At first glance, one might think this modern home just outside Kansas City, Kansas, has retained its original 1957 design by renowned local firm Kivett and Myers. However, several additions had changed and compromised its integrity over time—among them, a sunroom that lacked a foundation. Today, the house is structurally and visually intact due to a meticulous renovation by local firm FORWARD Design | Architecture.
“The goal at the end of the day was to be an invisible hand,” says FD|A founding principal Christopher Fein, AIA. In fact, Kivett Redux was the first project for which the firm commissioned “before” photographs. “We knew [our changes] would be subtle,” he explains. But even side-by-side photos don’t reveal the extent to which existing aspects were demolished and rebuilt over a 31/2-year remodel.
Although the past additions had disqualified the house from historic registration, the owner was committed to restoring the original design intent—to an extent. For example, the unsupported sunroom was formerly an open courtyard, but the homeowner didn’t want to remove it and have less square footage. Instead, FD|A would right past wrongs and roll them into the unified vision.
A New Era
With its new foundation and newly rebuilt and insulated walls, the sunroom has become a welcoming entry lounge for the house. Single-pane windows were replaced with insulated glass units that appear to slip into the frame of the angled entry wall, a Midcentury design signature. FD|A removed and replaced a clunky built-in bar and sliding patio door that went nowhere with a large picture window that reveals the landscape, designed by Plaid Collaborative.
Original oak cabinetry and bench seating were integrated and refined in the millwork. For the keen observer, the project retains the misaligned cabinet door pulls, offset by an inch or so, as a reminder of the formerly sloping and unsupported floor.
U-Shaped to Useful
Where the home’s entryway stair once led up to an awkward bifold door to a primary bath, FD|A enlarged the landing and created a more formal “grand hall.” A new skylight tops a lightwell that telescopes down from the sloped ceiling and ends with a level base. “It’s our low-tech version of a James Turrell moment,” Christopher says.
A past rear addition had joined what was initially two bedrooms. The resulting primary bedroom was oversized and U-shaped, centered around the bathroom and a darkroom, used by the home’s previous artist owners. FD|A restored the original pair of bedrooms and carved out space for a second bathroom.
The primary bedroom, the bottom of the former U shape, still feels spacious, particularly with the remodel’s most dramatic move: a double-height, 3-foot-by-28-foot rear addition with a window wall façade. The glazed bump-out erases a former hodgepodge of windows on the north elevation and brings in generous north light and views of the tree-filled, 60-foot-deep backyard.
Living Down Low
The lower level is where the owner, Christopher believes, spends most of his time. A large column centered in the space coupled with a dropped beam ceiling had given the space strong basement vibes, and ductwork under the concrete slab was causing mechanical issues. The remodel remediates both the ceiling and floor. The ceiling beams were upturned, and the column shifted out of the main circulation path.
Radiant piping embeds in a new concrete slab, poured extra thick to help compensate for a bold design choice: no control joints. With the layout now open, neither Christopher nor the owner liked the idea of breaking up the exposed concrete floor with joints. Two years later, the concrete remains free of cracks.
The relocated round steel column now defines a circulation zone between a long, narrow kitchen, living room, and dining area, and frames a composition of white dowels along the back edge of the kitchen island. Says Christopher, “It is a spatial device to separate the kitchen. We went back and forth [on its inclusion], but it helps define that kitchen volume while leaving the space open.”
Opposite the island, the sink counter masks a thick concrete foundation wall, in front of which the contractor framed another wall for plumbing infrastructure. Where the foundation wall thickness decreases by 8 inches—at about counter height—FD|A camouflaged the transition with custom upper cabinets, eliminating the need for a stepped wall. Christopher enjoys turning constraints, such as “weird existing conditions,” into design features. “You get more bang for your buck doing that.”
Modern Cowboy Flair
FD|A aimed to match the interior color and material palette with the aesthetics detailed on the original drawings. The mix of warm reds and browns suited the preferences of the owner, a rodeo competitor, medical professional, and owner of several Western artwork pieces.
The design did temper the fire-engine red bricks of the living room fireplace, which was restored into working order and finished with a textured limewash. White powder-coated hardware pulls designed by George Nelson complement the house’s cream tones.
Even with the modern glass north elevation, Christopher believes the once-disjointed house of additions now appears “like one unified whole.”
Photo Gallery + Additional Images
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Project Plans
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Kivett Redux
Westwood Hills, Kansas
Architect: Christopher Fein, AIA, founding principal, FORWARD Design | Architecture, Kansas City, Missouri
Builder: Hurst Construction, Kansas City, Missouri
Interior designer: FORWARD Design | Architecture
Landscape designer: Plaid Collaborative, Kansas City, Missouri
Project Size: 2,050 square feet
Site Size: 0.25 acre
Construction Cost: $300 per square foot
Photography: Bob Greenspan
Key Products
Appliances: Fisher & Paykel (dishwasher, ovens, refrigerator/freezer); Maytag (washer/dryer)
Cabinetry, millwork: Custom
Cladding: Painted cedar
Cooking Ventilation: Futuro Futuro
Cooktop: PITT Cooking America
Countertops: DuPont Corian
Decking: Ipe
Faucets: Elkay (kitchen); Kohler (shower); IKEA (secondary bath)
Firepit: Plodes studio (distributed by Design Within Reach)
Fireplace: Portola Paints (lime wash)
Flooring: Concrete
Garage door: Custom
Hardware: Hume Modern (cabinetry); Emtek (doors)
Home theater system: Samsung (television)
Lighting, exterior: Kichler
Lighting, interior: Arne Jacobsen for Louis Poulsen (grand hall wall lamps); Vode Lighting (dining room); Flos (downlights, primary bath); Juno (recessed)
Lighting control systems, wallplates, switches: Lutron Designer (controls); Sillites (receptacles)
Paint: Benjamin Moore (exterior and interior)
Pavers, Patio, Retaining Walls: Cor-Ten Steel
Railing: Cable rail
Roofing: EPDM membrane
Sinks: Elkay (kitchen); Kohler (primary bath; IKEA (secondary bath)
Skylights: VELUX
Tile: Heath Ceramics (kitchen, primary bath)
Toilets: TOTO
Tub: Hydro Systems (secondary bath)
Ventilation, Bathroom: Fantech
Window wall system: Fleetwood Windows & Doors
Windows: Original and replaced direct-set insulated glass