Quota InternatIonal of BossIer CIty Plans festIve tour of Homes

The Quota International of Bossier City 23rd annual Tour of Homes will feature new and historically original plantationstyle homes fully decked for the holidays from 1 to 5 p.m. Dec.

7. Oakland Plantation, constructed between 1832 and 1846, is one of the stops on the tour, and it will offer a picture of a 19th century North Louisiana Christmas. Tour participants will be treated to an overview of the home’s history along with stories about the odd happenings that

have taken place at Oakland Plantation over its lifespan.

Another historical stop on the tour is the W.D. Mercer home at Taylortown, a dog trot-style log cabin built in the early 1880s. Those who like a more comfortable, roomy existence while still enjoying a nod to the past will be pleasantly surprised at the home of Maxie and Cheryl Kitchings in Bossier City. The Kitchingses and their three children moved into the home in June 2013.

“I have always been drawn to Southern plantation homes and dreamed of living in one,” Cheryl said. “Our home offers country living with quick access to the city and it is the perfect place for the thoroughbred racehorses we breed and raise.”

The Kitchingses home design is based on plantationstyle living, but it is much larger at 8,000 square feet and customized to fit the family’s hectic lifestyle. Cheryl and her crew, architect Gene Hodgson and builder Brandy Mushenski with Pitts Construction, did plenty of research to get the structure exactly the way they wanted it. “We went to Lafayette to look at houses just to look at roofs,” Cheryl said. “We spent time at Oak Alley in order to get ideas. We also went to market and other home tours.”

They combined those ideas with reclaimed hundred-yearold cypress paneling and flooring throughout the home. All the exterior doors and windows are antique, adding even more historical character to the structure.

The home features a warm but grand entrance, with a marble floor and sweeping staircase highlighted by a sleigh with reindeer, but the formal dining room with its magnificent chandelier is open and visible to the entry and threatens to steal the show. The French blue print wallpaper there was one of the first choices, and it set the color scheme for the rest of the living spaces. A small paneled library is also visible to the left of the foyer, and its cypress-covered floor-to-ceiling paneling is a backdrop to family heirlooms and collectibles.

The kitchen, family room and breakfast areas are one big room where small gatherings are entertained and the family spends most of their time. The kitchen cabinets feature a custom paint finish with the oven hood and its monogrammed “K” as the focal point. Preparation spaces such as a butler’s pantry and a mudroom enhance the function of the space for entertaining, while the kitchen itself is warm and accessible, perfect for family meals and together time.

Custom faux finishes are featured throughout the home, on all the bathroom vanities and some of the built-ins as well. Many items were re-purposed to match the theme and décor of each room, such as the framed mirror and sconces that were painted a hot pink to match the custom-finished vanity for daughter Emma’s bathroom. Window coverings throughout were designed by Mary Hamby, designer for the entire project, and implemented by Joyce Taylor in Haynesville.

The home is chock full of jaw-dropping features but even so, no room is overdone. This home’s story is family. “Everyone got what they wanted,” Cheryl said. “The butler’s pantry has my Miele Coffee System and a custom-stained glass window by Ed’s Emporium that features three generations of racehorses owned and raised by our family. My husband has plenty of land for the horses and for his oilfield equipment.”

The children got what they dreamed of, as well. “Each child’s room is a perfect reflection of his or her creativity, personality and style,” Cheryl said. Son Garrett wanted a loft, complete with stairway, so his room was done in a pewter tone featuring Restoration Hardware furnishings and a door set on a barndoor-type frame. Katie Jo’s love of horses and other animals is demonstrated in her room, from artwork to framed photos of her barrel racing days to horse-themed collectibles, as well as a Retro dog print wallpaper in her adjoining bath.

Emma’s request, however, wouldn’t exactly fit into her perfect pink princess bedroom. Emma wanted a stage, which she completed with theater curtains in the family game room, right next to a custom media room. The home also has a craft room where Emma likes to create gifts for family members. She proudly pointed to a place on the 10-foot-long counter as she said, “This is where I made a present for my dad that said ‘World’s Greatest Dad.’” The Kitchingses home also includes over 4,000 square feet of porches and garages that are strategically positioned around a custom pool, with an outdoor kitchen and a separate outdoor dining area with fireplace. The Kitchingses have already hosted a wedding in the outdoor space with over 200 guests.

The Kitchingses home was designed for family, and it is decked and ready for the Quota Home Tour. The Christmas decorations continue those ideals that are important to the family as demonstrated by the red bird theme they selected. “My mother has Alzheimer’s, but she loved birds,” Cheryl said. “So we started there. That’s what inspired the tree.” Each of the children has their own Christmas tree with a theme based on their interests, such as Emma’s ballet-themed tree. Kitchings said she is ready to welcome the tour into her family’s home. “One of the things we enjoy most about our home is sharing it with others.”

The Quota Club’s annual home tour raises funds for service work both locally and abroad. “It’s one of our major fundraisers,” Jeanette Edmiston, of the Quota Club, said. “Our original purpose was to help people with speech and hearing problems and we still do that.”

Tour proceeds impact Bossier Parish residents through the Molly Web Speech and Hearing Center, birthday books for elementary school students, a sign language interpreter for Camp Joy, the Bossier Parish Food Bank and The Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation.

In addition, the Quota Club awards six scholarships per year to students majoring in speech and hearing related fields. Some of those students will be on hand to help with the home tour.

Tickets are $20 each and will be available the day of the tour or can be purchased in advance by calling Edmiston at 746-2710 or Marlene Harner at 470-4116.

Each ticket will contain a program with maps and directions to the tour homes.