Cari Kersey describes the new home that she and husband, Rick, have built in the Glen Oaks area of West Des Moines as “Tuscan plus warm and cozy.”
In two previous homes, Rick says, they chose a somewhat traditional look. “But by the time we got done putting everything all together, it seemed we were already not in style.” With the classic look they have established this time, they’re sure that won’t be an issue.
By design, the custom home with 8,500 finished square feet also avoids a dark look that can sometimes occurs in homes with lots of dark materials. “That wasn’t going to happen,” Cari explains. “Wherever there could be a window, I wanted to make sure one was there.” The result is a home bathed in light, either from oversize windows or from smaller ones placed high on walls to take advantage of natural sunlight.
Visitors first see the double front doors that are an impressive 12 feet tall. On the main floor is the living room, which features soaring a 25-foot ceiling, a bank of windows, and an oversize fireplace. As Cari says, “With the size of the ceiling and windows, you have to have large-scale furnishings to fit
the room.” She chose wood-trimmed pieces with rich tapestry upholstery to achieve the look she wanted. Throughout the entryway and hallways are arched art niches to fit the Tuscan style, many with a “crackled” faux paint finish to highlight the shape. Iron and alabaster details help create the Tuscan ambiance.
Gathering spot
The oversize kitchen is the home’s inviting gathering space. A large dining table and seating around the large center island accommodate lots of people. “You’ll notice that there isn’t a separate formal dining room,” explains Cari. “Everyone always gathers in the kitchen, so that’s what we focused on in building this room.” Alder wood cabinetry and trim and lots of caramel granite define the room. Rich faux finishes on the ceiling and walls add to the warm European-style look.
The interesting floor plan is geared to the activities of a busy family with three kids—Jordan, 19, in college at Iowa State University in Ames; Josh, 16; and Courtney, 12.
Some older building ideas that work well for the Kersey family are the butler’s pantry, perfect for serving a large crowd, and a second stairway to the second floor. Coat storage for family members is near the entrance to the garage, along with an electrical center for charging cell phones and other electronics. Also on the main floor are an all-purpose office spot and a laundry center off the kitchen, along with the master bedroom suite at the living room end of the first floor.
The master suite also has a sitting room, complete with a fireplace, and Cari enjoys reading there. “And while there are other larger gathering spot for the kids, it’s amazing how much they love for us all to be in this sitting room. I love it.”
The room has an Old World-style poster bed with heavily carved columns. The room follows the consistent palette used throughout most of the home with warm browns, gold, and touches of orange and red. Cari’s insistence on lots of storage is showcased in the separate master closets with drawers, shelves, shoe shelves, and hanging rods. There’s also a second laundry center in this area.
A room on the second-floor landing is the kids’ game and media room, complete with a 70-inch big-screen TV. Again, at Cari’s insistence, this room features lots of drawer storage for games, cartridges, and electronics. On this floor are the three kids’ bedroom suites, each with a full bath, along with a guest bedroom suite.
Family fun
The lower walkout level is geared to family and entertaining fun. A pool table, complete with two king’s chairs built into the wall, encourages good-natured competition. A sunken living room area offers comfy seating in front of a stacked-stone fireplace, and a kitchenette/curved bar area is a great spot for serving snacks. A built-in cigar humidor is on one side of the kitchenette and a wine cabinet on the other. And, yes, there’s a bit of a presence for a favorite team, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Nearby is an inviting dedicated theater room, which Courtney has found is a great place to host slumber parties. Curved love seats offer great seating to watch movies on a 110-inch screen. It’s one of 23 TVs in the home. Also on this level are an exercise room and a third laundry center, perfectly placed to handle towels from the swimming pool outside. The pool is beautifully landscaped with a sloping berm and babbling waterfall. The area backs up to woods. A covered deck just off the kitchen and a covered patio on the lower level give extra entertaining space.
Visitors are impressed by all the intricate wood trim in the home, and the Kerseys can’t say enough about the detail. “Five trim carpenters were here for three and a half months, and it shows. We love it,” Rick says.
Another custom feature makes sense for the Kerseys. A covered portico leads across the driveway to Rick’s office, as well as to an area with five garage bays. The office is where he keeps tabs on four
businesses he’s involved with—Pinnacle Construction; Hensley’s Big & Tall stores; ProDry, a water mediation service; and ACS, Associated Computer Systems. “I learned a long time ago to surround myself with people smarter than me,” he says with a chuckle.
Rick and Cari emphasize how much they love having a place big enough to entertain family and friends. “We really can live in this home,” he says. A sign in his office seems to sum up the couple’s philosophy: “Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.”
Resources
BUILDER Unique Homes by Pinnacle
DESIGN Ahmann Design
SECURITY, SOUND A-Tech, Inc.
WINDOW TREATMENTS Allen Enterprises
RAILINGS Artistic Iron Works
CONSTRUCTION SERVICES Benton Construction, Schaffer Construction
MARBLE, TILE Bertini Marble & Tile
GUTTERS Brothers Gutters
HEATING, COOLING Citywide Heating & Cooling
PLUMBING Contractors Plumbing
EXCAVATION Dave’s Dozing
APPLIANCES Factory Direct Appliances
FLOORING Flooring Gallery
BUILDING MATERIALS Gilcrest-Jewett Lumber Co.
COUNTERTOPS Iowa Countertops
FIREPLACES Kohles & Bach Distributing
CONCRETE Larson Custom Concrete
STONE Legacy Stone
OUTDOOR LIGHTING Lighthouse Landscape Lighting
MATERIALS Lumberman’s Wholesale
MARVIN WINDOWS Moehl Millwork
WALL FINISHES Net Eagle Finishes/RedStone
LANDSCAPING Capital Landscaping
MIRRORS Steele Glass & Mirror
LIGHTING FIXTURES United Lighting
SWIMMING POOL Valley Pool & Hot Tubs
TRIMWORK Vision Trim Inc.
GARAGE DOORS Wayne Dalton of Central Iowa
INTERIOR DESIGN Homeowners
