Ken and Tamara Gehle • 324 Oakland St.

Ken and Tamara have renovated every room in their 1940s-era home. The master bedroom and the kitchen have received major renovations, and a carriage house has been added. The master bedroom and bath were completed in 1997. The kitchen was expanded to include a family room addition, and was completed in 2005. The small one-car garage was replaced by a carriage house designed by Tamara’s father, architect Arnold Beachum, and homeowner Ken. The carriage house was designed to serve as a studio for Ken, who is a commercial photographic artist, and will be open during the tour. Ken’s artwork can be seen hung gallery style throughout the home.

Furnishings in the home are an eclectic mix of antiques and current pieces. Many of the antiques and accessories were bought locally. Homeowner Ken built many of the furniture pieces in the home. Notice the Queen Anne coffee table and side table in the living room and the lingerie chest, blanket chest and Oxbow dresser in the master bedroom. Since there was no room for side tables in the master bedroom, Ken made built-in bookcases.

The master bathroom was originally quite small so the wall was moved into the bedroom during renovation, incorporating the walk-in closet and allowing room for a larger bathtub. Notice the arches in the bathroom, which were added to mimic the arches elsewhere in the house. In the kitchen, the upper cabinet doors open as one unit for ease of use and there is a pullout drawer for trash. The recycling center is located under the farm sink. Soapstone was used for the countertops.

The family collects ornaments from their travels that can be seen throughout the home. The Gehles love the beach and have extended the theme to decorating their Christmas tree with seashell ornaments.