SIOUX CITY | Over the course of the past seven years, local business owners Ann and Dan Myers have transformed the home they purchased into a space that is ideal for everything from holidays with the whole family to Sunday brunch to lounging around on a dreary day.
The open-concept feel of the ground floor conveys a sense of cozy habitability that aligns perfectly with their hardworking but family-oriented lifestyle.
The Myerses both come from huge families - Ann has nine siblings and Dan has seven. The couple themselves have five kids of their own and - so far - four grandchildren. They are the new owners of M's on Fourth, formerly Luciano's, so their happy home has to suit their busy lifestyle.
An important step in the evolution of the Myers house was renovating the basement to suit the needs of both themselves and their relatives, while keeping up with the comfortable vibe they wanted. Copper-colored concrete floors deliver that feel, utilizing a look that was achieved by pouring acid on top of concrete. More than once when decorating the house, Ann found herself filled with inspiration in unconventional places.
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"Cabela’s, I think, has the same flooring," Ann said with an impish grin. "Isn’t it weird how you find inspiration in places you wouldn’t expect? I mean, Cabela’s? Really?"
The outcome is kitschy, cool and anything but reminiscent of a retail space. Their basement is peppered with Beatles memorabilia - Dan is a superfan, who has seen Paul McCartney live 15 times. Ann has some catching up to do - she has only seen him seven.
The Ed Sullivan Beatles print was spotted by a friend at a secondhand store in Okoboji, along with a framed gold record. Fully aware of Dan's predilection for collection, the friend gave Ann a call, and Ann bought it for her husband as a surprise gift.
Their kitchen bursts with classic but stylish concepts -- a cozy reading nook nestled in the front window is flanked by built-in bookshelves, copper hardware pops against cream-colored cabinets, and granite counter tops juxtapose the gas stove and copper basin sink (Ann's ideas). Food is their livelihood, but the Myerses still find plenty of time to cook together.
The floor in the kitchen matches the basement - cement with pretty, swirling patterns. A hidden-but-not-forgotten beverage fridge is concealed behind a cabinet door beneath the breakfast bar.
"It's really helpful during the holidays," Dan said with a laugh.
Modern Kitchens helped Ann and Dan to achieve the look they wanted, offering aid with everything from the cabinetry to the sink to the concept itself.
The living room faces the backyard pool, pool house and built-in firepit. The space had previously been used as a formal dining room, but the Myerses converted it, tearing down a wall to open it up to the kitchen and more casual dining area.
Their sofa, a cushy sectional with cheerful throw pillows, was selected by the late Patricia Thompson of Thompson Design, who helped the couple a lot with their home.
"She'd come over, and she'd say, 'Here are four designs,' and I'd say, 'That one!' 'Here are four colors,' 'That one!'" said Ann. "We kind of knew what we wanted, we knew what the purpose was going to be, we knew our lifestyle - so we just matched it."
The unique wooden ceiling in the kitchen matches the living room now, but it didn't used to -- at least, not until Ann and Dan began their renovations. They recruited a painter from Abel Home Builders to create a wood finish that would match the other ceilings, and the transition is seamless.
While the look of their home is polished and consistent, the house is littered with great stories. Nearly every item has a tale behind it: The bottle of tequila swathed in wicker hanging from a coat hook came home with them after a trip to Mexico; the intricately carved wooden portrait of the Virgin Mary was gifted to them by a priest friend; the sectional inexplicably took nine months to arrive.
Another story sits opposite their glass kitchen table in the form of an authentic church pew. As it goes, Ann and Dan used to be in the nursing home business. They found the pew, which was originally about 15 feet long, in the basement of one of their facilities.
"It was huge, and we asked everybody in the nursing home if they wanted it first," Ann explained. "Pieces were rotted and in bad shape and nobody wanted it, so we we were like, 'We're taking it.'"
They recruited a carpenter from Briar Cliff University to remove the rotted pieces and shorten it, had the cushion reupholstered, and the rest is history. Nowadays, the Myers' relatives squabble over who gets to sit on it for meals.
"I think it's because they get stuck back there and can't help with the dishes," Ann said with a laugh.
