Extraordinary House in Alexandria Started as a Sketch on Napkin…Seriously!

By Jessie Stringfield-Eden

Nestled in the countryside between Silver Grove, Camp Springs and Alexandria stands a house that will literally stop you in your tracks. With a pristine white exterior accented by black and gray angles, it is difficult to compare this house to any other houses in NKY…or anywhere for that matter!

Homeowners Nick and Lacy Owen designed this extraordinary structure themselves…but the initial idea began as a casual conversation one evening among friends. That conversation then became an idea which was sketched onto a napkin. That napkin sketch was then transformed into some Microsoft Paint designs by Nick which then led Nick and Lacy to meet with local architect Tim Enzweiler who helped draft the official plans and bring their dream home to life.

Inspired by a gray, white stucco and concrete house design on Google, the Owens fell in love with the round elements and modern design features and they began to steer their own personal style from their traditional home with tan walls and white baseboards towards a more modern feel. “Early in our marriage, we started buying more modern furniture for our traditional house,” said Nick, “We even started storing modern furniture in our basement for our someday ‘Dream Modern Home.” The Owen family had faith that their modern dream home would soon become a reality so they set a target date to finish the home — ideally before their second child, a boy named Hudson, was born.

With lots of hard work, determination and help from his Dad, Nick was able to closely meet that deadline.

“I built the majority of the house myself as the main contractor with lots of help from my Dad. The house took me 11 and a half months, from digging the hole, running electric, building every cabinet, painting the whole house, laying every piece of tile, to the final step,” said Nick,

“I worked my day job every day then drove straight to the house and worked until late each night. Then I’d wake up the next day and do it all again. I lost 25 pounds in the process, because I would work so hard that I didn’t even remember to eat. We lived with Lacy’s parents during construction. At the time, our daughter Harley was one and Lacy was pregnant with our second child. We had a goal of moving in before Hudson, our youngest, was born…and I missed that date by one week.”

After all that preparation and hard work, the outcome is a grand, 3.5 bath, 4 bedroom home that is an absolute showstopper for all those who drive by or have a chance to visit. The most unique characteristic is a space which Nick and Lacy affectionately refer to as “The Pit”, a 16’ x 16’ square living space that is sunken 3ft into the living room floor.

“We love to host and entertain,” said Nick, “The Pit is the perfect place for Lacy’s Bible Study group to gather, to watch a game or to watch the kids open birthday gifts.”

Now, don’t let the sheer perfection of this house fool you. The Owens put a tremendous amount of hard work into creating each unique aspect of their home. Their black and white dining room features a curved wall with a ‘barcode’ design. What initially appears to be perfect wall paper was actually taped off and hand painted by Nick over the span of several hours. This dramatic design paired with the black dining room set and crisp white, elevated floor with blue under mounted lights truly defines this conversation-starting space.

Nick also did the same in the children’s playroom with some inspiration from a festive yellow and gray rug Lacy bought. “I bought this rug and thought it would be so cool to match the same design on the wall,” said Lacy, “So…Nick spent hours painting that wall too!”

Another labor of love was the DNA-shaped chandelier in their loft area on the second floor. “That took me 3.5 hours to put together as each ball has a keychain-like ring to hook onto both ends,” said Nick, “I had bloody fingers after that!” This sparkling crystal ball design hangs in the dome area of the curved tower of their home and is highlighted with blue recessed lighting.

With so many unique pieces, several items could not be found locally so they ordered items from Pittsburg, Australia and even China. There are a variety of different textures and this house is a visual wonderland from the moment you enter. The attention to detail in this home highlights texture with wavy/curved stucco walls, shiny tile work, wooden accents, smooth concrete countertops and even metal accents. 

“The entry wave wall was challenging to install since it is a rounded wall,” said Nick. “The metal cross was an idea we had from the beginning. We knew this house was supposed to be used to host and share our faith with others. We knew the cross feature would be a way to honor God for blessing us with this amazing home.”

With so many fun features, it is hard to capture the full splendor of this home so here is a quick list of some of the most awesome amenities;

• Groovy mid-century modern hanging ball chairs
• A “funhouse” style mirror at the top of the stairs which gives the perception of a tunnel
• Master Bath featuring a clear, modern bathtub, double vanities and a walk-in shower with 3 shower heads (one of which is a giant rain-style shower head!)
• A fun, zig zag sidewalk that leads to the front door
• A front facing delightfully crooked window in the Master Bedroom
• Modern kitchen with bold red cabinets and additional red accents with an island featuring a metal, textured countertop with circular grinding pattern

Such a show-stopping house is bound to get some attention and the Owens are well certainly aware.

“We have heard through the grapevine that people call it the ‘Beetlejuice’ house,” said Nick, “Or the ‘Cat in the Hat’ house.”

They also get a kick out of the people who actually stop their cars on the road to gawk at the house which they fondly refer to as ‘lookers’. Even their kids, Harley and Hudson, point them out from time to time!

Although the Owens unsure if others like the style of their home, it cannot be stated enough that this house is definitely THEIR style and that this home is well loved, very lived-in and built on a solid foundation of faith. “My favorite thing about the house isn’t the looks or the uniqueness but that even though we take care of it and try to keep it nice, we can still have all of our family and friends over (with more than 20 kids who can literally terrorize a house), and enjoy everyone’s company,” said Nick.

“Sure, it is a unique house for this area but despite the straight lines and bold colors, it is still homey and warm and full of God’s love.”

*Note: Lacy is a Rodan + Fields Consultant, the #1 skincare brand in North America.  To find out more about R+F’s products for anti-aging, acne, sunspots, and sensitive skin, please contact Lacy Owen at 859-620-0045 or lacyrandf@gmail.com. Check out their products at lacyowen.myrandf.com.

Take the rest of the home tour here, 33 more pictures: 

Fort Thomas Matters Realtor Roster:

Rob Beimesche - Huff Realty - 859-240-3219
Adam Rosenhagen and Clay Horan - HR Real Estate - 859-496-1113, 859-903-5706
Tami Wilson - Century 21 - 859-380-6007

Clint Copenhaver - Robinson Sotheby's - 513-379-3467

Phone: 859-905-0714 - Email: josh@joshmcintoshlaw.com. This is an advertisement.

Fort Thomas Matters Realtor Roster:

Rob Beimesche - Huff Realty - 859-240-3219
Adam Rosenhagen and Clay Horan - HR Real Estate - 859-496-1113, 859-903-5706
Tami Wilson - Century 21 - 859-380-6007

Clint Copenhaver - Robinson Sotheby's - 513-379-3467