Kaleb Wyse -Iowa

The fields of Iowa have a way of growing without limits, stretching to the horizon and beyond. East to west, north to south the rows of corn and beans feel eternal. Life out there on what was once the plains and prairie feels timeless in a way. The farms transition from one generation to the next as the combines and machinery get bigger and the passage of time is marked by ever increasing horsepower and hybrid varieties of grain that will feed the world. Kaleb Wyse grew up right here in the middle of it all…a family farm that stretches to the horizon and that is bisected by the straight as a crow flies roads. 

For Kaleb home is a house that was built in the 1880s and was originally built with victorian details. Those original details were taken down in the mid 1900’s, and now that gives the house more of an American four-square appeal. His grandparents purchased the home and farm as a place for his parents to move into once they married. When his dad was ready to take over the farm, his grandparents and parents swapped houses so his parents could live at the generational farmhouse. 

Kaleb purchased the Home from his grandparents when they chose to move into something smaller. He says he has always felt connected to the family farms. “I feel a sense of belonging living in homes that past generations of family have lived and worked.”

“I restored the main floor with some original details. I matched all the woodwork to the original second floor pieces. I opened some doorways to make the flow better and updated the kitchen but kept the heart of an old house in the design. Cresting a story of what could have been there all along.” To almost anyone else this is the middle of nowhere, but for Kaleb this is the place that feels most like home. His father passed away in 2004 and he says he feels connected to what his father loved and where he loved to work on the farm. 

“I have collecting in my blood. I am constantly finding pieces that tell the story of what I love. I look for items that are timeless. They could have been in the house originally and been used daily, Like yellow ware pottery. I love the create a home that feels like it has stories to tell, like the items in the home have lived with the house. I have no rhyme or reason but choose what makes me happy. If I fall in love with it I know I will find a place for it.”