Case Study: Daring Prairie

A spacious custom-built Olathe home honors family, friendship and connection to the land with a modern twist.

As featured in Design KC Magazine, summer of 2022.

Words by Jessica Bahr | Photos by Nate Sheets | Exteriors by Josie Henderson

The connection to site and use of stone on the main house and in-law house clearly reference Prairie style, but the architectural lines and mixed materials lean modern. One detail not to overlook: the skylights in the driveway that stream light to a pool under the garage.

Surrounded by walnut trees and native grasses, and with an expansive pond as its front yard, Jeremy and Nicki Fry’s modern-masterpiece home is a tribute to its environment.

“We wanted the house to feel like it really belonged, as if it grew up from the ground,” Jeremy says. “It’s a bit of a Frank Lloyd Wright idea, and we came in with that as a broad brushstroke … to respect the land as much as we could and try to maintain the natural beauty of the property.”

Above: Nicki’s favorite spot is the sunroom just off the kitchen, and with its playful pops of color, it’s easy to see why. Sara says that the salmon-hued leather couch was a “design risk,” but it pays off brilliantly against the green of the ottoman, which is repeated from the kitchen and draws the eye to art by Mike Savage in the background. Even the white oak trim between kitchen and sunroom has a special feature: the centered racing stripe of inlaid walnut.

Introducing the home’s visual statement in the dining room off the front entry, the hand-painted wallpaper is from Kansas City-based Porter Teleo. Wherever possible, Jeremy and Nicki wanted to use local companies, artisans and materials throughout the home. “We wanted to highlight the people in our community; it’s the main reason why we chose what we chose,” Jeremy says.

Jeremy’s parents had owned it for 30 years, part of the property that included the home he grew up in. His father always had a vision for using the rest of the land for something family-related.

About 10 years ago, they started seriously considering what that dream could look like. There were the inevitable starts and stops along the way, as happens with a project this large and meaningful. But with house plans from Wolfgang Trost Architects, Jeremy and Nicki found partners in Sara Noble and Jessica Gordon of Noble Designs and in Ryan Ray of Cecil & Ray Homes, who made the plans come to life.

With building completed in spring 2021, the result is a pair of homes now poised naturally among their landscape. Jeremy, Nicki and their three children live in the main house, while Jeremy’s parents use the smaller of the two as their second home. The elevation of Jeremy and Nicki’s home is a variation on the lauded Prairie style, pioneered by architects like Wright and his contemporaries. But where more traditional homes in this vein are low-slung, with their flat roofs sprawling to celebrate the Midwest landscape, Jeremy and Nicki’s home incorporates soaring ceilings in the entry and main living area.

A custom hood from sculptor Asheer Akram of Kansas City Metalworks is the focal point in the heart of the Frys’ home. As food and wine enthusiasts, Jeremy and Nicki regularly host friends and family to showcase professional chefs creating masterpieces in their kitchen, often for charitable fundraising events. In fact, a close friend who is a chef advised on the layout and the BlueStar appliances, ensuring a professional could feel at home here as they create.

The vertical space allows for windows with generous views of the surrounding woods and water. The style is continued through the interior of their home with refreshingly clean lines and a marriage of locally sourced rustic materials with artisan metalwork. Sara and Jessica worked in a palette of creamy white, watercolor blues, natural-stone beige and a bit of foundational black, with pops of brighter hues here and there.

“Jeremy and Nicki were daring,” Sara says. “And they trusted us, which made it a really fun process, where we could be creative and try some new things.”

An 18-foot live-edge table is a showstopper in the lower-level entertaining area. The wood used to make it came from a walnut tree on Jeremyʼs family farm. Eighteen custom velvet chairs surround it and include an interesting twist, literally: they swivel so guests can watch a chef at work in the kitchen at one end or turn to hear from the sommelier at the bar at the other.

From the building aspect, Ryan and his team tackled the typical challenges of homebuilding but also the elements that add to the speciality—and complexity—of a home of this size and style. As is often the case in modern design, the simplicity of the look belies the complexity of the work invested in details. Right down to the sleek wide white oak on the casing trim.

“We flat-taped all the drywall to blend the trim and give it that modern feel,” Ryan says. “There's a lot of extra work involved—believe it or not—in doing that, instead of putting wood trim around it, but it gives it a very clean look.”

