Conrad couple moves to the Des Moines area and enjoys the amenities of their new home and the area’s attractions.

Even though their family business is in Conrad, north of Marshalltown, Rusty and Jean Schryver felt a strong tug on their heartstrings to move to the Des Moines area. Two precious granddaughters, Olivia and Julia, in Waukee will do that to you.

So when Rusty agreed to commute, the search for a new home began. “We looked at a number of existing homes, but when we saw this one, which was about three-fourths built, we fell in love with it,” says Jean. Their “Tuscan treasure” was a spec home underway by Kimberley Development in Silverstone, a wooded development between Grimes and Johnston. “It just had beautiful bones.”

The stone and stucco home was full of amenities—a spacious kitchen, tall ceilings and spectacular windows to go with them, a multilevel lower walkout, and fireplaces in four rooms. “We fell in love with it right away,” Jean says. “And while much of it was already done, we could make some changes, too, so we really felt part of the building process. Plus I can’t say enough good things about Kimberley’s carpenters. Rusty has a lot of books, I mean a lot, and I thought we needed more custom bookcases.

What they came up with is wonderful and fitting of the style of the house, which already
showcases wood.”

Elegant Plan
This elegant Pinnacle plan, with nearly 6,000 square feet, feels even roomier, Jean says.  Builder Bill Kimberley agrees. “That multilevel lower walkout area is really spectacular in terms of adding a spacious feeling. Everyone who sees it just loves it.”

Kimberley used high ceilings to add to the spacious feel. The living room is 14 feet high, with the rest of the main level at 10 feet. Downstairs, he says the upper level is 10 feet tall, with the depth of the lower level at 13 feet. Another appealing part of this plan, he feels, is that it has two two-bay garages that face each other and are set perpendicular to the front of the house. “It’s so important in a home of this style that you do not see all the garage doors from the front,” Kimberley points out. “This plan takes care of that very nicely.”

When it came to furnishing the spacious home, the Schryvers called on the help of Mary Capobianco of Designing Women in Windsor Heights. “I had worked with Mary before on our Conrad home,” Jean says. “She was the only designer who agreed to come all the way to Conrad. So having worked with her before, I felt comfortable calling on her again. With such high ceilings, the furnishings we had were just too small in scale. We have used a number of our earlier pieces in the lower-level family room, but upstairs we started from scratch.”

“It’s so much easier to work with homeowners the second time around,” says Capobianco. “We learned each other’s tastes, and our ideas meshed. Jean is an artist, a beautiful painter, so she has an artist’s sense of color. This home with all of its elegant detail calls for European and Old World furnishings and details. Jean and Rusty have some lovely heirloom imported pieces in their home.”

An open dining room to the right of the front door offers a welcoming touch. The large dining table of Radiata pine is hand-planed. Tall-backed upholstered dining chairs create an elegant look, and there are Travertine marble tiles underfoot, with subtle Persian rugs defining the dining and entry areas.

Pleasing Look
Straight ahead is the living room with its bank of huge windows overlooking the woods of the one-acre property. Capobianco suggested subtle paisley velvet drapes on the side to soften the look. “With windows that big, you don’t need full draperies that close completely, but the hint of draperies on such big windows really gives a softer look to all that glass and dark wood in the room.”

Oversize furnishings and carved wood on the front of dark chests flanking a huge two-way cultured-stone fireplace help make the room cozy and inviting in spite of its height. And with the size, lots of pillows in elegant mixed fabrics add lovely detail. Doorway arches repeat the Tuscan feel. “It’s timeless and neutral,” Jean says.

Nearby, the kitchen is a drawing card for the couple, who enjoy cooking. They added a second sink for food preparation and for entertaining. Two upper cabinets have glass fronts because Jean loves dishes. Cabinetry is chocolate-stained maple, counters are granite, and appliances are stainless steel. A focal point, the huge range hood, was made of cultured stone. There’s lots of room for seating with stools at the island and a round table and chairs nearby. The airy plan called for an open half-wall between the kitchen and living room.

The Schryver extended family, including their daughter, son-in-law, granddaughters, and often others, gathers late afternoon on Sundays for what has come to be known simply as “tradition.” Jean says, “It’s a casual supper that just helps us slow down when everyone’s so busy. We love it, and everyone counts on it.” The couple’s other daughter is an attorney in Chicago.

Just off the kitchen is a cozy sunroom with windows on three sides. “It overlooks the woods in back, and I think it’s my favorite room,” says Jean. “We just enjoy sitting there and reading or watching TV.” The fireplace adds to the room’s comfort factor.

The master suite shares a two-sided fireplace with the living room. The relaxing room also called for elegant and oversize furnishings. The tray ceiling, huge headboard, and silk embroidered draperies and Roman shades complete the picture. The master bath’s honed Travertine tiles set on point and dark plantation blinds on the bay window lend elegance to the room that has double vanities, a whirlpool tub, and a glass walk-in shower with side jets and a rain head showerhead. Built-in shelves and
cabinetry in the master closet make organization easy.

Also on the main floor are a guest room and a laundry room.

Throughout the home are Jean’s paintings. She was trained as an artist and later was an elementary teacher. Now she’s back to creating what she calls “faux Van Goghs,” including a number of pet portraits.

Multiuse Lower Level
Downstairs, in Rusty’s man-cave, is the large bar/kitchenette area that many Kimberley homes have come to be known for, just right for large gatherings. Furnishings in the family room end of the space are pieces from the couple’s previous home. The area features something of a West Indies look with lots of texture in rattan, elephants, and even a pine tree. The end wall has built-in cabinetry surrounding a fireplace.

Rusty’s paneled office also is on this level. There he can work on the details of the business that he and his brother Matt run in Conrad, Green Products Inc., a corncob processing operation. Rusty loves books, movies, fine food, and wine. In fact, one addition he made to the home was a climate-controlled wine
cellar, which holds more than 750 bottles of wine.           

 “Foodie” Rusty has thoroughly enjoyed exploring some of the city’s dining establishments, such as Baru 66, Alba, Bistro Montage, Proof, and Lucca.

While there is a theater room, it is set up to offer more versatility. “If they wanted to have a meeting in there, it would be a perfectly great place for that,” Kimberley says. “It doesn’t look as if it can only be a dedicated theater room.”

On that level are another guest room and Jean’s painting studio, with a Jack-and-Jill bath between them. There’s even a little under-the-stairs playroom for the granddaughters, complete with Dora the Explorer on the wall, painted by a loving in-residence artist.     

“It was nearly a two-year process to pull our new home together, but we absolutely love it,” says Jean.

 

Resources

BUILDER Kimberley Development Corporation