todd

Kevin Todd’s wide open property in far south Muskogee offers plenty of peace and quiet.

Quiet space

Todd found perfect home nearby Davis Field Airport

Kevin Todd doesn’t have to spend a fortune to make himself right at home.

“After fixing up my old house, it was nice to move into a house that you didn’t have to fix up right away,” he said.

Todd said he was attracted to the house and moved out there about four years ago. He said he had sold his first house and lived with his parents for two years.

The three-bedroom, 1,700-square-foot house sits on a broad plain south of Muskogee.

Muskogee-Davis Regional Airport is only a couple of miles south, and Todd said he likes watching airplanes and military helicopters fly toward Davis Field Airport.

By Cathy Spaulding • Photos by Von CaStor

Lance Mitchell, left, and Kara Mitchell enjoy a game of Scrabble with Kevin Todd and his dog, Emma.

The area also is quiet, and Todd appreciates that. He recalled the noise in his former neighborhood.

“You can’t go outside without somebody screaming,” he said.

Another attraction was the house’s “mother-in-law” plan, Todd said. His bedroom and a full bath on one side of the house and two bedrooms and a full bath are on the other.

Ground lights accent Todd’s front garden and walkway. An arched entry caps the front stoop.

The entry offers a warm welcome with smoky, gray walls. Tall, skinny table lamps top a drop-front secretary desk that belonged to Todd’s great-great grandmother.

An arched entry leads to the living room, where Todd loves entertaining guests. Cushiony seats provide lots of comfort for games or conversation.

ABOVE: New countertops and free-standing shelves were among the few changes Kevin Todd made in his house.

FAR LEFT: A dining area offers a variety of options for countertop snacking or formal dining.

LEFT: Initial letters accent this corner dining spot.

A small fireplace with a white wood mantel makes one side of the room seem extra cozy. A big screen TV sits on the mantel shelf between candlesticks.

Walls are decorated with variety — hanging candle boxes, massive clock faces, tall decorations that look like doors or entry gates.

Four fonts for the letter K decorate a corner dining area.

Todd didn’t have to spend much money to bring this rustic style to the house. He said he mostly goes to Hobby Lobby, Home Goods, TJ Maxx or Ross.

He did get crafty with some of the decor, however. Three black rectangles on the white wall — two small ones and a tall one — actually are cabinet doors.

“I had a cabinet and I took it off that,” he said.

Todd said the only major change he made was to install granite countertops in the kitchen and put up spacious, freestanding shelving in the kitchen, dining room and laundry room.

He added open shelves over the new corner sink. Before, he had only plain walls. One cabinet has windows showing his white dinnerware.

The kitchen features stainless steel Frigidaire appliances and a Kenmore refrigerator.

Dining options include the corner

RIGHT: The master bedroom features a tray ceiling and French door access to a back patio.

BELOW: The Todd home offers a second bedroom for guests.

The warm entry features an heirloom secretary desk and crafty decor.

table for four, a longer table for six and two stools by a raised kitchen counter.

Three laundry room shelves stylishly display laundry supplies. Bleach, detergent, dryer sheets and other supplies are displayed in big glass jars, instead of being stashed in dull cabinets. The bleach and detergent jars have spigots. Gray square bins add pop to the shelves.

Todd’s master suite is just off the kitchen. It features a tray ceiling with a ceiling fan.

A bed with black headboard and footboard and plenty of pillows is on one side of the room. His dresser offers space for a quartet of candlesticks, backed by a dresser mirror.

His master bath features his and her sinks. Open shelves above the toilet display white towels and large jars.

A shower faces the bathtub, where he keeps his large plants during the winter.

On the other side, one bedroom serves as a much-needed home office. Todd, who works for the VA, often works from home.

His black desk is actually a dining room table.

“It just happened to match the hutch that goes with the table in the dining room,” Todd said. “It just looked like there was too much in the dining room with that.”

No problem, though. The desk offers ample room for two monitors, a keyboard and laptop. The hutch looms behind the desk.

Family photos are spread across a dresser across from the hutch.

Laundry supplies are creatively stored on open shelves. ABOVE: A third bedroom offers plenty of home office space.

LEFT: Kevin Todd didn’t have to spend much to decorate elaborately.

The dining area welcomes visitors with a banquet table and snacking bar.

A guest bedroom features a city motif. Bedside dressers feature models of the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben and Empire State Building. Each also are shown in fanciful wall hangings.

Todd has his own private patio outside the master bedroom’s French doors. It features its own portable wood-burning fireplace.

“I had my niece’s wedding out here,” Todd said. “We had an arbor set up for it and everything. My niece’s mother-in-law purchased that for me.”

A cozy conversation area with iron tables and seats surround the fireplace.

A kitchen back door opens onto a fenced-in play area for his dog. The rest of the backyard is wide open space, where Todd has a black outdoor dining set. He likes to do his outdoor cooking on a grill.