Josh and I traveled to Kansas City on Saturday to check out as many homes as we could on the Kansas City Artisan Home Tour. Our first time going to this event was in 2022 and I had such a good time that I knew I wanted to make it a tradition.
This event happens every two years and essentially you pay for a ticket to walk around these massive, gorgeous homes and admire the architecture and design of each Artisan Home. This year they featured 15 homes and 13 different builders. Unfortunately, we were only able to visit 5 of the 15 in the time we had. The ones we visited are:
Home No. 10 | Starr Homes - 21808 State Line Rd.,Bucyrus, KS
Home No 11 | Starr Homes - 21850 State Line Rd., Bucyrus, KS
Home No. 12 | Starr Homes - 21906 State Line Rd., Bucyrus, KS
Home No. 14 | Grace & Nell - 11801 W 170th St. Overland Park, KS
Home No. 15 | Helm Custom Homes - 21208 W 94th Ter., Lenexa, KS
We started with the Starr Homes because they were closest to Chanute, but I didn't realize that all 3 of the Starr Homes were right next to each other so it was nice being able to knock out 3 without having to drive 30 minutes in between. We chose the next two homes based on the look of the exterior and closeness.
One of the main reasons I like to go is to see what is being used in each home and get ideas or inspiration for our clients. From what is being used on the exterior to what types of baseboards are being used, I try to soak it all in.
Exteriors
Each of the houses we saw featured a type of LP siding paired with a stone. The stone was typically a light colored stone and the houses were white/off white except for Home No. 15. They also did a combination of metal roofing and shingle/tile roofing.
Another consistent element found in each home was large black windows.
These homes typically feature some sort of outdoor entertaining space. It will usually include an outdoor fireplace and covered patio, and most of the time a pool. Additionally, the Starr homes also had a putting green. I didn't capture any of the putting greens because I'm not much of a golfer. But if you love golf, another popular feature these homes typically have is a golf simulation in the basement. They always seem to be a big hit! But another thing I noticed in these areas was the stone on the front was used in multiple areas and then also brought into the house.
The stone found on the front of the home was also featured on the fireplace, in the butlers pantry, and the entryway
Bathrooms
This doesn't come as a total shock, but a lot of the homes had a some sort of tile feature wall that typically had some sort of different texture or pattern from the rest of the walls. If there were just painted walls in the bathroom, they played up the room by doing something decorative with the stone backsplash which is one of my favorite things to do in our clients home too!
Most of the Primary Bathrooms included a walk in shower, a free standing tub, and his AND her private toilets. How nice would it be to have a designated toilet for yourself? A dream. The Grace & Nell home featured a walk in shower/free standing tub combo in their home that spanned the entire distance of the bathroom. My jaw fell to the floor. It was so elegant and a true focal point. If only my phone camera could do it justice.
Another primary bath the just blew me away was the one in the Helm Custom Home. It featured an arch over the tub (one of my favorites), but the tub was in a secluded room overlooking the green landscaping. It felt truly serene and relaxing and I wasn't even in the tub.
Cabinetry & Wallpaper
From kitchens, bathroom, and office spaces I was checking out alllll the cabinetry. I loved how mixing painted cabinets with wood cabinets was a recurring theme in a lot of the homes. It feels like breaking the rules, but looks and feels designer to me. It was just a wood island with painted main cabinets either. It was mixing painted and wood in the same row type of mixing.
I'm so glad wallpaper is coming back. I just hung some in my office and I feel it evokes a feeling that paint just can't do. I believe most of the houses on this tour are spek homes, or homes that are built without a certain buyer in mind. So I was surprised how much wallpaper I saw in these homes. However, wallpaper doesn't always have to be florals and loud prints. I saw a lot of grasscloth and textured wallpaper that provided little to no color, but brought warmth and texture to the space.
Fun & Favorite Rooms
There were quite a few bunk rooms featured and I just think they are so fun if you have a family like mine that have several cousins around the same age. It's the ultimate sleepover room, for sure!
My overall favorite room happens to be 2 rooms from the same home. The No. 15 Home by Helm Custom Homes ended up being my favorite of the 5 we went to. I thought for sure it was going to be the No. 14 Home by Grace & Nell (which it's seriously neck and neck between the two), but I was drawn to to all the green landscaping and wood found in the Helm Home. So my two favorite rooms are the primary bedroom and the living room in the No. 15 Artisan Home.
I don't know if this is Josh's favorite room, but it was one that he mentioned quite a lot and said how cool it was multiple times. It also happens to be in the No. 15 home by Helm Custom Homes and it is the safe room that spans 1,500 square feet.
Overall, the Artisan Home Tour is a can't miss event if you love looking at architecture, design, and massive homes. When they do it again in 2026, I'd like to be able to hit all of the homes they have on the tour, but we shall see! I'll also be the first to admit that we would one day like to build our very own Artisan Home that people come to see on this very tour, so until then I'll be busy manifesting!
Which design element or home is your favorite?
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