Features

You have seen the kitchen in the first two issues of Womeninc as an introduction to our Womeninc Homes special editions. Now it is time to meet homeowner Betty Lou Nelson and her designer, Lynn Heuchert. Both women live in New Ulm, Minnesota and both share a passion for home decorating.

Betty Lou and Scott Nelson purchased their 1912 bungalow style home in New Ulm in 1997. The house was full of character and had nearly all the elements Betty Lou wanted in a dream home. The kitchen and an upstairs bathroom were the only rooms she felt would require future renovation.

Not wanting to rush into decisions, Betty Lou took about a year to prepare for her remodeling projects by looking through magazines and collecting a file with pictures of bathrooms and kitchens that she liked. Knowing Betty Lou’s desire to take on these rather large projects, her friend Marlene Krzmarzick recommended that Betty Lou meet with Designer Lynn Heuchert of Interior Motives in downtown New Ulm.

After visiting briefly with Lynn at Interior Motives, Betty Lou was ready to schedule an appointment to go over her plans. While there were many things Betty Lou was interested in accomplishing with these spaces, a big concern she had was making sure any changes she made fit the style of their home. It was also important to her to stay on a budget without cutting any corners.

Lynn’s experience and expertise proved very helpful to Betty Lou. Their first decision together was to do one project at a time. Trying to do more than that would be overwhelming. They would start with the upstairs bathroom and then move on to the kitchen.

The bathroom project proved to be a real challenge. Situated in an upstairs dormer area and above a staircase, changing plumbing was almost impossible. The spaces were tight with a tiny bathtub crammed between two walls and a slanted ceiling. Lynn suggested taking out the walls surrounding the tub, which gave them the space to add a new reproduction claw foot tub. They also added in-floor heat with ceramic tile, enabling them to take out a cumbersome baseboard heat system. New cabinetry, more storage, and a double sink added convenience. The wood wainscoting on the walls helped to maintain the architectural integrity of the home.

Next came the kitchen. According to Betty Lou, the original kitchen in her home was small, dark, and uninviting. “Family and friends wanted to be in the kitchen to visit and help with the food,” she said, “but there wasn’t any room. If more than one person was working in the kitchen, you would bump into each other. And there was only a small space for a table.” The kitchen is also a high traffic area for the Nelson’s teenage boys and their friends, so plans needed to accommodate them as well.

Betty Lou knew that if the right changes were made, the kitchen could become the focal point of their home. This was important to her since the Nelsons enjoy being together and the kitchen would be a place they’d choose to spend more time. With all the entertaining they do with friends and family, they wanted an efficient and inviting kitchen with ample space and convenience to make food preparation easier, along with atmosphere and seating to enable guests to visit comfortably.

The challenge was working within the perimeter of the home. After considering an addition, they decided against it as none of the ideas seemed to fit the house. They really didn’t need an additional room, just extra square footage for the kitchen. That’s when they started thinking about the adjacent open porch as a possibility for gaining the additional space they needed. Lynn found that by adding the five additional feet the porch would offer, the kitchen floor plan could be opened up, giving room for a nice-sized island with plenty of seating for the family. Betty Lou and her husband Scott made the decision to go ahead with the rather extensive kitchen makeover, including the additional five feet the porch would offer.

When the porch was enclosed, they were able to use brick that had been saved from the exterior. Windows were chosen that would complement the bungalow style home. When completed, the addition looked as if it had always been there, but the kitchen had an entirely new look.

The original kitchen had a butternut wood ceiling which they used as a guideline when making decisions regarding cabinets and flooring. Cherry cabinets and maple flooring were selected. Countertops are granite and the color is Opal Essence; black with gray, deep green, and gold flecks.

The wall between the dining room and kitchen included a built-in leaded glass hutch with a set of drawers down the middle and a

four-foot mirror over them. Betty Lou wanted to open up the kitchen to the rest of the house, but it was not an option to take the hutch entirely out. Rather, Lynn redesigned the hutch. Now Betty Lou can access her crystal from either the kitchen or dining room side, a pass through was added, and the kitchen was opened up to the dining room and the rest of the house.

Betty Lou and Scott Nelson are thrilled with the changes that have been made to their home. With Lynn’s guidance and expertise, they were able to fulfill their desires for their dream home. Both the bathroom and the kitchen are much more convenient and offer them extra space that they needed to be able to enjoy the rooms. The alterations are finely crafted and full of detailing that ensure the character and architectural style of the house are not compromised. The Nelson’s home is an inspiring example of how a well-planned remodeling project can make a beautiful difference.