Farmhouse takes it to the next level in Springboro home

Had Joe and Niki Gulick not owned 10 homes in the last 10 years, they wouldn’t have known exactly what they wanted—and didn’t want—in their forever home. “We moved into each of our houses thinking we’d be there for a while, but we were never there more than six to 12 months,” Niki explains.

Iron front entry doors from Monarch Custom Doors establish the farmhouse feel of the home.

The Gulicks’ background in the real estate industry definitely influenced their frequent moves. Niki, a real estate agent, and Joe with a construction background, were the dream clients for Sheri Scott, founder and principal architect with Springhouse Architects. “Niki and Joe brought all of the ideas to me for their new home located on a 45-acre farm in Springboro,” Scott says. “They just didn’t know how to pull it all together.”

The exterior of the home was designed to resemble an old farmhouse, with a roofline and detached garage created to look like additions had been made over the years.

Main level living
In all the Gulick family homes, they loved the idea of a basement—with its bar and big area devoted to watching football games—but they never used their basements. So they tasked Scott with bringing their basement upstairs to the main level of the home.

“They wanted to entertain and host special events, and wanted to do that in a basement-like space,” Scott says. “We designed the house with the concept of creating their ‘basement’ space to the right side of the first floor. It’s all connected; it’s just adjacent to their great room and kitchen.”

The basement-inspired entertainment room features plenty of seating space to watch football as well as a fully stocked bar and access to the backyard pool.

The comfortably palatial formal entry of the home opens into the main living space. The living room, kitchen and dining nook are all nestled together with views of the pool and surrounding property. The ‘basement’ space is tucked behind the massive stone fireplace.

“We have black and white everything,” Niki says of their overall design aesthetic that flows into the kitchen. “We wanted something timeless and classic but also a little modern.”

A cozy reading nook was installed under the staircase and is a welcome addition to the inviting foyer.

“We like to cook breakfast so we got the range with the griddle for pancakes,” Joe says of their Wolf range.

Joe also points to their custom cabinets, built by Refined Cabinetry. “Every single piece of wood in the house is actual wood,” he adds.

Tile flooring was laid throughout the main living area to withstand wear and tear, but the hardwood-look makes the space feel sophisticated. All of the countertops are quartz for the same reason.

The open concept living area includes the great room, kitchen and dining nook.

Home for the holidays
“This will be the first time we get to decorate for the holidays, because we’ve moved so much,” Niki says of the upcoming season. “Part of the reason we made this big, open floor plan is because I like to be the one to host things. We’ll host Thanksgiving and we’ll have some sort of Christmas gathering here. I can’t wait.”

RESOURCES Architect Sheri Scott, Springhouse Architects; Builder EJR Construction; Cabinetry and woodwork Refined Cabinetry; Don Kessler Trim; Excavating Rudds Excavating & Concrete; Windows Andersen; HVAC Comfort Medic Heating & Air; Audio/video Audio Video Concepts; Landscaping Mario’s Landscaping; Roofing Spartan Roofing & Renovations; Painting Crown Painting; Flooring Flooring America; Appliances Appliance Gallery; Hardscapes Snyder Brick & Block; Plumbing Dill’s Plumbing