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Tiny Triumph
A one-bedroom Midtown condo packs in style, efficiently and beautifully designed by the legendary Bob Trapp.
BY
Kathleen Leighton
PHOTOGRAPHY
by Alistair Tutton

Bob Trapp had no intention of making a home on the Plaza.

“I built a farm in Douglas County with the intention of slowing down at work a little bit and spending more time there,” says the owner of Trapp and Company, the longtime flower, gift and event-planning business in Kansas City. “I mean, the farmhouse is incredible. But I realized I didn’t want to be gone from the store that often. I love what I do.”

So he began hunting for a condo and knew immediately when he’d found his new second home about three years ago. “When you walk in, it’s really tiny,” he says. “But there’s this 30-foot balcony. It’s just fantastic. It’s another world in the summer, when all you can see is treetops. Then the leaves begin to fall and you can see the Nelson and the Bloch Building. The balcony really makes this condo.”

His effortless creativity came into play when he impulsively planted petunias on his new balcony. “They went right through the fence and started draping down and suddenly I had the Gardens of Babylon hanging on my condo,” Bob says.

He has made a magnificent career of knowing instinctively what will be beautiful, and his sure hand has fashioned a warm, inviting home that everyone finds comfortable. He began by analyzing the space, which was much smaller than he’s worked with in the past.

“The farm taught me how to live in huge spaces because the rooms there are very large,” Bob says. “So I immediately looked at the smaller space here and decided how I would live. I knew I needed a larger closet, so I took a wall out in the bedroom and also shaved some space off the living room. It’s important to figure out what you want out of the space, and a larger closet was a must for me.”

The living room is a place to entertain friends or enjoy a good book, and Bob adopted the British habit of placing floor lamps on either side of the sofa, which helps the layout of the room by making it look more spacious. The walls are painted in muted hues with splashes of color in accessories like the watermelon pillows on the sofa and the Chinese red screen that actually conceals two utility doors.

“One of the great things about this condo is that I utilize all the spaces,” Bob notes. “Lack of space makes you keep only what you’ll use.”

Never one to sit at a counter and eat breakfast, Bob found he enjoyed the counter in his new condo’s kitchen and perches on a comfortable stool, watching the morning news on a small television while having his morning coffee. “It’s all about convenience. Figure out how you want to live in a space and then you’ll have the comfortable space you want,” he says.

Bob is all about intimacy in his home. According to him, nothing is more annoying than six people sitting around a fireplace who are positioned in such a way that no one can hear what the others are saying. As for furnishings, he decided to take a cue from condo dwellers in Florida. “I saw that the trend with condos was to sell them completely furnished, so that’s how I did this one. I was careful to buy things that would appeal to a lot of people,” he says.

There are some personal touches, such as a grandfather clock that Bob bought for his father years ago (and will not be part of a re-sale). “It’s not an antique, it’s not valuable, but it holds great memories for me,” Bob notes.

He also loves antique duck decoys and doesn’t apologize when guests look at them quizzically. “I really enjoy them, and this is my house,” he says. “Don’t be afraid of displaying things you love rather than only the things you see on the pages of a magazine.”

By choosing pieces that mean something to him and using his space wisely, Bob has fashioned a welcoming home that is warm, intimate and comfortable, an accurate reflection of the man himself.

Photo by  David Riffel

It’s a Wonderful Life
It was 40 years ago that Bob Trapp started the business that would allow him to achieve his dreams. Trapp and Company has served generations of loyal customers with the man at the helm still being the favored florist, interior decorator, gift store and candle purveyor, and premier party-planner who regales delighted friends and customers with tales of the rich and famous. But in his heart, Bob is still a small boy from a small town, happiest with the simple joys of good friends, good company and good conversation.

“I’ve had quite a ride,” he says. “I’ve had the greatest life.”

Born and raised in Russell, Kan., Bob inherited his grandmother’s love of flowers and got his first job at age 11, sweeping floors in a flower shop. A letter from the draft board dispelled his dream of buying the shop, and he found himself catering parties at the post commander’s house in Fort Jackson, S.C., as well as redoing the officer’s club. After his years in the service, he started working at a series of flower shops in Kansas City.

With a helping hand from Chairman of the Board of Kansas City Southern Railroad Bill Deramus, Bob met Irv Hockaday and opened his first floral shop in Westport in September 1969. Among his earliest clients were Ambassador and Mrs. Charles H. Price II. “When Charlie became Ambassador to Brussels, I went over and worked with them,” Bob says.

Charles then became the Ambassador to England, and Bob found himself creating a party for Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Not everyone can handle such an important job, but Carol Price, now a treasured old friend of Bob’s, knows how good he is.

“Bob has a wonderful way with people and a wonderful staff,” she says. “He is caring and has a deep spirituality and great common sense. He just keeps blooming.”

Bob concocted a candlelight dinner for the first inauguration of President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy as well as a New Year’s Eve bash for the couple. He also has worked with such local luminaries as Donald and Adele Hall, Paul and Betty Henson, and Pam and Dolph Simons. And it all started with a love of flowers.

“What people don’t understand is this is not work for me,” he says. “All businesses have down times that can shake an owner down to his foundation. But those slip away from me, and the wonderful times are what I keep. And that’s the way it should be.”

This article originally appeared in the December 2009 issue of Kansas City Homes & Gardens.