Photos: West End home with African flair on June home tour

Private Quarters

Leesa Kellam purchased her home in the Historic West End of Atlanta in 1999. The house was built in 1893, and the six fireplaces, stained glass windows and other architectural quirks show its history.

The foyer of Leesa Kellam’s West End home is a formal area to greet guests. A rug from Ikea and a chaise lounge create a small seating area for guests to mill around at parties, and the art on the walls, like the oil painting on canvas by Jamaican-born, Miami-based street artist Marcus Blake, gives the space pattern and color. The piano was already there when Leesa bought the home, and it came in handy when her daughter took lessons years ago. Text by Shannon Dominy/Photo by Reynolds Rogers

There are six fireplaces throughout Leesa Kellam’s home, all of which were original to the 1893 home and later updated to be gas instead of wood burning. In several rooms of the house, Leesa had colors from the fireplace surrounds to contend with as she set her color palettes. Text by Shannon Dominy/Photo by Reynolds Rogers

Leesa Kellam’s most-noticed piece of art hangs on the east wall of her family room in her Historic West End home. The painting is of two goats and a man, and it’s by Ernani Silva from Brazil. Framing it on either side are portraits of young boys by Danisile Njoli. Text by Shannon Dominy/Photo by Reynolds Rogers

The chic gray-and-white bedroom in Leesa Kellam’s home belongs to her daughter, Dena Stringer. A bed and side tables from Charles P. Rogers set up the space, while Mexican wall sconces from No Mas! Cantina add a glamorous touch. Text by Shannon Dominy/Photo by Reynolds Rogers

The backyard of Leesa Kellam’s Historic West End home had a deck and a patio when she purchased it in 1999, but she’s since expanded the deck and installed a back to the built-in benches along the perimeter. Kellam uses the deck often, for a cup of tea or a quick burst of sunshine. Text by Shannon Dominy/Photo by Reynolds Rogers

The sitting room of Leesa Kellam’s home has colorful stained glass doors that lead to the lounge. On the east wall of the space hangs a large oil painting by Brazilian artist Ernani Silva that compliments the colors of the glass in the doors and brightens the space. Text by Shannon Dominy/Photo by Reynolds Rogers

On the other end of the sitting room in Leesa Kellam’s West End home is a stunning bust of an African woman by ceramic tribal artist Woodrow Nash in his “African Nouveau” style. Text by Shannon Dominy/Photo by Reynolds Rogers

When Leesa Kellam renovated her kitchen late last year she also converted a 3-by-5 foot supply closet into a powder room. For the lower half of the walls she chose a tile with a bold pattern from Floor & Decor, and above the tile is a mural by Atlanta artist Metu. Text by Shannon Dominy/Photo by Reynolds Rogers

Leesa Kellam commissioned artist Suzy Shultz to create two large murals on pieces of canvas that are fixed to the walls surrounding the laundry room in Kellam’s West End home. The murals depict her grandparents farming in one scene and her parents in a loving embrace in another. “I get to acknowledge them every day and visit with them every day,” said Kellam. Text by Shannon Dominy/Photo by Reynolds Rogers

Leesa Kellam’s large kitchen table from Hillstreet Warehouse is her favorite piece of furniture in her home. The dining area is full of light from a wall of windows and a pair of skylights, and until recently the windows were covered only by waist-high shutters. New blinds have given the space more versatility without preventing the flood of natural light from drenching the space when Kellam wants it. Text by Shannon Dominy/Photo by Reynolds Rogers

The family room of Leesa Kellam’s home is the center of the home, where Kellam and her guests spend most of their social time. A sofa and loveseat from Leather Creations topped with hides from Tandy Leather Factory sit around a white maple coffee table by Rafael Tesfa, creating a seating area that backs up to the dining area. On the west wall hangs an abstract oil painting by Susan Finsen and “Ready, Set, Go,” an oil painting by Michel Valestin through the Haiti Project at Vassar. Text by Shannon Dominy/Photo by Reynolds Rogers

One of the six fireplaces in Leesa Kellam’s home is placed in the family room, it’s vintage style calling to mind that the home was built in 1893. On the west wall of the room hangs a painting of dancing people by Bayo Iribhogbe through the National Black Arts Festival. Kellam’s home will be on the Historic West End Tour of Homes 2021 on June 26. Text by Shannon Dominy/Photo by Reynolds Rogers

