Interior Design: Lauren Pesson | Home Builder: Summit Construction Group | Photography: Cain Thevenot
When a couple with a young adult son decided to move homes in Youngsville, LA, they resolved to stay in the neighborhood. In a moment of serendipity, a family friend and home builder happened to be constructing homes in the same community. “Our original home,” says the wife, “which we lived in for 15 years, was more traditional. We wanted something more modern and we wanted the kitchen to face the park.” An interior designer and neighbor with a penchant for designing modern abodes, Lauren Presson, was enlisted to help on the project.
Modern they certainly achieved, with well-appointed bar and kitchen areas that rivaled anything on the market. In the kitchen, the wife explained she was intent on doing something “different”. This entailed eliminating a dining room, creating an expansive kitchen with two islands, 26-foot-tall ceilings, and building in symmetrical large-scale windows to face the park. A palette of black, white, and wood with metal hardware accents establishes a clean-lined appeal. Cabinetry, manufactured by Danenberg Designer Kitchens and featured in differing shades of white oak wood and matte black creates a striking yet balanced backdrop to a kitchen designed for a family that loves to cook. “We’re both Cajun” explains the wife, “we grew up cooking. My husband and son both fish and hunt. We live in the kitchen and friends and neighbors know we love to feed people. When we designed the house, we had a lot of spices, condiments, and sauces—so everything was mapped out before we built it to have a place for everything and everything in its place.”
The family’s need for convenience when cooking also led the wife to search for a refrigerator that had a large enough cubic capacity to fit a sizable cookie sheet. Most of the major appliance companies’ refrigerators, she says, were way too shallow. But our 36” Refrigerator and Freezer popped right up in her search. “True was the only one that fit what I needed. I liked the style of it and the stainless steel interiors.” With a stainless steel range, the homeowners chose the 36” Refrigerators and Freezers in Stainless steel but with gold hardware to create an on-trend mixed metal charm. “I love everything about the True Residential refrigerators” she states. “The size of them and even how impressive they look in the space—they don’t get dwarfed despite the height of the ceilings.”
In the bar area, the couple decided to lean a bit more towards a bougie New Orleans feel—a great way to display the husband’s whisky collection. The glam space features a mirrored antiqued gold glass backsplash that reads as silver. The design—offset with plain black cabinetry and fluted black cabinetry complemented with metal hardware—also includes our Undercounter Clear Ice Machine and our Undercounter Beverage Centers in matte black and gold—musts in any bar. “My husband,” says the wife, “loves the shape of the True Residential ice—he did a lot of research on the type of ice he wanted and he loves that the ice is clear.”
While clear ice is a big boon for those who love long-lasting cocktails and whisky on the rocks (due to their tendency to melt at a slower rate), the homeowners also wanted to have an option for storing wine. And hence, the appearance of two of our 30” Wine Columns—also shown in a matte black and gold. “We’ve had wine columns before,” says the wife, “ but we love the ease of the sliders with racks that pull out. Even for my fridge and freezer—they have great suction and are very well insulated.” To have them stand out, the columns feature a deep black metal surround that follows the slat pattern on the wall above the staircase. The end result? A home made for casual entertaining in high style.
