortable spaces suited to entertaining.
Twenty-five years ago, Brenda and Mark Kilgore were ready for a change of pace. After living in an urban area, they were eager to relocate to the tranquility of the countryside outside Kansas City—“the boonies,” as Brenda calls it. With the help of a real estate agent, the couple found a house and property in Orrick, Missouri, that piqued their interest. When they viewed it in person, however, they realized it wasn’t quite suitable for their needs. That’s when they spotted a neighboring property. “It was 40 acres, with a cool old barn and a little pea-green square house,” Brenda recalls. “It didn’t even have plumbing.”
In a serendipitous turn of events, the Kilgores learned that the owner of the land was the father-in-law of the man whose home they had viewed with the real estate agent. The land and house were for sale, but they hadn’t yet been listed. The couple knew it was perfect. “The original home was an old lap-siding farmhouse that was almost completely torn down in the 1940s and replaced with this little square house,” Brenda relates. Fortunately, one architectural feature of the original farmhouse survived: a handhewn walnut support beam.
The couple decided to build their new home in a U-shape around the original four-room structure that consisted only of a dining room, living room, bedroom and kitchen. They built a sizable family room, sunroom, master bedroom and bathroom; renovated the original kitchen and dining room; and converted the other original spaces into coffee bar and
pantry areas. They also preserved the architectural beam that today supports a loft and can be seen in the living room—it remains one of Brenda’s favorite features. “That beam has been on this house for centuries,” she marvels.
When the Kilgores finally moved in, they set to work decorating the new and retooled spaces. At first, they went for a dark look inspired by Colonial-style furniture. “We stained everything— the beadboard ceiling, the floors, the cabinets, all of the wood,” Brenda says. Over time, Brenda and Mark grew tired of the dark tones and started switching
out furnishings in favor of lighter pieces. As the years passed, they noticed that the dark stained wood, including the floors, was turning “pumpkin orange.” About four years ago, the couple redid the whole interior.
“We painted it all white and, with the lighter furniture, we started creating a more industrial farmhouse look,” Brenda says. “I wanted my house to feel a little edgy—I like texture more than color.” Throughout the home, a soothing monochromatic neutral scheme provides the backdrop for industrial-style stools and shelves on casters, metal bins and boxes, distressed wood tables and benches, and comfy leather furnishings. Vintage whisk brooms and paintbrushes, architectural salvage, and old distressed mirrors, cubbies and glass aquariums add texture while punctuating the home with a dash of urban style.
Brenda is deeply inspired by elements from nature. “I have jugs of wasp and bird nests and sticks. I’ll pop those on a table or in a wood bowl—I think they are little works of art,” she notes. She also likes to combine wood with softer natural textures, such as seashells, sprigs of green and dried wildflowers.
Brenda loves the current style of her home but says she is always tinkering around with the design to keep it interesting. “It’s an ongoing transformation. There are only a handful of pieces we will absolutely keep. If we find something we like better, we’ll just switch it out,” she says, noting that the only downside of continually reworking the design is that “it can cause a snowball effect—it feels like you have to rearrange every room!” With her eye for detail and enthusiasm for seeing ordinary objects in a fresh light, she’s well-equipped to meet that challenge.