Written by Jordan & Callie Cessna
Photos by Salina Pennington Photography
We created our Home & Living section to bring you ideas and inspiration for making your home truly your own. Whether you’re building, renovating, redecorating or simply dreaming about what’s next, we want these pages to connect fresh ideas with the local people who can help bring them to life.
For this issue, we’re stepping inside the home of a local builder to discover not just what they built, but what makes their own home special and why. From hardworking spaces and smart storage to bold choices and meaningful details, we hope their favorite features spark ideas for your own home.
Along the way, we’re highlighting local businesses who show just how much can be dreamed, designed and created right here in our community. We hope you find an idea within these pages that inspires you to create something special in the place you call home.
The Why
For us, home has always been about more than the house itself. It’s where families laugh, dream, grow and create memories they’ll cherish for years to come.
Jordan earned his degree in construction management from Western Kentucky University and spent a decade in the construction industry before we built our own “forever home.” Somewhere in the process of creating a place that meant so much to us, a bigger dream began to take shape: helping other families build homes that mean just as much to them as ours does to us.
And so, the dream for Belle Homes was born. The name came a little later. Once our daughter, Elle, was born, it pretty much named itself. Now, the Belle Homes name also serves as a daily reminder of our “why.”
Homes are what we build. Your family — and ours — is why we build them.
Family Dinner
Sitting down together at the table for dinner has always been important to us. It’s where we slow down, talk about our day and spend a little uninterrupted time together, so we wanted this space to invite us to do just that.
Our dining nook is a little bit formal dining room, a little bit eat-in kitchen and a blend of old and new in both function and design. Custom banquette seating makes it cozy, while a traditional table passed down through the family and reupholstered cane-back chairs bring a little history into the new.
It’s proof that building new doesn’t mean everything inside has to be new, too. Some of the best spaces come together when something made just for you sits alongside something that already has a story.
Hanging over it all is a special prayer crafted into a sign by our dear friends at Whims & Wishes, located right here in downtown Henderson.
The Island
They say the kitchen is the heart of the home, and in ours, the island is where everyone seems to land. We made it larger than standard because we wanted it to be beautiful, but it also needed to be a workhorse.
The added depth gives us room for everyday life: plenty of space to prep dinner, a place for Elle to work on homework and a landing spot for J to take calls and jot down notes — all while leaving room for seasonal décor and, of course, the latest masterpiece by our resident artist. Because some things simply deserve prime real estate!
All in all, it’s practical and almost always in use, which is exactly how we designed it.
Color Coordinated
If there was ever a room to have a little fun, this one was ours. We went bold in the office with blue-violet floral wallpaper, then carried those same tones into the custom cabinetry with a matched paint color to make the entire room feel intentional from floor to ceiling.
The final layer is our logo sign from Sign Design in downtown Henderson. It fits right in with the color and design of the rest of the room, and, like most things in our home, it’s functional, too.
The sign doubles as a dry-erase board and keeps all of our jobs and related timelines organized on a daily basis.
The Landing Zone
The mudroom is what keeps our household running. We designed the custom built-ins to give everything that comes through the door a place to land — backpacks, purses, wallets, hats and more.
Drawers beneath the bench keep Elle’s ever-growing shoe collection tucked away, while the countertop serves as our charging station and designated slots keep the mail from taking over every other surface in the house.
And because no home is complete without one, this is also where you’ll find our resident junk drawer — batteries, scissors and approximately 47 other things no one knows where else to put.
Giving everyday life a place to live was the whole point of this space.
Functional Storage
Our family room was designed for just that — family. We wanted it to feel warm and pulled together while still making room for all the things that come with actually living here.
The cabinetry beneath the TV quietly hides extra blankets, dog toys and close to a bajillion Magna-Tiles — because Elle plans to follow in her daddy’s footsteps and needs to keep her building materials extra close.
Underfoot, our rug was custom-made by Square Yard Carpet, which also sourced the wood flooring — and, actually, all the flooring and tile throughout our home.
It’s a great reminder to always look local first. Some of your favorite pieces may already be right here in our community.
Whimsical
A child’s room should feel like, well … a child lives there!
We wanted something elevated and timeless without designing all the whimsy out of it. We took the color up — literally — with a bold, happy pink ceiling, then used the same shade to trim a section of playful wallpaper and tie the room together.
The bold paint was sourced from HomeCrafters in downtown Henderson. This room is a good reminder that sometimes the best design choice is simply being brave enough to use the color.
Cozy Fireplace
We wanted our primary bedroom to feel like a true retreat — a quiet place to land at the end of the day. Adding the fireplace was one of those choices that wasn’t necessarily a need, but we knew it would bring the warmth and coziness we wanted this room to have.
Finishing touches matter, too. The darling blue vases were sourced from The Olive Leaf in downtown Henderson — another little reminder that you don’t always have to look far from home to find something special for yours.
The Little Details
Sometimes the smallest details make the biggest difference. We chose a new faucet with old-world character for our soaking tub, complete with cross handles and “hot” and “cold” written in script — a subtle nod to the past that adds a little charm to something entirely new.
Not every detail needs to demand attention. Sometimes, it’s the ones you notice only when you’re up close that make a space feel truly elevated.
From Our Home to Yours
Thanks for walking through our home with us. We hope you leave with a little inspiration for yours — and a reminder that the best homes are the ones designed around the people who live in them. — Jordan & Callie
Calling all Hendersonians!