Photography courtesy of ADJ Interiors
Perched atop a hill that overlooks a lake in rural Missouri, a rugged little post-and-beam farmhouse serves up equal portions of place-appropriate architecture and irresistible charm. In addition to the lake, the dwelling stands sentry to fields of wildflowers planted by homeowners Jim and Anna Blair five years ago. Milkweed, black-eyed Susans and swaths of sunflowers hum with busy bees and swooping butterflies.
Jim and Anna are advocates for wildlife habitat conservation and self-sufficiency, including producing their own food. The grasses and wildflowers feed the resident big game wildlife, as well as the bees, which in turn support the couple’s gardens, orchards and beehives. Collectively, these resources fill the kitchen pantry.
“It all comes from a love of the land,” Anna says.
To understand the place is to understand the house. At 2,300 square feet with a lodge-meets-farmhouse vibe, its cozy size is exactly right for a refuge from fast-paced, crowded city life. Accommodations include two guest bedrooms and a master suite; another full bathroom in the hallway; a great room combining dining, living and kitchen spaces; and a generously-sized, masculine mudroom. Tranquil lake views consume the windows in the kitchen, master bedroom and great room’s slider glass doors, providing refreshing, ever-changing scenery to enjoy.
But the great room does much more than anchor the view, it is the driving force behind the home’s design. Standing 15 feet at its peak, the walnut ceiling and reclaimed walnut posts and beams physically and visually define the space.
The great room, dining area and kitchen are generous, filled with layers of texture that capture the raw elements and color palette of the site. Local stone for the fireplace. Dark gray, concrete counters. A brick veneer backsplash. Reclaimed wood cabinets with corrugated tin paneling. Copper for the sink and custom hood which is adorned with gunmetal straps. The island brings it all together with an upper countertop of concrete and butcher block for the lower one. Underfoot are engineered hardwood floors, “toasted” with a flame and softened with Oriental rugs.
“It’s a raw, yet cozy and welcoming vibe,” Meagan says.
The mudroom, aka the “boot room,” rivals the great room in size. With ample storage for gear, a slop sink and even a urinal, it’s an outdoorsman’s dream. In fact, the decor throughout the house is a constant reminder that this home belongs to the outdoors. Even the foyer side table holds treasures found on the land — wildflowers, antlers and a tortoise shell.
For all its authentic and elemental interior, the exterior expresses a cute and delightful farmhouse. Wrapped in smooth HardiePlank lap siding colored “Rusty,” it could easily deserve the moniker of a little red barn. Reclaimed barn doors shut over the front door for extra coziness. A stamped concrete, three-sided, wrap-around porch reinforces its sweet, countryside style. (There is even a pickle barrel.) The porch boasts a brick fireplace, and an outdoor shower hides in the back.
“The porch is a place to experience the connection to the land,” Anna says. “We watch the billions of stars and enjoy sunrises on one side and sunsets on the other.”
There is one exterior surprise: a pickleball court. Between pickleball games and playing on the lake, wildflower hikes and tending the bees, gardens and local wildlife, there is always something to keep this nature-loving couple busy.
“It’s such a happy place,” Anna says with a wistful, content tone. “We all love the simplicity of it.”
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