THE Nate AND LigtenbergJessica HOME

BY MARY MICHAELS | PHOTOS BY JULIE PRAIRIE PHOTOGRAPHY

Have you seen the popular social media posts where couples give a “How We Started” and “How It’s Going” update?

Well, here’s how it started… etc. for her first caught up with Nate Ligtenberg and Jessica Kerher back in the spring of 2016, a few months after they had moved from the McKennan Park area to Canistota, where Nate is a chiropractor with the Ortman Clinic. Having grown up in Canistota, a friend of Nate’s used to live in the house, and he remembers visiting there after school.

“We immediately had a connection to the house because it had actually belonged to someone else who was part of the Ortman Clinic family, and Nate used to hang out here when he was young,” says Jessica. “The house had this great ‘70s vibe that we loved. We didn’t change anything structurally – just a little bit of style updating.”

At the time, Nate and Jessica had two kids, Nash and Nellie, they had not yet tied the knot, and Jessica was launching her eventplanning business, Serendipitous Events.

Now, how it’s going…

Nate continues to be busy at the clinic, Jessica’s business is booming, their third child Nixon and puppy Ruby joined the family and, they were married in the fall of 2016.

“The marriage was a surprise to everyone,” Jessica laughs. “We invited family and friends over. They thought they were coming to an engagement party, but it was actually our wedding!” her

Fast-forward to 2021. After having great luck over the years with the appliances that were original to the house, the couple knew it was time to replace them. So, they purchased the appliances, but weren’t thinking about a major renovation, other than perhaps updating the kitchen island.

“The island was built lower than standard height for the previous owner,” Jessica explains. “It wasn’t as big of a deal for someone my height, but it didn’t work so well for Nate, and he loves to cook. We knew it should probably be replaced, but then, you know, life happens, and we just put a pause on some of that work.”

This is where things took an interesting turn because of Nate and Jessica’s connection to Chelsea and Cole DeBoer, a South Dakota couple that now hosts the HGTV show Down Home Fab.

“My company was the event planner for Chelsea and Cole’s wedding,” says Jessica. “And, my grandparents were neighbors of Cole’s parents, so we grew up together. That’s what we love about South Dakota!”

Knowing Chelsea and Cole made it easier for Nate and Jessica to say “yes” to being part of the new HGTV show’s first episode, which focused on a renovation of their home’s main living space.

The kitchen got a transformation that went beyond just the new appliances and “maybe the island” that Nate and Jessica had been planning. One wall came down, giving additional room to the kitchen and creating a more spacious dining area.

Nate and Jessica agree that the open floor plan was an exciting change. “It’s something we didn’t necessarily know we wanted, but we absolutely love it.”

The island gained height, counter space and storage, with its unique copper base and copper veining in the countertop. That same surface treatment was used for the backsplash behind the gas cooktop and around the fireplace in the den.

“I love copper,” Jessica says, “so to see that island base was really exciting. And they tied it in so well with the copper sink fixtures.”

The original kitchen flooring was ceramic tile, a project that Nate and Jessica say would have been a huge project on its own – and one they really weren’t excited about doing.

Needless to say, they were thrilled to see the new hardwood floor throughout the renovated space.

The kitchen cabinets are original to the house and were just resurfaced during the Down Home Fab project.

“We have always loved these cabinets with their diamond pattern,” says Jessica. “They are real wood and were still in such good shape. We’re happy they just got a little refresh.”

The couple was also pleased that the pantry cupboard with its fold-out shelves stayed next to the refrigerator, where it is handy for Nate’s cooking. Another cabinet with glass-inset doors, which previously sat against the wall that was removed, now sits next to the pantry cupboard where it can showcase some of the couple’s special dishes.

While there had been a separate dining room previously, it really was separated from the kitchen by the wall, so it didn’t get much use. Now, however, the couple says they regularly use the dining room for family meals. And because everything is so open, the natural light from the windows flows throughout the house.

“We often yell to each other, ‘Come see the sunset!’ because we can see it so much better now.”

A favorite spot for Nate and Jessica is the sitting area just off the dining room.

This room had been kind of closed in before, but we still used it,” Jessica explains. “But now that it’s opened to the dining room and kitchen, we use it even more. It’s just funkier now.”

One wall is highlighted with three dark, textured wallpaper panels framed out with gold molding. A rustic wood coffee table sits in the middle of the seating area, which also has subtle animal print carpeting.

“Chelsea knows I love animal print, and they actually have this carpet,” Jessica says. “It’s so cool that they not only consider the homeowner’s style in their renovation projects, but they also put a little something of them in there as well.”

The conversation piece in the sitting area is something that Nate and Jessica picked up in Deadwood while on a little anniversary getaway to Deadwood – a bronzed, antlered deer head with glasses and smoking a pipe.

“We call him Gus the Buck,” Jessica laughs. “People might be surprised to know we like decorating with antlers. I grew up hunting and Nate joined in along the way. We both have trophy antlers incorporated into our décor.”

The den was another space the family used, but the couple says it previously looked “drab and brown.” The room features a woodburning fireplace, with stacks of wood on either side. They loved the beams across the ceiling, but they knew it needed more than what Nate calls a “weekend paint job.”

After the renovation, complete with a homemade antler chandelier, Jessica says the den is now their favorite room in the house and fits their style perfectly.

“We’re not matchy-matchy, and we don’t really go for trendy. Think more like Yellowstone ranch,” she says, referring to the popular series. “And that’s what we got. It’s amazing.”

The main entryway is the one space that got something a little different. Rather than the warm, earthy colors and woods, it features a cool white and black tile floor and custommade starburst light fixture. A black and white side table and black, white and gold artwork on the wall tie the space together.

Functionality is the word the couple keep coming back to when talking about the updates to their home.

“It’s really important to us that furniture and décor have a purpose and a meaning,” Jessica says. “Opening up the space makes it so much more functional for our family and for when we are entertaining. I always thought I was a curtain person, but we love the look and ease of the new textured and cordless shades.”

And, when the couple points up to the new can lighting that goes all the way down the hall to the bedrooms, they both say, “How did we live without that before?”

While the renovations aren’t even a year old, the couple says the home feels like it’s been this way forever, and they are grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Chelsea and Cole.

“I don’t know if we would have been brave enough to make some of these choices on our own,” Jessica says.

The home has quite a history for the couple – from Nate’s childhood hang-out spot to the place where they got married and grew their family. To tell a little bit of their “How it started and how it’s going” story, the family created a little time capsule box and placed in under the new dining room flooring.

“Maybe someone will find it there some day, and they’ll learn about our story and about the history of this home we love so much.”