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A Peaceful Perspective

A Home with a View

In 2017 when CJ Archer built her home with Evan-Talan Homes she had one vision in mind— designing her new home to capture the tranquil view that now lies just outside of her windows. A longtime equestrian herself, CJ found the acres filled with horses beyond her backyard to be as peaceful of a view as any, and her goal was to design a house that drank in that view. She accomplished just that. Stepping into the home, your eye is immediately drawn through the open floor plan and back outside again to the view of horses peacefully grazing just beyond her property. “I had downsized from a very large home and I chose this lot specifically for the view. I have owned horses in the past, and this was a way of still enjoying them without all of the work,” she jokes. 

The home is open and airy with clean lines and a modern, West Coast feel. CJ shares that part of her inspiration for her design came from her many trips to California to visit her son and daughter-in-law. Along the back of the house the doors to the sunroom roll completely away to reveal an unobstructed scene. “When you walk in the front door I wanted to pull your attention to the calm and peaceful view,” she says. The home features a beautiful, grand kitchen with an impressive 14-foot island. “I decided to push the great room back and extend the island to be larger to accommodate my family and our love of cooking together,” she says. Hidden just off of the kitchen is a well-appointed coffee bar as well as a highly functional walk-in butler’s pantry. 

Perhaps most interesting about her home is the vast collection of art that is featured within it. “When I purchase furniture or art, I always purchase from local artists and shops. I feel compelled to support local businesses,” she shares. Her home features the art of area artists Bill Rose, Carla Craven, Jennfier Rivera, Anthony High, Taf Mattingly, Chris Day, Tim Cherry and Scott Hartley. She takes a moment to admire a particularly personal piece, an abstract done by Mattingly, that features the outline of a horse with words that appear to be random, floating in the background. “The words are actually part of a poem that I wrote, telling the story of my history with horses beginning with my dad and grandpa,” she shares. She points out that some of the names floating in the background were her horses' names. This beautiful piece clearly evokes wonderful memories and happiness for her.

In the master bedroom the eye is once again drawn outside to the serene view that lies beyond, of vibrant, green grass punctuated by the silhouette of horses. The lower level is home to a modern, welcoming recreation room and bar where her love of art has extended, with many original prints displayed. She says, “I tried to create some unusual and unexpected things that make good conversational pieces.” A contemporary Ping Pong table is a feature, along with a luxurious bar highlighting Kansas City sports teams memorabilia and art featuring Monarchs Baseball. “I wanted to design a home for my three sons to come home to,” she shares with a smile.

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