A sense of home means something unique to Lisa and Jeff Cooper, Cincinnati natives who lived all over the world before eventually finding their ideal space in the vibrant neighborhood of Findlay Market. After experiencing the dA sense of home means something unique to Lisa and Jeff Cooper, Cincinnati natives who lived all over the world before eventually finding their ideal space in the vibrant neighborhood of Findlay Market. After experiencing the diversity of cultures in locations such as Japan, France, Belgium, and Switzerland—and building an award-winning home in North Carolina—the Coopers made the decision to return to their roots with a light-filled modern home in historic downtown Cincinnati, complete with a NOLI-designed modern Italian kitchen.
“We’ve always had a connection to Cincinnati, and whenever we visited family we would drive through the neighborhoods, watching the gradual renaissance—especially of the downtown area,” Lisa explains. “When the opportunity presented itself to take a recently renovated historic building and make the space our own, it seemed the perfect match.”
Given Lisa’s culinary background and the couple’s love of cooking and entertaining, their new home required a kitchen that capitalized on light, natural materials, and economy of space. “We weren’t tied to a particular home decorating style, but we knew we wanted a kitchen with a European design feel—very minimalist, clean, and bright,” Jeff says. “Our kitchen is the hub of the home—it’s not only a place to prepare food and entertain friends, but also serves as our primary workspace. It was a tall order, but NOLI was the ideal partner to help us achieve our vision.”
Given Lisa’s culinary background and the couple’s love of cooking and entertaining, their new home required a kitchen that capitalized on light, natural materials, and economy of space. “We weren’t tied to a particular home Lisa agrees. “Agostino had an immediate understanding of what we wanted—which definitely wasn’t the case when we sought to create a similar kitchen in our home in South Carolina. His sense of modern design was spot-on, and he took the time to listen to us, to dive deeper into our specific needs, and to find solutions to the challenges we faced in renovating an older building with a limited amount of space. The result is a dream kitchen that fulfills all our goals—it’s highly functional and stylish, with exceptional storage space and accessibility. Everything is at hand, exactly where I need it when I’m preparing meals, and we didn’t have to make even the smallest sacrifice of beauty in order to achieve function. Agostino approached the kitchen like an architect, not merely a builder, helping us to create a beautiful, timeless design that is extraordinarily versatile. Between the vitality of Findlay Market, our historic building, and NOLI, we’ve made the perfect home for us.”
