6 min readit can be funny to imagine who walked the halls of your home before you owned it. To envision how they structured their days, what conversations the walls have seen, where they found a spot for their favorite books. You climb the same stair treads they did, hang your jacket on the same hook in the mudroom, and sometimes, as was the case with this Kansas City home, inherit their ineffective floor plans.
When the new owners of this stately mid-century property purchased the home from the original family who built it, they knew they had found a gem in many ways, but the floor plan—originally configured for a much larger family and geared toward a now-dated way of living—was not one of them. Their solution? Tap the Midwest-based firm Kobel + Co, helmed by Mallory Robins and Elizabeth Bennett, to reimagine the interior, starting with the heart of the home: the kitchen.
“The kitchen, in particular, felt almost industrial—a space designed for preparing food, but not for gathering, seating, or connecting to the rest of the home,” Robins says of the room, which became the starting point for one of the firm's most ambitious gut renovations to date. What followed was a tribute to bold family living, with an emphasis on making entertaining and hosting an easy, everyday occurrence.
Reconfiguring the flow was the first order of business. An underutilized passageway got transformed into a “hostess hall,” and the duo dreamed up a home bar and library, affectionately dubbed the “li-bar-y,” to serve as the home’s go-to destination for adult fun. Making sense of the 7,250-square-foot space was only the first challenge, though; the second arose when it came time to meld the existing mid-century modern DNA with homeowners who loved fearless color, pattern, and artwork.
“We wanted to reference the feeling of the original mid-century home without feeling stuffy or precious,” explains Bennett. The pair fell in love with a vintage-inspired Schumacher floral fabric, specing it for custom back-to-back tufted sofas with soft, feminine lines and referencing it as a jumping-off point for all the adjacent rooms. “It was a risk to use it as the backbone of the entire house, but our fantastic client fell in love with the idea, and it was absolutely worth the reward,” adds Robins.
In the end, the resulting home beautifully toes the line between past and present, while acting as a colorful road map for all the moments to come. “Our homes are the backdrop to our family memories and traditions,” says Bennett. “They should reflect our tastes, travels, and personality, and this home beautifully embodies the spirit of the family who lives here.”
FAST FACTS
Designer: Mallory Robins and Elizabeth Bennett, Kobel + Co
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
The Space: A five-bedroom, four-bathroom, three-half-bathroom home across 7,250 square feet
CARD ROOM
A tonal yellow palette reads as both bold and tranquil.
When Robins and Bennett found out the homeowner wanted a space she could call her own and entertain friends with ease, they leaned into her desire for playful color, drenching the card room in sunny shades of ochre. “The custom pendant made with a striped Rose Tarlow fabric felt like the perfect playful balance to the adjacent formal living room,” adds Robins.
LI-BAR-Y
Part intellectual discovery, part watering hole, this unique space is one-of-a-kind.
Created out of what was once a first-floor guest suite, the cleverly dubbed “li-bar-y” was meant to straddle the family’s needs, satisfying both the husband’s desire for a bar and the wife’s request for a space where the kids could do their homework. “We designed custom cabinetry to create a fully immersive library experience, all anchored by a pill-shaped bar,” says Bennett. “The result is a space that feels both like the perfect daytime retreat and the ultimate nighttime entertaining space.”
LIVING ROOM
A floral-clad couch anchors the space—and informs the whole home.
With a creamy backdrop and tones of green, blue, yellow, and peach, the floral sofa—clad in Schumacher’s Anshun fabric—was the spark of inspiration Robins and Bennett needed for the home. “The furniture is designed to feel like a traditional living room space, but with enough playfulness and interest to ensure it’s used by the family year-round,” adds Robins.
KITCHEN
Graphic Calacatta Vagli marble brings artistic flair.
Though functional, the original kitchen didn’t bring much to the table when it came to ambiance, so Robins and Bennett set out to design a space with flow—and family—in mind. “We’re designing kitchens with more flexibility in mind and rethinking how space is allocated and how floor plans function day to day,” says Bennett. “By creating two complementary spaces, the kitchen and the back kitchen, that work together as one cohesive unit, we’re able to introduce richer materiality while also solving more complex layouts.”
“The kitchen has an incredible amount of storage,” adds Robins. To keep it from feeling too cabinetry-heavy, the pair used decorative mesh grills on the larger cabinets to keep the storage space slightly obscured while also creating aesthetic balance.
Nearby, an eat-in banquette offers seamless flow to the back porch and family room, creating an environment that’s both functional and ideal for entertaining. Mid-century modern chairs, reupholstered in Dedar fabric, nod to the home's aesthetic roots.
BACK KITCHEN
A pretty spot to hide everyday messes.
“The placement of the back kitchen—and the appliances and refrigeration within it—allows for some of the “messier” work of the kitchen to live in this space,” explains Bennett. Deep counters and clever nooks mean there’s room to make breakfast smoothies, prep lunch, and more.
DINING ROOM
Bold blue Gracie panels are the focal point of the space.
Adjacent to the Hostess Hall, the luxe dining room reads as opulent and party-ready, even when it’s not dressed to the nines. Gracie wallpaper panels bring a pop of cobalt to the mauve walls, while traditional molding maintains the classic feel.
HOSTESS HALL
A dramatic color-drench immediately conveys a party-ready attitude.
Robins and Bennett converted what was formerly a long, underutilized hallway running down the center of the house into this “Hostess Hall,” the perfect place to both serve and store. “The vintage-inspired cabinetry, chock full of china storage, harkens to the home's origin, while this bold color in high gloss paint creates a true destination for hosting,” adds Robins.
FAMILY ROOM
Bare windows underscore the room's carefree vibe.
Designed for comfort, this cozy space acts as a casual destination for family hangouts. “The inspiration was the original fireplace surround—one of the only architectural features kept intact during construction—which included playful millwork with a wave design,” says Bennett. “We leaned into blue and red tones in this space, balancing masculinity with the more whimsical floral pillows and red fringe.”
POWDER ROOM
Botanical drawings add vintage appeal.
Located off the mudroom, this petite powder room struck the design team as the perfect place to lean into a vintage vibe. “This oversized floral wallpaper is reminiscent of the era of the home, and the yellow trim is pulled from the card room on the other side of the house,” says Robins. A hand-carved vintage mirror offers the perfect amount of whimsy and is framed by custom sconce shades from The Shade Shop for an additional pop of color.
About the Designers
Kobel + Co is a boutique interior design studio known for creating upscale, deeply personal homes with a perennial point of view. Based in the Midwest with a clientele of discerning homeowners across the country, the firm is sought after for its richly layered interiors—where beauty meets utility, and quiet luxury is articulated through thoughtful detail. Helmed by Mallory Robins and Elizabeth Bennett, KOBEL + CO brings a distinct dual perspective to each project: one rooted in precision and purposeful function; the other, in intuition and emotion.
