Take a Tour of HGTV Star Luke Caldwell's Modern Home

Two years ago, Luke Caldwell and Clint Robertson of Boise Boys took on a riverfront property with a foundation so shaky they had to tear the house down and start from scratch. They couldn’t have imagined how all their hard work would pay off. “By the end of the project, I was thinking that instead of selling it, my family should move in — it would more than double our square footage,” says Luke. To warm up the contemporary exterior, Luke played with different textures; there’s ceramic tile, wood and metal.

When they decided to move in, he and his wife, Miranda, had six kids, including four they adopted with special needs (they’ve since adopted again). As teens, they’d each visited orphanages on service trips. “It was heartbreaking to see children, especially those with special needs, not have a family,” says Luke. “Once Miranda and I started our own, we knew we wanted to add to it through adoption.” Everyone felt right at home in the new place. It’s modern yet warm and inviting, thanks to good light, natural textures and vintage finds. After all, says Luke, “I’d been trying to design a really cool house — it just turned out to be for us!” Pictured here is Luke and Miranda with, clockwise from the top: Tucker, 10; Brighten, 8; Elias, 10; Darla, 8; Morris, 12; and Ezra, 11. (Not pictured: Promise, 15, who the couple recently adopted.)

The floating concrete staircase is one of Luke’s favorite features in the house — shout-out to Clint for helping make it structurally sound. It’s spruced up for the holidays with cypress garland and black-and-white bows, while wrapped presents ready to be doled out to extended family do double duty as decor.

Going for maximum airiness, Luke and Clint gave this space a 20-foot-high ceiling and two-story windows. It’s cozied up by a gas fireplace clad in smooth cedarwood, with soapstone on the hearth. Aggregate concrete floors with embedded river rocks stand up to occasional basketball dribbling. The 1960s leather sofa and the rockers are from Boise Vintage — Luke had the chairs reupholstered in buffalo check fabric from JoAnn.

This spot off the kitchen, where both meals and schoolwork happen, is bustling all day long. Luke brought in pops of color with yellow chairs by Coavas and a wall hanging by local artist Kate Crowley-Gilbert. “I don’t like spaces that seem cold or sterile, so Luke gave every room softness,” says Miranda. Here it’s a round table (vintage) and a woven pendant (from Candelabra). The wood piece against the wall is a refurbished plant stand, found at Boise Vintage.

One of Luke’s early visions for the house was a matte black kitchen. “It contrasts nicely with wood and makes the appliances blend in seamlessly,” says Luke. The cabinets and the island are from IKEA, and he got vintage green pendants from a local flea market to play up the hints of green veining in the black soapstone counters. Industrial-style counter stools from Craigslist provide the perfect place to perch with hot chocolate after playing in the snow.

Luke and Miranda got a king bed for the first time — their old place didn’t have the space — and it’s appreciated by everyone. When Luke designed the room, he was going for something unexpected. “I thought the ‘Love Always’ sign, which I had made as a headboard, was romantic,” says Luke. (Yes, it has a dimmer.) The rug, nightstand and dresser are vintage finds.

“I love a bath at the end of the day, so I think Luke was channeling me in here,” says Miranda. He paired the fiberglass tub by AKDY with a floating vanity he designed that’s topped with black soapstone. Tall mirrors from IKEA look even sleeker with globe pendants hung low in front — since they’re see-through, they don’t obstruct the view in the mirrors.