Saba and Elias Kamaras were in Austin, Texas when they had their first child.
“He was born a year before COVID,” Saba said of her son, Ori. “We didn’t have anybody around, and it got really difficult. … Once he got a little bit older, we wanted to move closer to one of our families.”
They ultimately decided to look for homes in the Louisville area, near Saba’s parents and brother. It took six months of searching before a particular Prospect property became available.
“We loved that the original architecture was very contemporary for (being built) in 1981,” Saba said of their 4,200-square-foot abode. “It had very clean lines and (was) still somewhat modern looking, even though it was built 40 years ago.”
An avid gardener, she was also especially fond of the expansive outdoor space, which boasts a creek in the backyard and multiple areas for her little ones to play.
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“We just loved that it was a lot of land and a really nice house that we’d be able to kind of modify to what our family needs,” Saba recalled, “so we were kind of stuck on it as soon as we saw the listing.”
Though the outside was ideal and the house had solid bones, the Kamarases knew it would take some work to get it to where they wanted it to be. Some of the bathrooms and bedrooms hadn’t been renovated since the home was first built, and Saba — who has a background in fashion design — had some ideas on how to liven up the interior.
Bold and bright
“I always wanted a very colorful house,” Saba exclaimed. “I love color in all aspects of my life.”
She opted to keep the house’s exterior neutral-looking, with black and warm wood tones — but the inside is an entirely different story. With the help of Louisville design firm Natalie O Design, Saba sprinkled pops of bold hues throughout her home.
“Everything inside is just like a Crayola explosion,” she laughed, adding that she’d always wanted to incorporate more color in their old apartments but never had the opportunity to go all out and truly make the space her own.
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“We really worked with Natalie and her team to kind of push the envelope as far as we could with color, without making it too overwhelming.”
To accomplish this, they anchored the space with white oak flooring and kept most of the walls neutral. But bright pops of color are seen nearly everywhere else.
Multicolored rugs just inside the front door lead to the living room, which boasts a dark blue tiled fireplace that extends to the 22-foot ceiling. A bold strip of blue keeps the look flowing across the ceiling, which features five large, neutral pendants.
Nooks and novels
The fireplace is flanked by two bright yellow seating nooks that face the extra-large, baby blue bookshelves, Saba’s favorite area of the home.
“Ever since I saw ‘Beauty and the Beast’ when I was a little kid,” she said, “I wanted a bookcase and a ladder that rolled around, and I actually have one now.”
She adds that they didn’t want a lot of dead space in a room with such high ceilings, so the bookcase was custom-created to utilize as much of the wall as possible. Now completed — and filled with books belonging to the entire family of four — it provides a fun space to get lost in a book for hours on end.
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“It’s a really fun expression of what our family enjoys and the little things that make us who we are,” Saba said.
The expansive living room also boasts a baby grand piano, which little Ori is learning to play; additional comfy seating; a dining area; and lots of space for the little ones to roam.
Making meals and memories
The living room flows into the kitchen, which wasn’t initially part of the Kamareses’ remodeling plan.
Saba explains that the previous owners renovated the kitchen in 2014, so when she and Elias purchased the property, it was the most modern part of the house and didn’t seem to need a revamp. But their plans quickly changed once the rest of the house began transforming.
“We realized as we were touching literally every other room,” Saba recalled, “the kitchen was going to look totally different, so we ended up redoing it as well.”
The space now boasts blue cabinetry, a yellow hood, and an orange island. However, the space was updated to do more than complement the pops of color seen throughout the rest of the home; it was also carefully built with function and safety in mind.
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An induction cooktop keeps little hands safe and makes cleaning easier, while two dishwashers ensure a plethora of cookware is always ready to go.
“My husband went to culinary school, so he’s a big home cook,” Saba explained, adding that she loves to bake, and they both enjoy getting the kids involved with meal-making. They even designated a bottom drawer in the island to hold the dishes meant for little hands so their son and daughter can easily reach the dishes they used to eat and help their parents cook.
“We wanted a space where they could really come and join us.”
The Kamarases’ house is one of several residences featured on the Filson Historical Society’s 31st annual house tour.
Know a house that would make a great Home of the Week? Email writer Lennie Omalza at aloha@lennieomalza.com or Lifestyle Editor Kathryn Gregory at kgregory@gannett.com.
WHAT: The Filson Historical Society annual tour celebrates the distinct beauty of Louisville-area homes. Residences are carefully selected by the House Tour committee and reflect different styles of homes.
WHEN: Sunday, Sept. 14, 1-6 p.m.
WHERE: All homes are geographically clustered in the Louisville area to minimize travel time.
TICKETS: Tour tickets are available to Filson Historical Society members for $250 each. Membership starts at $30.
MORE INFORMATION: Visit filsonhistorical.org/filsons-annual-house-tour or call 502-635-5083.
nuts & bolts
Owners: Saba Juneja Kamaras and Elias Kamaras. Saba is the co-founder of adaptive fashion company Spoonie Threads, and Elias is a software consultant. Also in the home is Ori, 6, and Lina, 2.
Home: This is a four-bedroom, five-and-a-half bath, 4,200-sqaure-foot contemporary home in Prospect. It was built in 1981.
Distinctive elements: Oversized Cumaru front door; multicolored 3Form panels on staircase; floor-to-ceiling tile surrounding living room fireplace nested between custom built bright yellow seating nooks; giant bookcases in living room with rolling library ladder; clean faced cabinetry in the kitchen with orange island, blue pantry, and yellow vent hood; kids bedrooms with lofts and folding ladders.
Applause! Applause! Langan and Matt Hollowell at Karzen Langan + James, general contractor; Emily Paprocki at Rock Paper Hammer, architect; and Natalie Officer at Natalie O Design.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Prospect home on Filson Historical Society 31st Annual House Tour