Meet the Masterminds Part 2: Discover the Talented Designers Shaping Grace and Nell’s Spaces in Our Latest Collaboration 

A couple weeks ago we introduced you to a few members of our design team and gave you a peek inside our collaboration with Lauren Browne of Grace and Nell Homes for the Home Builders Association of Kansas City’s Artisan Homes Tour. This week, we’re back with round two! We have more designers to feature and more previews to share. I’m giddy just thinking about all of these spaces coming to life and getting to share them with you!  

If you missed Part 1, you can find it here.  

Dianne Lowenberg

Let’s kick things off with Dianne! Dianne has always had a passion for design and loves a challenge. She has been part of design projects across the country and takes great pride in her ability to integrate a client’s dream with her own vision to create a beautiful reality. Her greatest priority is to fit her design to the client, rather than have the client fit her design. As a designer, her favorite part of the process is when her client has their “aha!” moment and feels their project has fully come together. 

Primary Bedroom Suite

Dianne is inspired by Lauren’s vision for the home’s design and is creating a bespoke primary bedroom escape that feels inviting and relaxing. Her space consists of the primary bedroom, primary bathroom, and adjoining main floor laundry room (you won’t want to miss 2nd floor laundry room and maker space). Having a hand in every aspect of the design, the wood furniture is made in soft, delicate custom colors. The four-poster bed commands attention as soon as you walk into the room with its soft white finish, upholstered headboard and gilded accents. The upholstery and bedding are awash in soft blues and greens, and blue and white ceramic accents add the perfect last layer. Dianne’s vision of soft, sumptuous layers of color and texture definitely come into focus in this space.

Pub Room, Media Room, and Golf Simulator Space 

Bright white walls keep this lower-level space feeling large and open while dark rich woods, plaids and heavily textured textiles give it a masculine spin. Oversized artwork is befitting of the large space and plays off the subtle Modern English Cottage aesthetic of the overall home in its dark, muted colors. A large U-shaped sectional in a classic black and white tweed sits on atop a rich traditional rug, together anchoring the media viewing space and providing seating for a fair few. Cognac leather chairs, reeded accent tables and metal accents lend a subtle industrial nod and plays into the adjoining pub space which pulls in similar design elements and textures while providing a perfect place for a pre-game sip or after-hours nightcap.  

Opposite the pub and behind a door, the golf simulator room houses a complete golf simulator and a large black sideboard and cherry bar-height table and stools, providing beautiful surfaces for placing drinks and snacks before stepping up to tee off. 

Jenna Witteman 

From a young age, Jenna has had a love for design. She strives to ensure her design solutions are a true reflection of the client’s personality. She loves adding classic elements to transitional styles, creating modern yet timeless spaces for years to come. Jenna specializes in bringing new life to an already beloved space, and she has a true knack for understanding her client’s vision and turning it into a reality. 

Study 

This light, airy space is one of the first to greet guests as they enter the home. Lauren’s vision for this space is to serve as a reception area or home office, comfortably welcoming and seating visitors of any kind. Jenna plays up Lauren’s desire to include feminine touches throughout the first floor while maintaining a cohesive, livable, family-friendly flow.  

Jenna combines traditional and vintage-inspired velvets with classic linen chinoiserie prints for an elevated yet comfortable space. The light tones of the furniture rest gracefully atop a traditional rug with slightly more saturated hues. A Lucite and brass cocktail table mirror the brass in the overhead light fixture, adding a touch of glam modernity to the room. Ever the fan of the finishing touch, Jenna adds tape and pleated trims to accent pillows for an extra dash of feminine flair and a pair of chinoiserie panels on the wall to highlight the grandeur of the room.  

Lower-Level Family Room 

Opposite the study in the entry way, stairs take you down to the lower-level family room, a relaxed space that ushers you into the media room.  Jenna mixes traditional elements, like a hand-knotted rug washed in grey-hued neutrals, with more contemporary furniture pieces that include a lightly-colored settee and grey-green leather wingback chairs. Large black tiered etageres anchor the space along the back wall, with an oversized vintage advertisement-inspired piece of artwork between them. 

Anne Epstein 

If Anne had to describe her style in three words, it would be classic, colorful, and preppy. She has a special appreciation for all styles, but her favorites are traditional with touches of color, whimsy, and most of all, fun! Once a customer falls in love with an item – whether it’s a fabric, light fixture, or even just a photo – Anne is able to expand and create a beautiful design made just for them. As a designer, she loves having the opportunity to work with amazing textiles and has earned the title of Fabric Fanatic! 

Bunk Room 

Anne’s bright preppy aesthetic shines through in this youthful space that is perfect for older kids and pre-teens. This four-bed bunk room features navy and white and Anne pulls the color scheme through to the textiles, featuring shades of blue and yellow on crisp white. The mix of graphic horses, flowers and dots keeps the feeling fun and relaxed. A hand-knotted rug anchors a settee and two small scale chairs grouped with a small neutral leather ottoman and a medium blue chest of drawers, a perfect spot to stash board games, books, and Nintendo Switch components.  

Guest Suite  

Down the hall from the bunk room on the second floor, Anne has designed not just a guest room, but a guess oasis, the perfect spot to welcome guests for an overnight or extended stay. A gorgeous upholstered bed, featuring a green and flax linear floral pattern, catches your eye when you first enter the space. The color palette continues to two coordinating swivel chairs, looking handsome in a coordinating neutral with green gimp and nailhead trim. A green settee offers additional seating or a place for shopping bags or extra pillows to land at the end of the day.  

Phew, what a walk-through! Things are well on their way with this awesome project and I sincerely hope you’ll join Lauren, the Nell Hill’s design team, and me in celebrating this collaboration and the absolutely fantastic finished (and furnished) home it has produced! And yes, the home and its entire contents are all available for purchase at the time of this publication (I know you were wondering!). If you’re interested in the home or any element within it, please do let us know and we will happily connect you with the right people.   

You can find more information on the Artisan Homes Tour here, and purchase tickets here. Tickets will also be available to purchase through a scan-and-pay QR code at the shop closer to the opening date! Until next time – Happy Decorating!