In a nod to one specific element of the Prairie style, a cantilevered portion of the main floor juts toward the water and creates a roof for a patio below. Supported by angled steel beams, it’s a stunning piece of architecture. And it required Cecil & Ray’s utmost expertise in understanding structure and building science.

Large windows wash the living room in natural light. Looking across to the soaring stairwell, which measures more than 28 feet tall, there’s a commissioned blown-glass installation by Dierk Van Keppel. As Nicki explains, the curves of the glass reflect the movement of the water in the pond just beyond.

Jeremy and Nicki’s home is connected underground to his parents’ home by a basement level corridor that’s full of surprises. A pool sprawls beneath the garage and, in another feat of building ingenuity, Ryan and his team installed skylights along the ceiling at the back of it. They draw sunlight down through speciality glass and precast-concrete pavers at street level to reflect off the pool’s water below. “You actually drive over the skylights as you go into the garage,” Ryan explains. “I think I can guarantee there’s not another house in Kansas City with this feature.” On the basement’s walkout side, glass sliders can open fully to a patio that also overlooks the pond.

A lofted library nook is a creative use of space and frames the entry to Jeremy’s
office. The barnwood on the ceiling is from the family farm—a design connection made more meaningful as Jeremy runs the family business. Along with the
fireplace’s natural Kansas stone, the barnwood plays off the high-sheen lacquered walls to create a rustic-modern sanctuary.

The undulating concrete tile of the lower-level bar is something Sara saw at a New York showroom, shortly after meeting with Jeremy and Nicki the first time to discuss design vision for the house. She said the new unexpected look was perfect and sourced it immediately. Ryan and his team added the lighting behind to complete the dramatic effect.

Past the natatorium, there’s a full exercise gym, complete with a commercial water fountain. These amenities are not only enjoyed by the family but also by employees of the family business, Fry Orthodontic Specialists, and they can come and go via a private back entrance. It’s this spirit of generosity that is the bedrock of the home.

“One of the biggest testaments to the Frys and what they stand for is that they hosted a party for everybody that worked on the house—electricians, plumbers, anybody who had their hands on it—they invited them and their families here to a barbecue so the trades could show off their work,” Jessica says.

Above, left to right: (1) The custom faucet in the lower-level half bath actually comes down from the ceiling. It’s plumbing drama worthy of the accompanying geometric natural-stone sink from Spain. (2) The texture of metallic starburst tile creates a playful backdrop for light and shadow in a main-floor half bath. Because the plumbing had to be set first, Sara and Jessica began most of the home’s bathroom designs with an inspiring faucet, like this one with its bright red lever. (3) The primary bathʼs make-up vanity features a brass snake mirror for some unexpected style in the corner. (4) A window in front of the primary bath sink is a bold choice that offers views of the wooded property.

Custom home staircase and tall slim window — A tall and narrow window in the stairwell frames a view of the pond and island.

For Jeremy and Nicki, this comes from an open-hearted desire to share the enjoyment of their dream home with others around them. “At the end of the day, we’re just extremely grateful, especially for this team of Noble Designs and Cecil & Ray, and everyone who has done such a phenomenal job,” Jeremy says.

Rooted in nature and designed for gathering, the home is a reflection of a family with deep-seated ties to their land. An extension of its environment, an extension of the family who loves it.

Custom home built in Olathe Kansas — The connection to site and use of stone on the main house and in-law house clearly reference Prairie style, but the architectural lines and mixed materials lean modern. One detail not to overlook: the skylights in the driveway that stream light to a pool under the garage.

Video courtesy of Design KC Magazine.

Case Study: Spanish (Modern) Revival

Hero image for Spanish Modern custom home case study

As featured in Design KC Magazine, fall of 2021.

Designer Kristen Ridler and builder Bryan Cecil renew a heavily dated home with a modern aesthetic.

Written by Jessica Bahr | Photos by Nate Sheets

Spanish Modern Staircase (1 of 2) — Here and below, right: A once worn and dated entry, this light-filled foyer now sets the home’s tone for blending a modern sensibility and monochromatic palette with subtle touches of Old World style. A creamy white travertine evokes the cool floors in Spanish homes, whereas the old tile absorbed the light and darkened the entry.

