Custom Home Architecture Must Consider Environment and Place, and These Memorable and Modern NSPJ Projects Certainly Do
West Plaza, a diverse and conveniently located neighborhood in Kansas City, Mo., is an ideal area for all ages and life stages. Here, you’ll find an eclectic mix of single-family homes only a short walk from the action of Country Club Plaza, featuring fine dining, boutique shopping and some of the area’s biggest and most burgeoning cultural scenes.
This neighborhood was once home to blue-collar railroad workers who resided in small bungalows on steep lots, and before that was part of the Santa Fe Trail, a 19th century pioneer route that connected Missouri with Santa Fe, NM. Today, its residents appreciate the West Plaza’s bucolic setting, profound history and opportunities for custom home architecture projects.
The West Plaza area also houses three premium examples of urban home ideas, which NSPJ designed to exude a city flair to attract owners with a penchant for entertaining and minimalist living.
Urban Home 1: Modern West Plaza
The narrow lots in the West Plaza neighborhood require architects to maximize and utilize the sites with elemental design, amazing views and clean forms without sacrificing elegant interior spaces.
In the case of our Modern West Plaza project, residential architects used the sloping lot to create a spacious basement, mudroom and three-car garage in this urban home design brought to life by Hickock Homes. Climb the open steel staircase to ascend through an open-concept dining room, kitchen and living room, which opens onto a balcony designed for entertaining. Keep climbing to find a rooftop bar, game room and terrace – or take the elevator through all four floors of living.
Urban Home 2: Contemporary West Plaza Home
An escape from the traditional Spanish architectural style of the Country Club Plaza, the Contemporary West Plaza Home makes the transition to a contemporary and even minimalist lifestyle with help from Homoly Construction. Drawing inspiration from the owner’s treasured Scandinavian furnishings, NSPJ Architects ensured the final urban home design would showcase these pieces.
With an open floor plan and plenty of natural light, this home offers a top-floor retreat with vaulted wood ceilings. The home’s focal point – a true chef’s kitchen – includes a thoughtful layout of efficient appliances, plenty of storage, secondary prep stations and more. Outside, the rooftop deck and sky lounge deliver dramatic views of the Plaza at all angles.
Urban Home 3: West Plaza Modern
Designed for an investor, the West Plaza Modern home was meant to complement its future owner’s style. Although the site challenges were similar to the Modern West Plaza project, this one required thoughtful solutions for geographic limitations, owner preferences, flow and functionality. The investor wanted this home to appeal to a range of potential buyers seeking a custom residence in the West Plaza area, and worked with Homoly Signature Homes to ensure a high level of craftsmanship and quality.
The reverse sloping lot required taller foundations, which allows those foundational sections to simultaneously serve as retaining walls at the sides and rear of this home. This solution also created a garage space for multiple vehicles or an area to serve as a workshop. Inside, the welcoming entry opens entirely to the first floor and is lined with large windows for maximum light.
Residential architects took a unique design approach for this modern urban home design, creating a beautiful outdoor living area and amazing views from every window.
Because the home was built for resale, the spaces inside had to be flexible and appealing to future residents. Floor-to-ceiling windows, a custom-built steel-and-wood floating staircase, a modern kitchen with a quartz waterfall island and two private balconies overlooking Westwood Park accomplished these goals.
Let Us Design Your New Urban Home
Whether you own an existing home or lot in West Plaza or other urban Kansas City neighborhoods like Hyde Park, downtown, River Market, Crossroads or the Westside, NSPJ Architects have the expertise to create the perfect modern urban home for you or your investment firm’s potential buyers.
Send our firm a message and let us know how we can help make your dream home a reality – even if your urban lot is elsewhere in the U.S. In fact, our residential architects hold licensure or are eligible for reciprocal licensure in all 50 states and are connected to a variety of quality home builders.
For more urban home design ideas, review our portfolio of custom homes.
