When disaster struck their West Omaha townhouse, Kandie Borchman and Kathy Hawkins ran with the chance to change their decorating style. The results were a surprise to them both.
November 13, 2020. That’s the date a fire ripped through Borchman and Hawkins’ longtime residence in The Abbey, a community of townhomes and villas on the west side of Candlewood.
An extension cord in the garage had likely sparked the blaze which, along with water damage, destroyed the home and nearly all their possessions, rendering the retirees and myriad rescue pets homeless. Their animal friends include an orange tabby cat, Brownie; a black cat, Porchie; a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Tilly; and a 21-year-old Cockatoo, Denver (who enjoys his own soundproofed room in the basement).
The partners in life and formerly, business—they used to own Centre Court tennis shop near 120th and Blondo—moved into the 3-bedroom, 3-bath townhouse in 1991, just a few years after the unique neighborhood, designed by Tom Findley with Savage and Findley Architects, was built.
“We loved the ease of it,” Borchman said. “[Management] takes care of the lawn, the insurance…Kathy was a tennis pro, and we wanted a home close to the business. We were both so busy.”
Three decades flew by; then came devastation.
Despite the traumatic experience, the couple committed almost immediately to rebuilding, even spinning the event as an opportunity.
“We had recently done a lot of exterior work…the deck, a new roof…but as far as the interior, it still was where it had been,” Borchman said. “It was almost perfect timing…We thought, ‘Here’s a chance to rethink how we wanted to live in the space.’”
Doing so, however, proved daunting.
“Overnight, without ever anticipating we were going to do anything inside, we suddenly had to think about pulls and countertops and everything! It was overwhelming to decide the direction, pick out things, choose artwork,” Borchman reflected.
“We had never built a house before,” Hawkins added.
To complicate things, there were no blueprints for their original floor plan.
“We’d lived here long enough to know we loved the layout. We wanted to keep it, with small changes,” Borchman said.
“We didn’t want open concept…Not enough places to escape to,” Hawkins quipped.
The couple chose Diversified Construction, Inc., led by Pete Schulz, as the contractor. Mutual friends put the couple in touch with veteran interior designer Marilyn Hansen and her team at The Designers, who led the interior work.
“We were in here maybe a week after the fire, walking around with snow dripping on us from the charred rafters, stomping around on soot in our boots,” Hansen said. “Faith [Combs, project designer] and I drew up what had been here…Within an hour and a half, we measured the whole place, put it into CAD, and gave it to the architect.”
The rebuild proved lengthy; the couple finally moved back into the home in February 2023.
“We had to stay in an apartment for two years,” Hawkins said. “It took a lot longer than expected because of COVID and issues with insurance…all the logistics of it.”
Hansen said she spent an hour or more nearly every week working with the couple, making design choices.
Borchman and Hawkins said their design preferences evolved over those two years, moving away from the darker colors, casual furnishings, and mountain-themed décor that dominated their home previously (the last a nod to their love of vacationing in Breckenridge) and toward lighter, neutral hues, more contemporary, elegant pieces, and an emphasis on functionality.
“[Our interior] had been designed with the grandkids in mind…We used to play tag football in here,” Borchman reminisced. Now, with the grands all teenagers, the couple agreed it was time to elevate the space for their next chapter.
One of the few structural changes they made was tearing down a massive brick fireplace wall separating the entry from the living space and replacing it with a sleek, white stacked-stone wall, then swapping the wood firebox for a sleek, two-sided gas unit.
“[The room] is much more open now, and being that [the fireplace] is see-through, you get that warmth and coziness right when you come in,” Hansen said.
The team also created an expanded Pullman-style kitchen by removing peninsulas, widening the dining room doorway, and adding French doors. The culinary space now boasts contemporary, light cabinetry, extra-deep quartz countertops, and one of their favorite new features: a hidden coffee bar complete with pull-out drawers and shelving.
“Lance [Hiatt] at Eurowood Cabinets did a great job on all our storage and closets,” Borchman said. “We really love it!”
A matching quartz breakfast table sits at one end of the kitchen; a round dining table, ideal for conversation, anchors the other. Sitting adjacent is a modern buffet and kitty bench at the window.
The main level features ivory and warm, pale grays on the walls, punctuated by an eggplant accent wall in the dining room. Clean white oak planks with a matte finish cover the floors, masterfully concealing scratches and pet hair and drips.
The living room features a large sectional sofa with a dozen pillows, each a different pattern or hue calling back to the abstract artwork displayed above. An 8-foot-long vintage table by artist Matt Jones, salvaged by Hansen years ago, acts as a TV stand. Paintings and works by other visual artists, including John Thein and Dan Boylan, dot the room.
Eye-catching geometrics and shimmery metallics are design elements throughout, from light fixtures in the dining and living room to the antique gold mirror accents in the kitchen backsplash to silver-hued bedding and iridescent geode wallpaper in the primary suite.
The couple’s affinity for animals is evident in the home’s décor as well. Ocelot print carpeting covers the basement stairs, and a muted zebra print wallpaper adorns the guest bath. A dramatic print of a blue heron graces the entry wall, while an equine portrait hangs above the fireplace.
“I said we have to have something with horses, because I grew up riding,” Borchman explained.
In lieu of iron or wood spindles on the staircase railing, the couple chose contemporary glass.
“We went back and forth on that,” Hawkins said. “But visually, it adds a lot of space. Once it was installed, we knew we’d made the right decision.”
The couple continues to go through salvaged items from their storage unit and plan to add more personal touches to décor. Finishing the basement is also on the agenda. But right now, they’re savoring their elevated living space and precious time at home with their furry and feathery friends.
They’re both thankful that Hansen nudged them along in their design evolution.
“I think the fire gave us the opportunity to say, let’s pare down a little bit, simplify,” Borchman said. “That’s where Marilyn was very good. That’s her direction anyway…airy, simple, more modern. We’re very happy with how it turned out.”
For more inspiration, visit designersomaha.com, divconstruction.com, and eurowood.net.
This article originally appeared in the September 2024 issue of Omaha Home Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
