The Opie family’s forever home on the family farm.
Tucked into a green hillside in Eldon sits the newly constructed home of Brandon and Meghan Opie. The lot sits on a slice of Brandon’s family farm. They began building on the lot in 2015.
“I grew up right over the hill,” Brandon says. “I’d lived out here since I was about 10, so I had ambitions of getting back on the farm.”
The home is bright and warm, with timeless design that allows for the family of five to co-exist comfortably in a space that will continue to serve them as the children grow.
Brandon’s cousin Travis, of Travis Opie Construction, was their general contractor, and Tina Davis, of Designs by Tina, worked closely with the family to design their dream space.
In the spring of 2015, the family met with their contractor and architect and shared their intentions for the home. “We didn’t have any house plan, we just went room by room and told them what we wanted,” Meghan says.
Tina joined the family when the house was being framed, and she worked with them throughout the rest of the process. She wanted to ensure that the family’s final space reflected both their current needs and their future in the home.
“I reminded them that their kids aren’t always going to be little,” Tina says. “This is not just for your family right now — this is for you as you age. And it’s also for your kids as they get older. Can you all co-exist in this space and let them have their space?”
The home’s careful construction is present in every detail. The front entry leads into the open-concept family room and kitchen, and the large second-floor catwalk looks into the grand space. Dark hickory floors contrast cleanly with white car siding on the vaulted ceiling, which is punctuated with matching hickory beams that anchor the space.
In Meghan’s gleaming white kitchen, a farmhouse sink sits below a bank of windows that look out at more than five miles of rolling pasture and hills.
“We wanted everything to focus on this view,” Meghan says. “When we started planning, everything that we planned around was for that view.”
Meghan wanted her dream kitchen to feature all white cabinetry, despite many attempts by others to talk her out of the color choice.
“I knew I wanted white cabinets,” she says. “Even though everyone told me not to do white cabinets and that they’re too hard to keep clean.”
Adjacent to the kitchen is the family’s large walk-in pantry. Often referred to as a “morning kitchen,” Tina explains that the pantry’s size prevents messy surfaces in the kitchen.
“What it’s designed to do is have the plugs in it for the toaster, the coffee pot, baskets for the food, and things like that,” Tina says. “Then your kitchen looks more decluttered so you’re not constantly feeling like your whole world is in an upheaval state.”
The back deck also overlooks the pastoral scene, a source of inspiration that manifests throughout the home’s classic design.
The couple’s large master bedroom features a luxurious custom-made marble walk-in shower with a pebbled floor, stand-alone bathtub, and walk-in closet.
The construction of the home took less than two years, and the family moved in right before Thanksgiving of 2017. For those considering taking on their own dream home construction,
Meghan and Brandon advise spending careful time in the planning stages in order to ensure the design is practical, functional, and useful. The Opie home is a cozy reflection of the effort and love put into its conception. Tina says that, as a designer, she wants her contributions to fit with the family’s vision.
“I never want it to be said that someone could look at a space and say, ‘Oh, Tina Davis designed that for you,’” Tina says. “I have learned that good design is timeless and everyone should have their spin or their flavor to what their space provides. It should look like the Opies’ and only the Opies’.”
This rings true in the family’s new space. Their values and lives are present in the thoughtfully and deliberately designed forever home.
Resource List
Contractor – Travis Opie Construction
Designer – Designs by Tina LLC
Plumber – Raithel Plumbing
Electrician – Vanloo Electric
Cabinetry – Pleus Cabinetry
Tops – Mid Missouri Surfaces
Flooring / Hardwood – JCL Hardwood
Flooring Tile / Carpet – Scruggs Lumber, Howell’s Carpet
Lighting – LaBelle Cabinetry and Lighting
Stone / Brick – Midwest Block & Brick
Building Materials – Scruggs Lumber
Plumbing Fixtures – JC Winsupply
Furniture – JC Mattress, Major Interiors
Shower Surround – Mark’s Mobile Glass
Tile Setter – Tim Kirk
Water Well / Ground Source – Boessen Underground