The couple, two successful architects, lived in a Merriman Park home — traditional, but newly remodeled to their tastes — with 4-year-old daughter Ava, a golden retriever named Foster, and another child on the way.

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They were perfectly content. Settled. Well, maybe not perfectly.

 

The husband, Rick Myers, had casually mentioned to his Realtor that someday he’d love to find a mid-century modern home in Lake Highlands. No hurry, though.

 

Just a week after their new baby, Emma, was born, Myers received an email: a too-good-to-be-true, freshly renovated home near Walnut Hill and Audelia had just hit the market. Myers and his wife, the Realtor insisted, should really take a look.

 

Wife Bernita Beikmann told her husband, in no uncertain terms, “Whatever you do, don’t go look at that house.”   

 

But Myers says he couldn’t help himself.

 

“I figured it couldn’t hurt to look,” he says.

 

After touring the house, he confessed all to his wife, and — pressing his luck — urged her to see it.

 

She reluctantly approached the home, baby carrier in tow, looking for the slightest imperfection.

 

“I wanted to find something wrong with the house. Anything. But as I walked through, I was muttering every cartoon curse word I know, because I realized we were going to have to move.”   

 

The mid-century modern dwelling is situated on a brisk incline at the back of a quiet cul-de-sac. Its exterior is modest, but its strong lines and stone façade hinted to the architect that this was a unique find. Light and nature flow into every room through huge windows; the renovation exhibits obvious care, craftsmanship and dedication to top-quality construction materials. Details — such as glass-tiled, travertine-floored bathrooms, and the kitchen’s glass mosaic counter backsplashes and top-of-the-line appliances — reaffirmed to Beikmann that she had found home.  

 

The next night the couple made an offer, and within a few days they had a contract on the house and were putting their Merriman Park home up for sale.

 

“We understood how difficult it is to find a renovated mid-century modern in this neighborhood.” Beikmann says.

 

The new home meshed flawlessly with their taste, while the previous home, even after they remodeled it themselves, never exactly fit their style, Beikmann says.

 

“In the old house, friends would ask when we were putting curtains up,” Beikmann says. “In this house they understand that there won’t be curtains.”  

 

Adds Myers, “It’s like some of our friends have said: this looks like a place where two architects would live.”

 

The 3,141-square-foot house was built in 1963, owned by the original builder until he died, and then sold in 2007 to a builder who completely remodeled it before the Myers-Beikmann family bought it in 2008. According to Beikmann, the renovation included a major overhaul to the master bedroom, which originally had a large room but only a tiny bathroom. A closet was converted into space used for a roomier master bathroom. Workers installed large windows and glass doors that allow the maximum benefit of natural light.

 

A wall separating the kitchen from the family area has been repurposed as a built-in entertainment center, flanked by a contemporary fireplace.  

 

An activity room occupies most of the upstairs. But Ava, now 6 years old, says that as much as she loves her room complete with toys and a television, she likes the neighborhood’s outdoor accommodations even more.

 

“We can walk to the park!” she says.

 

The family has added a few of its own touches — local craftsman Jim Kuchera custom made downstairs shelving and an upstairs entertainment center, and wall art is comprised mostly of family photos shot by photographer Andrew Hamilton.

 

“All in all, we really didn’t have to do anything,” Myers says.

 

This time, he says, the family plans to stay put for the long haul. “Buying this house was a big commitment, and we will stay here until we are empty nesters,” he says.

 

“Then I suppose we might reassess.”


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