The kitchen was designed with entertaining in mind with accessibility to all areas of the home. Custom white cabinets maximize floor-to-ceiling storage, and not an inch of functional space is wasted.
When completely reimagining a beloved family home, having a deep and abiding trust in the people helping make it happen is essential. Angie Koen chose well, and the result of the 10-month project is stunning. “We just love it — I couldn’t be happier. My favorite room is the kitchen.” Or actually it could be the den. No, it might be the master bathroom. It’s impossible to say.
Angie and Fred, her husband of 22 years, originally built and moved into their spacious Irmo home in 2006. It is situated on several acres of rolling hills and fields that have belonged to Angie’s family her whole life.
“My great-great-grandparents moved to where my current house is built sometime in 1884,” Angie says. “When I was growing up, my sister and I always went to our grandmother’s house in the summer several days a week. Three days a week she cooked and cleaned for my great-grandfather and my great-uncle. They had no running water and used an outhouse. We would watch her fetch water from the well, pick vegetables from the garden to cook, and wash clothes outside. This was probably the only time my sister and I got along growing up because we had to play together or else we would be really bored!”
Angie continues, “We grew up watching how hard our grandmother, grandfather John Jacob Chapman, father, and aunt wanted the land to stay in the family. When my husband and I decided it was time to build a house, my grandmother helped us pick the spot, and I told her this would be our forever home.”
The home, which has worked extra-ordinarily well for the Koen family, suits their outdoorsy lifestyle, but after nearly two decades there, Angie felt the time had come to make some necessary updates. That plan evolved into a full-blown home makeover.
The Perfect Partnership
Fred is retired from pharmaceutical manufacturer Ritedose Corporation, where Angie still works as executive vice president for technical services. Angie found aesthetic inspiration from some photos she saw of Nephron Pharmaceuticals President Lou Kennedy’s Lake Murray home in Columbia Metropolitan back in 2019. She did not know a designer at the time but saw that Linda Burnside of LGB Interiors was credited with giving the Kennedy home its distinctive look and personality.
Almost immediately after meeting Linda, Angie knew she not only had found her designer but also a new friend. “I could just tell,” Angie says. “I’m easy. I know quickly whether I like this or that.” As they worked together, the two women reached the same conclusions pretty much at the same time. They would look at each other and say, “That’s it!”
Linda, acutely aware of the tremendous sentimental value the pastoral setting had for Angie, wanted to keep respect for its history in mind as she designed. “The land is wide open and beautiful. It means a lot to her,” Linda says.
The Koen house was completely renovated, from floors and walls to cabinetry and paint colors. In fact, the footprint of the house changed slightly, as a garage wall was demolished to accommodate a laundry room. Robb Winde of Essential Homes in Columbia was the contractor on the project to transform the five-bedroom home, which includes six full bathrooms and two half baths. He and Linda have partnered on numerous successful renovation projects.
“Linda is great,” Robb says. “I have been working with her for 20 years. She just has an eye and a knack for it.”
From the earliest planning, Angie told Linda she wanted a timeless vision for the house with unique features, many of them custom built. Comfort also topped the agenda. Linda has always made clear, honest communication a high priority in her collaborative process so that expectations are clearly laid out.
“Angie and I hit it off from the beginning. I love that she put total trust in me to renovate the entire home with a new kitchen, new bathrooms, and all new furniture, which was a daunting task,” Linda says. “Angie knew exactly what she wanted and what would make sense for their lifestyle. Our job was easy with such great collaboration. I credit Angie with being a fantastic communicator. We are very similar, strong, business-minded women, so we had mutual respect from the beginning.”
Cooking Up Change
Both women identify the kitchen as one of their favorite features of the home. It underwent a full gutting and was absolutely reborn. The new, open concept kitchen is bright and inviting, embracing elements that are timely and fully on trend. These include dramatic, high-impact lighting fixtures like a bi-level candle-style chandelier over the breakfast table and stylish pendant lights over the large, quartz-topped island to bathe the space in bright light.
The expansive kitchen island offers ample surface space for food preparation. Custom white cabinets maximize floor-to-ceiling storage. Not an inch of functional space is wasted. Recent renovation trends feature kitchens that are completely open with no wall separating it from the adjacent room. Such an arrangement enhances functionality and favors leisurely visiting with guests.
Following this trend, Linda says, “We designed the kitchen with entertainment in mind. We love the accessibility to all areas of the home. It is a fantastic kitchen for cooking, prepping, or serving, and it’s just beautiful to look at.”
The latest, up-to-date kitchens increasingly feature bold canopy vent hoods. In the Koens’ kitchen, Charles Stevens, a local custom finisher with MS Colours, executed the unique staining on the kitchen hood. His impressive handiwork also can be seen in the luxe built-in shelving, cabinets, and fireplace surround in the den.
“I really love the den because it’s such a transformation from what they had before,” Linda says. “We designed and completely rebuilt their whole fireplace. The blue-gray colors just transformed the whole room.”
Soft Shades of Blue
Linda describes the home’s color palette as soft shades of blue, blue-gray, cream, coral, and some brown. Subtly neutral window treatments and rugs complement the palette and new furnishings.
Angie and Linda joke about Fred’s reactions when new furniture was delivered and put in place. “Fred’s focus was on the building process and not as much on the design process,” Linda says. “So every day we brought in new furniture, it was like Christmas for him!”
Although the old, 2.25-inch red oak plank flooring in the house was still serviceable, Angie decided to replace them with different, nearly 8-inch-wide hardwoods. “The old floors were dark, and I always wanted wider plank floors,” she says.
“We talked Angie into letting us do all new floors,” Linda says. “We used a washed oak that is lighter. It changed the whole house and gave it a warmer atmosphere, kind of cottagey.”
During the 10-month renovation, the family camped out in the basement, which has a small kitchen. When the house was ready, they were eager to move upstairs so they could entertain guests and clients again. In fact, they’ve already held a couple of post-renovation parties, also with Linda’s help.
“Angie did have a dinner party and used one of our friends to be the chef,” Linda says. “He prepared a fabulous dinner for 12 guests, and they all absolutely loved the house. We selected all of the china and glassware for the dining room and were excited to help plan her menu, flowers, and tablescape for the party as well.”
Overall, Angie was content to leave the “driving” to Linda throughout the entire renovation, from drawing the plans to making each selection. Angie had meticulously communicated her needs as well as her discerning tastes, then she trusted that she was in good hands and was exceedingly pleased with the outcome. Her great-great-grandparents would no doubt be very proud.
