Take A Tour Of Beautiful Sunnyland, A True Labor Of Love Throughout Its Restoration

Welcome to the 833rd Metamorphosis Monday! Kathryn, a lovely BNOTP reader, recently shared some wonderful photos of her beautiful 1909 home in Kansas named Sunnyland. Don’t you love that name?! Kathryn wrote, “The name, ‘Sunnyland’ is etched in limestone on the turret. The house was built in 1909 and we are the 6th owners. The original owners were pioneers of the town and made money as the town grew. History says they built it for their retirement home, but I think it was a status symbol!”

 

“We have the original contractors list, $11,400 was the cost, and that included 63 windows! They owned the home until 1917 and it was then purchased by a growing family. They had the home until 1959 when it was sold at auction and became a boarding house. A young couple had it for a couple of years in the 1990s but the loss of a son let it revert back to the boarding house people. In 1995, a granddaughter of the second owners purchased it. It became bank-owned and we purchased the home on August 1, 2002. It was a pig sty and needed a total remodel, but it had great bones!”

“We lived in the country and farmed, so we did 99% of the work ourselves with our farm employees, family, and friends. We worked day and night redoing electrical, plumbing, heat and air, stripping wallpaper, painting, adding new wallpaper & paint, cleaning, and setting everything up for a bed and breakfast. We opened up late April of 2003. A year later we put in a sprinkler system and totally redid the yard. In 2018, we did a complete kitchen remodel, and, we always have a list.”

 

Let’s go inside Kathryn and Fred’s beautiful Victorian home! Their home has a double entry and walking through the front door, we see beautiful mosaic tile flooring that is original to the home.

 

As we enter through the second entrance, we are greeted with beautiful quarter-sawn oak floors. The walls are also made from quarter-sawn oak, and the warmth they exude is incredible! What a wonderful welcoming entrance!

 

Kathryn described this room as the music room, adding that “the fretwork over the doorway is original to the home.”

 

 

The parlor still has its original leaded glass windows, fireplace mantle, and tile. Kathryn said, ” The photos were taken in the summer…I change the decor seasonally.”

 

Gorgeous fireplace and mantel!

 

The kitchen was fully remodeled in 2018. Kathryn said, “It was a total gut…we exposed the brick. The original wood was maple, we put in quarter-sawn oak to match the rest of the first floor.”

 

Kathryn said, “The Elmira stove looks old, but the electronics are under the lift up top.”

 

Wow, look at that nice big sink!So much great storage!

 

Kathryn said, “The doors on the china cabinet were original butler pantry doors that we refinished.”

 

Love the antique, seed/candy counter! So charming and nostalgic! What a great piece!

 

Kathryn described the dining room saying the fireplace mantel and tile are all original, as is the built-in china hutch. “Two pocket doors lead in from the parlor and one large pocket door opens into the foyer hall.”

 

Kathryn said, “This was my ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s….no…Sunnyland’ tablescape.”

 

Another gorgeous fireplace/mantel! Amazing that a home like this could be built for $11,400 back in the day!

 

The beautiful built-in hutch in the dining room…

 

About the laundry room, Kathryn said, “This was originally a back porch, original floor.”

 

Kathryn said, “We call this room the Sunroom. Originally it was a porch with access from the dining room and the kitchen.”

 

To see more of this beautiful home, including the downstairs bedroom and the many upstairs bedrooms, check out Sunnyland’s website here: Sunnyland Bed and Breakfast.

 

Kathryn ended her tour with these words, “We hope you’ve enjoyed your tour! Feel free to send any questions to sunnylandbandb@gmaildotcom and check out our tablescapes on Sunnyland Bed & Breakfasts’ Facebook page. If anyone would be interested, we do have the house on the market. It is an AWESOME house and will be hard to leave. We have enjoyed running the B&B and have met wonderful people, but it’s time to let someone else enjoy it!
God bless!
Kathryn and Fred

 

Thanks so much to Kathryn and Fred for sharing their wonderful Victorian home and all the amazing updates they have made over the years! So wonderful to see a home like this so beautifully preserved for future generations! Looking forward to all the wonderful Before and Afters linked for this week’s Met Monday! Pssst: Did you know Between Naps On The Porch is on Instagram? You’ll find me on Instagram here: Between Naps On The Porch. Like to know when a new blog post is up? Subscribe for email updates (it’s free) and your e-mail will never be shared. Subscribe for free post updates here: Subscribe.