Picture yourself at a waterfront villa in the south of Spain, where soaring ceilings, gracious arches and epic windows look out to the sparkling water. This mental image is a reality in south Overland Park, where a thoughtful, design-minded couple's dream home backs to water and woods. It's minutes from the area's amenities yet hidden from the road. Here, an Old World essence pairs perfectly with a modern mindset. But it wasn’t always this way.

When the homeowners first encountered it in 2019, it was a tired house. It had been built in the early 1980s in a Spanish Gothic style and went unchanged for nearly 40 years. But the couple could see past a fortress-like exterior and heavy interior, knowing they’d found the perfect location. They then partnered with Kristen Ridler of Kristen Ridler Interior Design and custom builder Bryan Cecil of Cecil and Ray Homes, calling them their dream team. Kristen’s trademark modern aesthetic guided the couple's vision, while Bryan and his experienced crew made it a reality.

And the homeowners couldn't be happier: "Kristen took the inspiration photos we gave her to a whole other level. And Bryan was always looking at the functional details, wanting everything to be exactly right."

With a shared attention to detail, they all wanted to honor the home's integrity while adding modernist touches. For example, in the grand foyer, the gently curving staircase maintains its original shape--but sleek iron balusters and railing replace worn lacquered wood.

To the left of the foyer, a dramatic archway, original to the home, is now emphasized by the contrast of ebony-stained trim against clean white walls. It guides you straight into the stunning formal great room.

Spanish Modern bathroom shower — Overnight visitors may never want to leave, given the thoughtful details in the guest bedroom and bathroom. Here, the shower ledge is lit from above to give off the glow of the copper penny tile.

"From the classic arch, to the drama of the fireplace and the lush furniture, we really wanted it to look like an inviting hotel lobby," Kristen says. "We worked hard to get the layout just right."

Given the perfection of the great room now, it's hard to imagine just how much work it
once needed. There were leaky skylights, too many wood beams hiding the ceiling, and a windowless expanse of stone on the east wall surrounding the fireplace.

With the stone gone, new windows could be added to let in the light from both sides of the house. Now, the original masonry fireplace stands in its full grandeur without distraction.

Spanish Modern bathroom sinks and countertops and mirrors — In the primary bathroom, Kristen selected a classic tile pattern with inlaid brass for the backsplash and wall-mounted faucets to pull the Mediterranean feel through to the vanities.

Opposite the fireplace, broad windows frame a view of the flagstone patio, tennis court and, of course, the water. All the windows along the back of the house provide that generous view. And the home's unique L-shaped footprint lets you look out across the secluded courtyard and see into the opposite side of the home.

Custom Spanish Modern home - great living room — The stately great room is anchored by the original masonry fireplace with a new facade. “The size of the fireplace—where you feel like you can walk into it—that was one thing that we really didn’t want to lose,” the homeowners explain. "We are so happy that Bryan was able to make it happen."

Beyond the great room, the primary suite is nestled away by itself. A subdued color palette continues here with hints of glamour, too--from the breathtaking crystal ring chandelier to the marble and brushed brass of the spa bathroom.

On the far side of the main floor, there's now an open and bright gourmet kitchen. This required raising the original seven-foot ceilings and removing the wall that had divided the space into a pinched dining room and dark kitchen. The couple, who love to cook together and to host their friends and family, made space to entertain a priority.

Custom Spanish Modern lower level basement — The homeowners say the rec room is where Kristen’s work really shines, featuring her expert mixing of materials. There’s acrylic, brass, mirrored tile, and the live-edge walnut waterfall bar all working together to create a space they wanted to feel “cool but indestructible so people really feel free to hang out.”

And nowhere is that ideal more evident than in the incredible rec room. Moving from the kitchen, you enter what is affectionately called the "party wing" of the house. It's separated by a cool corridor of stone and short flight of stairs that spill out into an expansive grown-up playroom.

Where there's now a polished concrete floor, there was once a 13-foot-deep indoor pool. Bryan's team expertly filled that in, although the homeowners joke, "whenever you have a skid loader on a ramp leading up to your house, it makes you a little nervous. But really, we trusted them throughout the project."

Bryan adds, "At the end of the day, the best part of these kinds of renovation projects are the relationships and friendships that you establish. It truly makes what we do every day fun and joyful."

This joyful revival is truly a masterpiece--a "cozy art piece," as the homeowners call it. And with the designer, builder and homeowners all contributing, like a mosaic in a Spanish villa, this home is a collective work.