The lounge of Leesa Kellam’s home contains another fireplace and seating area, with windows that let in ample natural light and high ceilings that make the space feel larger. This space is the “Zoom room,” used for video calls when Kellam or her daughter are working from home. Above the fireplace hangs an oil painting by artist Joel Gresham. Text by Shannon Dominy/Photo by Reynolds Rogers

Around one corner of her home, Leesa Kellam has a separate seating area with an abundance of plants and a red bench by Rafael Tesfa. The guest bedrooms look out over this space. Text by Shannon Dominy/Photo by Reynolds Rogers

The gallery of Leesa Kellam’s home was intended to be used as a formal dining room, but Kellam never felt that a formal dining room fit her lifestyle. When her daughter was young, the room was a play space, and now it’s an elegant transitional space between living areas where Kellam displays art like the silk wall hanging on the southwest wall and the two oil paintings, by Bayo and Beverly Trumble respectively, on the east wall. Text by Shannon Dominy/Photo by Reynolds Rogers

The first mural that Leesa Kellam commissioned for her home was this mural by Metu that adorns one full side of her garage. It was inspired by one of Kellam’s favorite posters, and this mural is why Kellam fell in love with Metu’s style and subsequently commissioned the murals in the bathrooms. Text by Shannon Dominy/Photo by Reynolds Rogers

The guest room of Leesa Kellam’s Historic West End home is light and cozy. Curtains from Ikea make it easy to block out light from outside, but a stained glass wall hanging from Simpler Tymes adds to the original stained glass of the windows to create a stunning display. Bedding from Tuesday Morning and pillow cases from Malcolm Shabazz Harlem Market make for an inviting guest bed. The room is the farthest room in the house from the street, making it a quiet getaway. Text by Shannon Dominy/Photo by Reynolds Rogers

In the guest bathroom of Leesa Kellam’s home she commissioned another mural by Metu, this one an abundant floral piece that fills the water closet with color. Text by Shannon Dominy/Photo by Reynolds Rogers

Leesa Kellam purchased her 1893 home in the Historic West End of Atlanta in 1999. Since then she has renovated the kitchen, putting in all new appliances and creating a laundry room, plus she converted a supply closet into a powder room. The home is 3,700 square feet with four bedrooms and three-and-a-half bathrooms, and it will be featured on the Historic West End Tour of Homes 2021 on June 26. Text by Shannon Dominy/Photo by Reynolds Rogers

The front door of Leesa Kellam’s home is original to the 1893 home. The size panels did eventually crack badly enough that Kellam had to have them replaced, but she kept the pieces and one hangs above her staircase while the other makes up part of a bird feeder in her backyard. Kellam’s home will be featured on the Historic West End Tour of Homes 2021 on June 26. Text by Shannon Dominy/Photo by Reynolds Rogers

Leesa Kellam renovated her kitchen in late 2020, freshening the space and creating a laundry room, which the house had been lacking. Kellam worked with multiple project consultants including Magdalena O’Connor of Desireline Studios for welding on doors and shelves, Don Flowers for electrical work and plumbing, John C. Wilson of Wilson Wood Flooring Co. for floor restoration, and Jules McConnel for general contracting. Tiles from Floor & Decor give the walls a fresh look. Text by Shannon Dominy/Photo by Reynolds Rogers

Leesa Kellam purchased her Historic West End home in 1999, when her daughter, Dena Stringer, was still a child. Kellam is now retired, and Stringer is a weekend resident at her mother’s home when she visits from her post with Teach for America. Text by Shannon Dominy/Courtesy of Leesa Kellam

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The foyer of Leesa Kellam’s West End home is a formal area to greet guests. A rug from Ikea and a chaise lounge create a small seating area for guests to mill around at parties, and the art on the walls, like the oil painting on canvas by Jamaican-born, Miami-based street artist Marcus Blake, gives the space pattern and color. The piano was already there when Leesa bought the home, and it came in handy when her daughter took lessons years ago. Text by Shannon Dominy/Photo by Reynolds Rogers

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