Quota Club tour supports community efforts

A local home tour kicks off the holiday season with a look inside some cheerful area residences.

The 24th annual Bossier City Quota Club Christmas Tour of Homes will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. Dec. 6.

Five homes, located in Bossier City and Benton, will be featured on this year’s tour. The home tour is the group’s main fundraiser each year.

Quota Club is part of Quota International, a non-profit service organization dedicated to helping women, children, the deaf and the hearing and speech impaired in communities around the world.

Locally, Quota Club uses the funds raised from the home tour, as well as from an annual spring style show, to award scholarships to students enrolled in the Mollie E. Webb Speech and Hearing Center’s Speech-Language Pathology Master’s program at University Health.

“We recently gave seven $1,000 each scholarships to ladies in the master’s program at Mollie Webb Speech and Hearing,” Marlene Harner, Bossier City Quota Club parliamentarian, said “We are very fortunate to have homeowners who are willing to share their homes for our fundraiser,” she added. “It’s wonderful to be a hostess in one of the homes and meet the general public. Everybody loves the decorations, and everybody’s happy and ready for the holiday season. It really is a fun time.”

A custom-built home on Horseguards in Bossier City’s Tiburon subdivision is a stop on the tour. It is an example of design, function and organization nestled in front of a picturesque pond. The three bedroom, two bath home showcases modern rustic touches with sparkle and pops that will “wow” tour guests.

Built in 2013 by R.A. Mackey Builders, the handpicked lot is located in the city, but has a country feel. Ducks, blue herons, deer, alligators and fisherman frequently make an appearance at the pond.

The homeowner, who enjoys simple surroundings that function, designed the interior. The home was built to meet the family’s current and future needs, as this is their “forever home.” It is wheelchair accessible without the look and the walls are reinforced for rails – should they ever need to be added.

A curved beadboard ceiling defines the home’s foyer, which leads into the kitchen. The walls in the home are painted Crisp Linen, while dark colored doors stand out against the lighter molding. The stain on the bookshelves and all of the home’s cabinetry is Spanish Oak. All of the paint and stain is from Caddo Paint Company.

The kitchen was designed around the pantry door the homeowner picked up at Eighty-One in Lake Charles. Created to resemble a barn door, the hardware includes pieces from a horse bridle.

The centerpiece of the kitchen is a large island with a granite countertop. The island serves as a central gathering place for family and friends. The storage area underneath is used to stow seasonal decorations. The chandeliers above the island are from Barrett Appliance & Home Products.

A Jenn-Aire microwave, dishwasher and range oven adds a sleek modern touch to the room. The microwave drawer oven is hidden from view on the side of the island, while the dishwasher is camouflaged with a cabinet panel. A vent hood crafted by the builder crowns the oven.

The oversized custom cabinetry in the kitchen compliments the pantry door. They feature hardware from Pottery Barn, sliding shelves and soft-close drawers and doors that close quietly and smoothly. Lighting above the kitchen cabinets highlights the exposed brick wall behind the range oven. Granite countertops and an undermount black granite sink complete the kitchen.

The kitchen opens to the den with its hand scraped wood flooring by Fischer Carpet, and exposed beams and brick.

A traditionally sized fireplace is flanked by bookshelves built on an equally grand scale. A wall mounted television sits above the mantel.

Another remarkable feature in the den is two sets of sliding barn doors mounted on the wall opposite the fireplace. The doors were purchased at Hobby Lobby, while Little Joe’s Welding & Sons made the hardware to hang them.

Leather recliners from Lazy Boy and a couch and loveseat from Ashley Furniture invite visitors to sit and relax in the cozy family room. The end table and coffee table are from Johnson’s Furniture. The coffee table has ample space inside to store toys and games for the homeowners’ grandchildren.

Picture windows surrounded by exposed brick offer an unobstructed view of the back porch and tranquil pond.

The master bedroom is located just off the den. It was designed around the bed. The homeowners wanted the bedposts to fit between the two plantation-shuttered windows. A domed ceiling with recessed rope lighting provides soft illumination above the bed, while chandeliers from Barrett hang above the nightstands.

The master bath contains a porcelain tiled rolling shower with three heads and a bench. An arched shower doorway, as well as an arch above the dual vanities, adds graceful lines to the room. A sparkling crystal chandelier is the finishing touch.

Outside of the bedroom, a rough cedar header above a doorway leads to a mudroom. A striking steel and glass door with decorative bars features a window that may be opened to allow fresh air into the home.

Storage in the laundry room is used for easy access to more holiday decorations. The room also has a custom clothes drying rack and built-in ironing board.

The office contains plenty of shelving and storage options to house supplies.

Natural light provided by two windows overlooking the pond, as well as recessed lighting, brighten the space.

In addition to the homes tour, the Bossier chapter of the Quota Club also provides funds for birthday books given to students at Plantation Park and Bossier Elementary schools. “Some of these children have never had a book of their own. So for their birthday, these schools give them a book,” Jeanette Edmiston, Bossier City Quota Club secretary, said.

Quota Club also provides fans to the Bossier Council on Aging, supports the Sheriff’s Operation Blessings program, and provides funds for Great Results Equine Assisted Therapies program through the Arc of Caddo-Bossier.

Want to go?

Tickets to the Bossier City Quota Club Tour of Homes are $20 each. Contact Marlene Harner at 470-4116, Jeanette Edmiston at 746-2710 or Donna Cherry at 746-2971.