Refined Hideaway
Kathy and Jim Donchess bought their Richfield home in 2013 after falling for the late-’80s hideaway nestled in the woods. The three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom ranch, however, needed work. “We were so happy with not having our neighbors so close,” Kathy muses. “When we moved into the house we were like, Oy. The functionality was lacking.”
They set about remodeling the approximately 2,500-square-foot home in a contemporary rustic style. The kitchen was first. After that, Kathy’s interior designer Rita Muckensturm recommended the Stow-based Anthony Slabaugh Remodeling & Design for a 2015 bathroom renovation. It became the first of five remodeling projects designer Nick Boka did for the couple with Muckensturm handling furnishings and other design elements.
Getting to know the spouses helped Boka bring their visions to life over the years. “She stretches me as a designer — just really unique, custom things that she wants and ideas that she has,” Boka says. In 2016, he utilized materials like reclaimed barnwood to update a mudroom, and a large exterior remodel followed two years later. He explains that the goal for the exterior was “to bring a bit of that Pacific Northwest style to their home,” since Jim went to school in Oregon, and the couple once considered moving there.
New brown siding and stonework create an earthy feel on the facade. “It was all very gray before,” Boka says. A rich brown wooden truss in one of the eaves, new black-paned windows, a dark wooden front door and a geometric wooden deep brown gate add to the aesthetic.
An extensive interior remodel started in 2020 on the home that was separated into closed-off spaces. “We didn’t have a gathering space,” Kathy says. Additionally, the kitchen butted up to the owner’s bedroom, which offered little privacy. Boka worked with Kathy to reconfigure the floor plan for a more open flow that also brought in natural light and created sightlines across the home.
A sitting room replaced the bedroom and is open to the neighboring dining room. The step-down sitting room features oversized custom French doors — which open to sprawling back patios — and sloped ceilings with a chandelier and two skylights. Boka also carved out space for a half-bathroom.
Kathy’s transitional aesthetic is reflected in the finishes and furnishings that blend modern and traditional elements. She incorporates updated family heirlooms into many rooms. For example, her great-grandmother’s hutch pairs with an antique dining set that was refurbished by Rustewelle and Barker in the dining room. The table and most of the banquette boast a distressed gray finish. The banquette’s legs and chairs, however, remain natural to complement the hutch. Rustic decor like a distressed rooster lamp and a wire plant holder contrast with crystal detailing in the chandelier and handles on the banquette.
Light paint grounds a neutral palette. Engineered maple floors run throughout most of the home. The wide planks speak to a modern aesthetic, and the grain, which is atypically varied for a maple, adds character.
Similar finishes carry through to the owner’s new suite, which is hidden away behind custom barn doors. Inside, a bed with an upholstered headboard faces a wall of windows with French doors that open to the patio. Floor-to-ceiling drapes with a design of greenery can be shut for privacy.
Meanwhile, the renovated bathroom is airy, even with a smaller footprint than the original en suite. “We needed to be efficient with that bathroom space,” Boka says. They did away with an existing tub in favor of a glamorous shower. It’s glassed-in with a rainhead fixture, trough drain, bench and two different tiles.
Renovations are ongoing. The home is in the midst of a partial basement remodel with chocolate brown decorative hand-poured epoxy flooring, cedar-wrapped structural posts and large windows. Kathy and Muckensturm are already talking furniture to maximize seating. The Donchesses are also thinking about turning the rest of the basement into a workout room with a sauna and third full bath.
It’s a work in progress. While they didn’t initially see it as a forever home, the renovations changed that.
“Our home is brighter, and much more functional and comfortable for not only ourselves but our sons who visit, guests and gatherings,” says Kathy. “This house is unlike any other we’ve owned or have seen elsewhere, and we like that uniqueness about it.”
Closer Look: Bathroom
The homeowners’ original bathroom featured two pedestal sinks flanked by slim closets. That layout pales in comparison to the updated vanity, which boasts double sinks, an expansive alba vera marble countertop, pristine white cabinetry, a modern subway tile backsplash and two mirrors.
An elliptical arch tops off the vanity. Homeowner Kathy Donchess says she got the idea after seeing a photo on Houzz. “When she sees something she likes, she wants exactly that,” says Nick Boka, a designer at Anthony Slabaugh Remodeling & Design, adding that he reached out to the architect who designed the original wooden arch to master the details.