COLLECT ALL FOUR! - Marion Meyer Contemporary Art

special edition cover: COLLECT ALL FOUR!Rocking therunway for agood cause:23DECEMBER 2010 $4.50KANSAS CITY MAGAZINESiNGLES IN KANSAS CITYMichael Serra and toni luebbe—along with John mcclure, molly flynn,stephen burstein and others—auction off unbelievable dates for charitykc after darkIN THIS ISSUE: 10 HOTSPOTSTHAT REALLY LIGHT IT UPALL THAT GLITTERSLAST-MINUTE GIFT IDEASPLUS: A HOLIDAY REVELRYTO REMEMBERCUSTOM BUILDA PEEK INSIDE ARTISTLISA LALA’S LAKESIDE HOME

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76 KC MAGAZINE | kcmag.com

Titled “Stars,” the art at the bottom of the main stairs—the stairs that illuminate andthat they built by hand, with the goal of building two a night—is by Lala herself (previousspread). Kansas City artist William Rainey, who, like Lala, is represented by Blue Galleryin the Crossroads Arts District, painted the piece that hangs above the glass fireplace inthe living room.When Lala’s father was young, he and his siblings played under a large walnut tree.When the tree died, it was milled so each of the children could have a piece. Lala’s fatherused his portion to construct the front door for his daughter and Harris’ home. It wasintricate, tedious work to create a door with more than 100 small windows: “My daddoesn’t build cabinets for a living. He’s a dentist,” Lala says. “[But] I think the door endedup being for him what the house was for us. It was crazy how it fit together. ”Among the infinite skills that Lala and Harris taught themselves, welding was one Harrispicked up. He made the stainless steel railings inside and outside the house and even madethe chandelier in their dining room (left) out of spoons. The colorful dining room table isadorned in strips of duct tape; its vibrant colors are echoed in the kitchen’s hot pink stovetop(above), which Lala had custom powder-coated.When the home was still in the planning stages, Harris was also working on his master’sdegree in engineering management. He made his home one of his final projects, calculatingwhat green materials would be the best investment for their money. Bamboo floors wereamong the handful of final, eco-friendly selections the couple made; others include an insulatedconcrete structure, solar panels for the water heater, and double-pane (rather than triple-pane)windows outfitted with low-emittance coatings that suppress heat flow.For Lala’s part, she had long dreamt of having an orangery in her home. Now, single-paneskylights installed in the space next to the kitchen that she created specifically to fulfill this dreamsaturate orange and magnolia trees with sun (above). In turn, the trees fragrant the space.Life’s better in KC77

Harris and Lala have furnished their home with pieces that speak to their personalities andlives together. The green sofa above belonged to Lala’s grandparents, and the art pieces thathang above it were a local find made by Joe Blake. Harris made the windsurfing boards thatstand on either side by hand. He and Lala met while windsurfing in Manhattan, Kansas, andthe two still love water sports today.The ICEE couch (opposite) is an original piece by designer Phyllis Pease. Harris inparticular had admired it as it toured around Midwestern college campuses as part of aspecial exhibit: On the tour, Pease invited people to take pictures with it; this provided somekey inspiration once Lala arranged to buy it for her husband’s birthday. The couple takes aphoto each time a guest sits on the ICEE couch and displays the results on the wall of theguest bathroom (right). “The ICEE couch is way cooler than we are,” Harris laughs.78 KC MAGAZINE | kcmag.com

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Adorned with hanging nautical flags, Harris’ office(right) overlooks Lala’s studio (below), so the two canchat—or not—while they work. The 300-square-footstudio is situated on the north side of the home, andit is the one thing the couple says they’d do differentlyin hindsight. Having lived with the space for morethan a year now, they wish it were bigger.The guest bedroom (opposite) offers a peek at theviews enjoyed in every room along the back side ofthe house. Right after Lala and Harris married 15years ago, they made a list of their goals. “Live on abody of water where we can see the sunset” and “builda home with our own hands” were both on that list.“We thought maybe it would be a retirementthing,” Lala says. But then, nine years ago on theFourth of July, a friend took them by boat to this lotfor sale, and their journey began. “When we saw thislot we went for it,” Lala continues.80 KC MAGAZINE | kcmag.com

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Along with the aerial fabric in the living room, otherclues throughout the house point to a very activeyoung occupant. The pegs Gigi uses to get up to herbunk bed (opposite) are actually climbing wall rockspurchased at REI. Utilizing the extra space above acloset and bathroom (above), her parents built asecond landing area next to the bed—Gigi’s ownprivate art studio.Lala created the painting in the room specificallyfor her daughter. “She has always been so supportiveof my work,” Lala says. “She’d always say, ‘CanI have this painting?’ And I’d have to explain thatmommy’s job is to sell the paintings. It became likethe cobbler’s child that has no shoes. So I said,‘I’m going to do a painting for her room.’ I put alot of writing in it with inside jokes that make uslaugh. And her favorite color is purple, so it had tobe purple.”Lala and Harris poured 110 percent of their heartand soul into a custom home they built by hand. Andin the end, their patience, love and dedication—and amarriage that was at more than 95 percent—landedthem in a very special place. n82 KC MAGAZINE | kcmag.com

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