Curb appeal: Morningside home attracts attention, realizes dream

Since the fall of 2001, Weber had been eyeing the four-bedroom, three-bathroom home that he stumbled upon on his way to the East High School homecoming parade.

"I was walking down the street and turned and saw this house and went, 'Oh my gosh! I love that house! I have to get into it. I have to see inside that house,'" Weber recalled.

Years later, on his way back to Morningside College after a workout at the gym, Weber drove past the house and spotted a for-sale sign. He called the realtor and finally got a glimpse inside his dream home. The Tomahawk head incorporated into the stone fireplace in the open concept living and dining room sealed the deal for Weber, whose father's family owns a centennial homestead in South Dakota.

"There was a tribal encampment on their land; and they had Tomahawk heads. I always wanted to take one to my elementary class for show and tell and my cousins would not let me take one," he said. "When I walked in and saw that, I was like, 'This was meant to be my home.'" 

Sitting room

Weber, a former East High School choir director who now serves as Morningside College's associate dean for performing arts, said the sitting room is among his favorite rooms in the roughly 3,900-square-foot home. 

A black grand piano rests in a corner of the bright, airy room near a long shelf that stretches the width of a wall. Holland House interior designer Marie Hofmeyer came up with the idea for a ledge shelf and arranged a portion of Weber's art collection on it when he was out of town. The art adds major pops of color to the neutral space.

"I just think it is exactly what needed to be there," Weber said of the art. "I always struggled with that wall. I love books, but I didn't really want a book shelf there because they get clunky, sometimes."

Hofmeyer said the ledge shelf allows Weber to change how his art is displayed whenever he wants.

"As he collects more art through the years, he can always take a piece down and put different stuff up without putting a bunch of holes in the wall," she said. "It is a big wall and it needed something awesome. He had the stuff, we just put it together for him."

Hearth room, dining room and kitchen

Brushed French oak flooring, which replaced thick carpeting, leads from the sitting room to the entry way and over to the open concept hearth room, dining room and kitchen.

"I never would have ever thought that I would put oak in my house, but they're awesome," Weber said. 

Blue curtains, dining room chairs and vases stand out from the warm wood walls. A large Art Deco painting adds to the 1960s vibe, while walnut built-in cabinets with glass doors give Weber the ideal location in which to display his collection of Starbucks coffee mugs from all over the world.

"I love to travel. Every time I go, I'm always stopping at a Starbucks," Weber said as he showed off mugs from Japan, South Korea and Egypt.

Weber gave the kitchen an overhaul, re-painting the cabinets white and replacing fixtures. A side door in the kitchen opens to a three-season porch, which Weber said was added in 2004 after the home caught fire due to a fireworks mishap. A hallway on the other side of the kitchen leads past a newly updated bathroom.

"While it's obviously decidedly modern, it's still got a nod to the '50s with that penny tile on the floor and subway tile," Weber said.

Upstairs 

Weber said the home is often called "the Beck House," after the man who built it. Beck loved wood, according to Weber.

"The people who bought it after me covered these steps with carpet," Weber said as he began climbing the walnut slab steps that lead to the upstairs master bedroom and a bathroom. "I refinished these, actually. It's been a little labor of love."

The master bedroom is spacious, yet cozy with multiple windows that Hofmeyer loves. The room also features dormer storage.

"It's a tricky room to know how to place a bed because there's not a lot of options," said Hofmeyer. "You really are stuck with it in front of a window."

Basement

In the finished basement, a light gray guest bedroom, bathroom, laundry room and TV room, which is equipped with the home's second stone fireplace, round out the home's interior.

The fireplace, which is flanked by wood built-in shelves is the perfect place for Weber to display his Tomtes, Scandinavian gnomes, during the holiday season. He enjoys relaxing on the comfortable sectional while watching the large flat-screen TV.

Exterior 

Weber said improving the landscaping around his home was very important to him. He wanted a "grand entrance," which Matt Larson, a former East High School student of Weber's who now works for Coughlin Landscaping, was able to deliver. 

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"I think it deserves that," Weber said of his home. "It's got such a cool vibe on the ave."

Weber knew he didn't want retaining walls in his sloped yard, like his neighbors have, so he worked with the city to avoid that. Tumbled paver stone steps and large concrete planters on pillars give the home that majestic finishing touch Weber was looking for. Slabs of Travertine at the front of the home snake around into the fenced backyard, where Weber gathers with friends in the summer. 

"I think you can do things super cool and hip in a way that still honors a home's tradition," he said.