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Comments

  1. Franceil Parde says

    The stained windows, alone, are ahhh-mazing!! How marvelous to have been allowed to live here…& trust me, I do know “blood, sweat & tears” of this overwhelming task. KUDOS!!! franki

  2. Oh my goodness…what a great house. I love that they have lovingly restored it and now share it with others. So beautiful. Thanks for sharing it with us. I love when old homes are brought back to life…and sad when I see homes neglected. There is/was an old home – colonial look with a glassed in side porch – that was on the road to our Costco. It was overgrown with weeds and ivy, but every time I passed it I kept thinking that was a home that hosted Christmas, and birthdays, and people lived a life there. Sadly, this week when I went past I saw a bulldozer and it was being razed and now it is gone! Glad to know there are people in the world who save beautiful homes!

  3. I love big, older homes like I love winter – when they’re someone else’s, lol! My oldest daughter lives in a section of town with those type homes, built mostly by coal and bank barons at the turn of the 20thC. My daughter’s home was built in 1906. Her husband is extremely handy and has redone plumbing, electric, etc. As for me, I am content with a cottage, but love touring and being in those big homes. Thanks for sharing!
    ps Are you still buried in snow like we are? Thanks goodness we never lost power, just hoping now I don’t lose part of my landscape staples!

    • Yes, I wish it would melt and stay gone. I’ve had to have my driveway and walkway cleared twice, and now it snowed again today. I don’t it snowed a lot but I just wish it would stop. I’m glad you never lost power. I didn’t either, thankfully. I hope your plants make it through without any damage!

  4. What a lovely tour of a fabulous house! I love that while modernizing the kitchen the finishes were kept true to Victorian style! I can’t wait to visit the website!

  5. Oh my word! What a work of love! I would dearly love to live in a house like that. Or even visit, for that matter. I remember when you and Kathryn previously shared pictures of Sunnyland and I’m so glad to see other parts of the house this time. What an amazing place to live. I love that so many of the original elements are still present, with more old-timey things added, like that adorable seed/candy counter. I’m sad to see them leave after they’ve made it such a labor of love. However, I understand that stages of life change and I wish them well with the sale. I hope someone who loves it just as much as Kathryn and her husband can buy it. Thanks for sharing that, Susan and Kathryn. Just wonderful.

  6. The woodwork in this house is breathtaking! My personal taste leans towards your style of decorating though. You could post pictures of things you are doing, buying, and changing in the Dollhouse every single day and I would never get tired of reading your posts!

  7. Linda Gurganus says

    A truly beautiful and amazing house. It would be hard to leave it. The woodwork and fireplaces are amazing. It’s like a step back in time! Thanks for sharing. I absolutely love well preserved old houses.

  8. Such a lovely home and property. I’m so glad it could be saved. Thanks for having us over, Susan. Have a great week!

  9. Bobbi Duncan says

    Happy Birthday, pretty lady!!!! Hope it’s been a wonderful day. They sure don’t put that kind of pride of workmanship in homes today, and custom would cost a small fortune. Kathryn & Fred can be proud of all the effort they put forth bringing this grand lady back to life. Thanks for sharing all the lovely pictures. Hugs!

  10. Michele M. says

    Oh my golly that place is absolutely breath-taking! WOW did they do a good job making guests feel as thought they travelled back through time. How I’d love to stay there! Or heck, as I am dreaming – I’d love to OWN it. I always had hoped to run a B and B one day. Now I am too tired and retired. : – )

    I am so happy she shared that with all your readers. Thank you, Susan.

  11. A beautiful Victorian house…
    Thanks so much for hosting this wonderful party!! I really appreciate the time and effort that goes into it along with visiting all the links!! I hope you are having a great week!!
    Hugs,
    Deb
    Debbie-Dabble Blog

  12. Oh what a beautiful house!! And the work they put into it – just wow! Some lucky person is going to get a stunning home! Thanks to both of you for sharing it – I’m going to hop over to the website again and take a last look. Thanks as always for the party, and did I hear it’s your birthday?! Hope it was extra lovely!

  13. Kathryn Askren says

    Thank you all for the nice comments and to Susan for taking time to share!
    Happy belated birthday wishes, Susan.
    Kathyn

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