Sixth Time’s a Charm
After living in five homes in four states and saving dream-home ideas along the way, Kaye and Kyle Lee used their sixth chance to build the place they’ve always wanted.
By Gerri Mack
(page 1 of 3)
 Photo By Edward Biamonte Archways are a theme in the Lee home. The dining room is
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From Dallas to Tulsa, Louisville to Nixa, and finally to Springfield, the Lees have moved a number of times. “This is our sixth home in 15 years of marriage,” Kaye says. With every relocation, Kyle worked his way up the corporate ladder, says Kaye. He is currently the reimbursement finance director for St. John’s Health System.
During all those years of living in different homes, Kaye kept mental notes and clippings of what her dream home might look like someday if she had the opportunity to design her own home. It was a process she wanted to enjoy, not dread, by taking the time to make the right decisions. The construction of their new home took eight months.
Thinking through the details comes naturally for Kaye, who works for 417 Magazine as project manager for the 417 Idea Home, the dream home building project that brings together local pros’ brightest ideas into one new home in Branson Hills. Kaye keeps the home’s owner, home designer, builder, suppliers and interior designers connected as they all work together. The project is planned to be finished July 2008 and will open with a tour to benefit two charities.
“My experience with building homes is that there is this magical move-in date,” Kaye says. “And when the home is not ready by that date, everyone freaks out,” she says. Wanting to avoid the pressure of the magical move-in date allowed the Lees to carefully think through their own construction project. The longer timeline they set for building allowed Kaye to make important decisions, such as eliminating a fireplace where a wall of windows exposes a great back view. “Why would you want to cover that up?” she asks.
And the Lees had other motives for wanting a pleasant construction experience. “Our builders, Sam and Michelle Clifton [of Millstone Homes], were friends,” says Kaye. “I was a nervous wreck wanting to keep them that way!”
“The success of a custom-built home with special features all depends on open communication with the homeowner,” Sam Clifton says. “In Kaye’s case, it was really fun to work with someone who had different ideas from the norm.”
But if dreams gave shape to reality, it was the aforementioned mirror that defined what the reality would look like. “I built the house around the mirror,” says Kaye. Originally spotting the ornate gold-framed piece in Louisville, Kaye based her wall color selection and the home’s design details around this elaborate piece.
The warmth of the smooth-finish gold-toned painted walls complement the mirror and punctuate the black ironwork that is carefully placed around the home’s main living space. “I knew I wanted a smooth finish on the walls, and oddly enough, it is more expensive in this area to do that,” she says.
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