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The Cofer's Historic Home Gallery

Jim and Deborah Cofer’s historic home was transformed into a space that’s perfect for both relaxing and entertaining a crowd.

Photos by Jeremy Mason McGraw

When Jim and Deborah Cofer moved to Springfield, they were looking for a historic home close to Missouri State. “We knew we wanted to be close to the university, because I would be going back and forth a lot,” says Jim, who is the former president of Missouri State and is currently a business professor. Jim and Deborah lived in Sunvilla Tower at MSU as they continued their search for a house. “The realty company was still looking for us, and one day we got a call saying there may be a home on Walnut Street available,” Deborah says.

After looking through the house, the two were completely sold. “We were really attracted to old homes in the East Walnut Street area and the historic district,” Jim says. “When we walked into this one after seeing 30 or 40 others, we knew it was what we were looking for, even though it needed a renovation.” But the home wasn’t exactly for sale. It was just purchased by Kevin Parnell of Kevin W. Parnell Interior Designs, who was remodeling it for himself. The group worked out a deal: Parnell sold the home to the Cofers, and he and contractor Travis Miller of Travis Miller Homes were in charge of the renovations and design.

Seven months after they bought it, the Cofers moved into their completely renovated 1920s-era home. Parnell and Miller worked non-stop to complete the overhaul of the space, restoring it to look much like it did originally. The remodel included removing all the old radiators, relocating doorways, building custom trim, refinishing all the original hardwood floors and moving the washer and dryer from the kitchen area to the second floor. “They brought this wonderful historic home back to life,” Deborah says.

A view inside the Cofers' home.	Before the renovation, the living room featured all dark walls. Parnell and Miller hired contractors who sanded, primed and painted the room, taking the dark wood walls to a cream finish. The space features a piano that was Deborah’s parents, new furniture and old furniture of the couple’s that they had recovered and refinished. “Kevin actually made it a formal dining room as well as a living room,” Jim says. Since the couple entertains a lot, they wanted plenty of space to seat guests. Furniture can easily be removed from the living area, and round tables are brought in. “They just had a party of 16 in here a couple weeks ago,” Kevin says. The sunroom that sits off the back of the living room is one of Deborah’s favorite spots. “It’s my retreat during the early morning time,” Deborah says. “It’s where I do my devotional readings and meditation. I’ve told Kevin over and over again, ‘I’d never be able to do without that little room.’”
Deborah’s office sits on the second level of the home. The space features a desk that belonged to Jim’s grandmother, then his mother and father. The room is also home to a chest that belonged to Deborah’s mother and father. “It’s an old piece that I cherish greatly,” Deborah says. Deborah had the idea to move the laundry area up to the second level of the home, in a closet in this room, which she says worked out nicely. Parnell and Miller also had an attic entrance added in this space, and a coffee bar, complete with a coffee machine and refrigerator, was added outside of the room to accommodate guests.	Most of the furniture in the formal dining room are pieces the Cofers already had. “Kevin did add two large chairs that match the wallpaper and curtains in there,” Jim says. “The table, chairs, sideboard and hutch are all pieces we brought.” The couple uses the space when entertaining, and occasionally, they’ll eat in there by themselves. “Every once in a while we’ll feel formal, so we’ll go in there, sit and have a good meal,” Jim says.
The exterior of the Cofers' home.	The kitchen received a complete overhaul during the renovation process. “As we began construction on it, we saw that to utilize the space from the dining room the breakfast nook to the kitchen, we needed to change up the space,” Jim says. “There were several doors removed. Now it just flows.” A large granite-topped island was added during the remodel, as well as top-of-the-line Kitchen-Aid appliances and new beams. The upper-level cabinetry was reproduced to look like the home’s original cabinetry, but they were raised up a little to accommodate the couple’s height. The lower cabinets are all original cabinets that have been refinished.
“The people who lived here before had their bed back in this sitting room area, making it almost like a sleeping chamber,” Kevin says. That sitting room is attached to the master bedroom. The Cofers have their bed in the bedroom area, and they use the extra room for relaxing. “We spend a lot of time on that leather couch and in that over-sized chair,” Jim says. “It’s a room where we sit, talk and enjoy each other. The little balcony off the sitting room is nice, too. You can slip out, sit and watch the evening.” Kevin and Travis also reconfigured the upstairs floorplan to create a larger master bathroom, which now includes a modern shower aside a claw foot tub.

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