Welcome to ‘Heaven’s Hill,” Jenny Heieck said, pointing at her ranch-style house. The stay-at-home mother of three children christened the residence with this name based on its location in Heavenly Acres and because it felt like anostalgic paradise.
Her husband, Joseph, grew up in this house, playing tennis on courts built by his father in this backyard. Jenny, meanwhile, crushed on Joseph as he walked his two dogs past her window, where she lived a block away. The high school sweethearts spent hours dreaming of their futures at this location.
When Joseph attended the University of Notre Dame, Jenny followed him after applying to Saint Mary’s College in Indiana. After graduation, the history major proposed to her next to the fireplace in the basement on New Year’s Eve.
Joseph enlisted in the Navy, wanting to serve his country ever since 9/11. The couple exchanged wedding vows in the living room with his uncle acting as justice of the peace. The special warfare intelligence officer worked dangerous missions, supporting the Navy SEALs and Green Berets in Iraq and Afghanistan while receiving numerous medals. Jenny also took on treacherous employment with a contractor, deploying dolphins to find bombs underwater after a stint at SeaWorld San Diego. Joseph obtained his MBA at Harvard Business School in 2014 and became the President and CEO of gWorks, a software technology company in Omaha, Nebraska.
“We moved back after years of saying we would never come back,” Jenny said.
When Joseph’s parents put their house on the market after moving to Arizona in 2015, the couple couldn’t afford it, but fate intervened. Jenny opened the Zillow app by chance six years later.
“The house is for sale,” Jenny called her husband, crying.
“What house?”
“The house.”
The place held history, a poignant tribute, and both jumped at the chance to purchase it. The residence, constructed in 1967, whispers about former owners, the Lippold family, who owned the Kitty Clover Potato Chip Company. Stories tell of a sparkling disco ball, a dance floor, and neon orange kitchen cabinets. A refrigerated closet for fur coats and a hair-washing station mingled with the hip vibe. The kitschy house sat empty for two years until Joseph’s parents purchased it in 1984. Supposedly, a secret tunnel ran from the Lippold’s home to their son’s next door but remains cemented as part of the original purchasing agreement. A telephone distribution system with 100 lines remains from this bygone era.
His parents re-designed the interior and exterior spaces by themselves. Jenny and Joseph, though, decided experts could capture a sense of welcoming and timeless appeal for a much-needed facelift on the main floor after securing their dream dwelling. Leah Scheppers, the founder and principal designer of Iconic Styling Design + Studio, decided on a California traditional schematic with an airy ambiance and natural elements.
“It’s going to have longevity,” Scheppers said.
The original oak floors needed refinishing and re-piecing, but adding eye-catching details like Chicago red brick in the entryway allowed for creativity. The living room combines country charm with pops of color. Mushroom-shaded Shearling chairs surround a circular table. Gitt Construction removed the brick around the gas fireplace and replaced it with contrasting beige and gray-toned limestone. The mantel, repurposed from 200-year-old wood from a John Deere factory, inserts raw highlights into the space. Stained hickory beams balance the area. Although the family spends most of their time playing board games in front of the fireplace, they sometimes sprawl on the navy denim couch or chair watching classic ‘80s movies. Leather ottoman poufs serve as modular pieces to draw next to the French white oak coffee table.
“We understood right away that Jenny was more outgoing and Joe more analytical and professional,” Gitt Construction owner Tim Silknitter mentioned. “We had to cater to both sides.”
Jenny homeschools her children in the library with moody accent lighting from a flower-shaped fixture and hunter-green-painted walls. Built-in bookshelves provide reading opportunities for 6-year-old identical twins, Charlotte and Emma. A couple of wingback leather chairs cradle a table resembling a chess piece. Benji, 8, challenged his father in chess but only defeated his older opponent once.
“It felt really good. I’m totally going to beat him again,” Benji claimed.
The parents relax in the once formal sitting room, but cozy ivory Mongolian sheepskin chairs and an olive-green performance velvet Chesterfield now invite them to sit for coffee breaks while watching the birds. White dove-colored custom-made paneling creates texture and matches the remodeled master bathroom.
Family time centers around the massive kitchen, including an Italian stove containing a bread oven and rotisserie spit. In the dining room, an upholstered banquette squeezes in multiple friends while others can sit in the black wooden chairs around an extendable farm table. The bright quartz countertop on a large island complements its charcoal body that hides two dishwashers. Buckskin leather-wrapped bar stools surround it for additional spots to dine.
Michaela Mencke, lead designer and studio manager at Cabinet Design Studio of Omaha, added pantry buffets in a rustic finish for extra space and farmhouse appeal. Gray-painted maple wood swapped out white metal cabinets throughout the kitchen.
“It’s funny, honestly, the metal cabinets were in great shape but just not functional for a family who likes to entertain,” Mencke said.
The mud room expanded, opening more room for cabinets, two laundry and dryer units, a drop zone, and drying racks. Birdie and Norman, their Wirehaired Pointing Griffons, even have a built-in dog kennel and food pull-out drawers. Red brick flooring emulates the entryway and allows for easy clean-up for the occasional muddy paw print.
Birdie playfully nibbles on Norman’s ear, and their nails click on the kitchen floor past the stained-glass window—a holdover from the past design.
“It was meant to be. We are finally home,” said Jenny.
Joseph glanced at his son and daughters.
“My son sleeps in the room I slept in,” he said. “I see them having adventures inside and outside that I did. We love that.”
For more information, visit iconicstyling.com, gittdbr.com, and cabinetsomaha.com.
This article originally appeared in the September 2024 issue of Omaha Home Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
