Beautiful Interiors: Custom built-in entertainment center

Beautiful Interiors: Custom built-in entertainment center

Custom built-in entertainment center

Louisiana Creole Homes - exterior structures

My last post introduced you to my favorite Louisiana architect, A. Hays Town, whose style endures beyond his time, forever defining Southern Style. We looked at features which define the exterior of many of his homes. Beautiful brick facades, shuttered doors, slate porches and pathways, raised front porches and exterior stairs. One exterior structure used by Mr. Town is called a "pigeonnaire" and is a separate structure from the main house. That's right, a pigeon house. This structure dates back to the 16th century when pigeons were used as messengers and valued by the farmers. There are still many existing structures today in France. Mr. Town utilized the structure integrating it in to the garden scape. The homeowners used the structure for storage.

Louisiana Creole Homes

The architect/designer who most influenced my love for homes and design is the late A Hayes Town. Schooled in the Beaux Arts, he became a legend (in his own time) for his style of Creole Cottages (with Spanish, French and Creole influences) that defines the most beautiful homes in South Louisiana. I was fortunate enough to be hired to help this couple build a home in the style of A Hays Town after their beautiful cottage was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. My translation and collaboration on this exterior has been one of my favorite projects. The use of indigenous woods like cypress was incorporated into the project along with antique brick. The porch ceilings are painted a popular pale blue gray (to help ward off insects) and blends beautifully with the entire scheme. Custom shutters and simple railing reflect the popular features Mr. Town incorporated into his homes.