Story by Emily Robertson | Photography by Kristen Mayfield

Chase and Kelli Lester found a four bedroom, six bathroom home in the Rivergreen neighborhood in Bowling Green that had a lot of wonderful things that the couple loved, but they knew in order to really make the house feel like their home, they were going to need to undergo a remodel of the space. They enlisted the help of Tara Coomer of Coomer & Co. to achieve their home update.

This home was built as a Louisiana-style house, with the large front porch and the thick wood archways inside of the house,” Kelli Lester says. “I wanted to modernize the space, while also staying true to the New Orleans traditional feel of the home.”

The first change the family made was to the plain brick that covered the outside of the home. The couple decided to paint the brick a white, tan color, along with replacing the front door and adding outdoor lighting, which they feel made a big improvement to the curb appeal of the home.
For the next phase of the remodel, Coomer, along with Henon Construct tion, helped the Lesters transform their kitchen, powder bathroom, dining room and the childrens’ bathrooms in the home. Coomer says Kelli had a very distinct vision for updating the home, while maintaining the integrity of how it was built. “Kelli likes some color, but she is also very classic,” Coomer says.

“She didn’t want to go too far out of that realm of the house’s vibe. We wanted to make it more of an updated traditional, transitional look. We infused a lot of navy, taupes and warm leather tones, with a lot of mixed metals.”

Kelli’s favorite part of the modern look of the home is the use of wallpaper throughout to create pops of color. “I love the wallpaper choices we picked for the dining area, my daughter’s room and the half bath,” Kelli says.

“We were able to use a more traditional wallpaper in our dining area and use a more modern table and chairs. In the half bath, the wallpaper is very modern in my opinion. Going in these rooms just makes me happy.”

For the updates in the kitchen, Coomer says they replaced white cabinets that didn’t extend all the way to the ceiling, reworked an impractical island that made the kitchen feel blocked off and less spacious and created a mudroom off of the kitchen that created more functional space for the family. “The kitchen update is really such a showstopper,” Coomer says.

“It gives people a more open feeling for the room, but it still has walls that keep it separate from other living areas.” One of the most important areas the Lesters updated was their dining room, as they love to host family and friends and have a lot of seating.

The remodeled dining room includes a custom dining table from Bowling Green Home Furnishings that has a white painted base with a metal and white-washed wood top. The room also includes wainscoting, a floral and vine wallpaper, along with a modern, clean-lined chandelier, in a beautiful, brass color.

Now, with the transformed home, Kelli is so pleased with the way her vision for the home came to life in their space that feels refreshed and new. “This house always felt like home to me from the minute we went inside.

I love traditional homes, but again, I had a vision for how I wanted it to look once we put our touch on it,” Kelli says.

“I knew this had the bones that I was looking for in a house, and I love how it works for our family.

Architect : ARCHISCAPES
Cabinets: CREATIVE WOOD DESIGN
Tile and Hardwood: JUST TILE IT
Countertops: SUGAR GROVE MARBLE
Contractor: HENON CONSTRUCTION- SCOTT HENON
Lighting: WINLECTRIC
Plumbing and Appliances: FERGUSON
Furniture: BOWLING GREEN HOME FURNISHINGS
Window Treatments & Wallpaper: DRAPERY NATION
Wallpaper Installation and Outdoor Contracting: JEFF WHITSON
Photographer: KRISTEN MAYFIELD
Design: COOMER & CO