Welcome to Little Wichita

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The gathering and dining rooms at the Nelson's Shell Knob cabin show off the home's open floorplan.

A passion for 417-land’s beautiful lakes is what led Wichita natives Craig and Dalene Nelson to build their dream vacation home overlooking Table Rock Lake, near Shell Knob. Their log-style getaway is located in the Windsor Bay subdivision. “We all affectionately call this area The Knob,” says Dalene, who guesses that Wichitans make up about 75 percent of the neighborhood.

For Craig, president of Conco Construction, the four-hour drive to The Knob, or “Little Wichita” as its known in this part of 417-land, is part of the relaxing experience. “You drive those rolling hills leading into town, and you just feel the stress melting away,” says Craig. Spending long weekends and holidays at the house has brought special memories for the Nelsons and their extended family. Today, their two grandsons spend warm days at the lake, much like Craig did as a boy during the late 1960s and early 1970s. “I have fond memories of this whole area and the water,” he says.

When Dalene and Craig decided to purchase a second home at Table Rock Lake in the mid-’90s, they settled on a townhouse. Eight years later, the two-bedroom home “got a little cozy,” says Dalene, so they began looking for a larger place. After an unsuccessful search, they talked to a local realtor who suggested building. The Nelsons zeroed in on local builder Danny R. Street after touring a home that he had built on the lake. “They liked the feel of the house but wanted to make some changes to the layout,” says Street. “So we just modified an existing plan, took it to a draftsman and had it built in about eight months.”

A Gathering Place

Entering the home today, visitors are welcomed by a wall of windows that leads to a 16-by-20-foot deck that overlooks the lake and community dock. A gathering room with 22-foot ceilings and a fieldstone, wood-burning fireplace anchors the space. Family photos on a wooden coffee table reflect the home’s spirit as a gathering place. A dining table beneath a caribou-horn chandelier stands at one side of the great room. A copper plate from EureKan Gallery in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, hangs above the hearth. The home is dotted with art and decorative pieces that the Nelsons have picked up while traveling throughout the region. “We love going to the symphony or visiting galleries in Springfield or Eureka Springs,” says Dalene.

The woodsy theme is carried into the kitchen, where a massive cedar log defines the hearth. “I wanted to bring a local flavor to the home, so we went
into the woods, found and peeled the log and placed it horizontally in the kitchen,” says Street. The kitchen’s tumbled stone countertops are a rustic complement to the state-of-the-art, sub-zero refrigerator. Custom hued-glass fixtures made by Kansas City artist Gary Smith hang over the open countertops.

A bar with additional cedar log accents stands next to the kitchen and adjacent to the Nelsons’ bedroom. With another commanding view from their master suite, the Nelsons’ getaway-within-a-getaway takes a vintage twist with a claw-foot tub inside the master bathroom. Cedar closets and double sinks complete the space.

On the other side of the house, Jack-and-Jill-style bedrooms provide a respite for Craig and Dalene’s grandsons. Sinks in the bedrooms offer added privacy. “Their biggest complaint is that we don’t have enough toys here,” says Dalene. “But they love to get out and help drive the boat.” The Nelsons have a 27-foot craft anchored at the nearby community dock.

Keep clicking! See more of Edward Biamonte's photographs, some of which didn't appear in the print magazine, on subsequent pages!