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A historic Colonial in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has been renovated and expanded into a family property with a carriage house, pool house and landscaped grounds. Interior designer Anne Underwood worked with the owners to retain the main home’s traditional character while adding playful interiors and spaces for guests, swimming and entertaining.
A century-old Colonial in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has been renovated and expanded into a family compound with a carriage house, pool house and landscaped grounds. Interior designer Anne Underwood worked with the owners to preserve the historic main house while creating additional room for their family of five, guests and outdoor activities.
The project began with the owners’ purchase of a home they had known for years: one of them had admired it while growing up down the street. The original house has four bedrooms and three-and-a-half bathrooms. Underwood’s work evolved beyond renovating those rooms to include new buildings and outdoor areas, according to House Beautiful’s report.
The additions were planned to address the family’s need for space to relax, entertain and host visitors. Underwood said the design accounted for the owners’ needs at the time as well as their future plans. The pool house includes a kitchen, living area and bathroom, with a wood-burning pizza oven among its features. The carriage house provides another part of the expanded property, though the report does not detail its layout or use.
Inside the main home, the design pairs traditional furnishings and architectural details with brighter finishes, including lemon-yellow checkerboard floors, hand-painted surfaces and colorful textiles. A banquette serves as a spot for family activities such as homework, puzzles and art projects. In the pool house, Underwood used pale wood walls, a custom arrangement of colorful pendant lights and durable furnishings intended for a space used after swimming and tennis.
A Historic Home Gains Family Space
The project shows how the owners adapted a long-established home for a larger set of everyday and entertaining needs without treating the original house as a blank slate. The new buildings add usable space while allowing the four-bedroom main residence to remain the center of the property.
That balance matters for the family’s use of the home: the pool house is set up for recreation and meals, while the carriage house and grounds support guests and activities beyond the main rooms. Underwood described the goal as making the expanded property both functional and joyful. The family’s relatives jokingly called it a private resort, a description the designer said she embraced; that is a family characterization, not a formal designation.
The report also illustrates the practical limits of preserving a historic home for contemporary family life. The approach did not rely solely on restoring the original building. Instead, it paired the main house’s familiar character with new structures, giving the family more room without requiring every activity to happen under the historic roof.
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From Prairieville to Baton Rouge
The home’s history predates the current owners’ renovation. According to House Beautiful, the Colonial was dismantled and moved from Prairieville to its present Baton Rouge location in the late 1920s. Its red clay roof tiles were salvaged from Louisiana State University, and mature live oaks now frame the grounds.
The source report describes the renovation as a project that developed over several years, expanding from work on the original four-bedroom residence into a larger property. Underwood led the interior design. LRK Architects served as architect, Bernhardt Normand Construction as contractor, and ARBO Landscape Architects worked on the landscape. House Beautiful’s account does not provide a project budget or exact construction timeline.
Design details reflect the distinction between the old house and the newer pool house. The main residence combines antique pieces and traditional furnishings with bright colors. In the pool house, a vaulted ceiling and a twelve-light PET Lamp fixture, whose pendants and cords were individually customized, help define a more openly playful space. Its bathroom includes blue shower tile and mosaic flooring.
“We planned for what they need now but also anticipated the future.”
— Anne Underwood, interior designer
Project Costs and Timeline Remain Unreported
House Beautiful’s report does not state when construction was completed, how much the renovation cost or how large the property is. It also gives limited information about the carriage house, including its interior arrangement and specific function. The source does not provide the owners’ names or a detailed account of permits, construction phases or any changes made to the original structure.
The article describes the home’s relocation in the late 1920s and identifies the roof tiles as salvaged from Louisiana State University, but it does not give further documentation of those historical details. They are reported as part of the publication’s account, rather than presented with cited archival records.
No Further Project Milestones Listed
The source report presents the property as an established home and does not announce another construction phase, sale or planned change. It identifies the design and project team but gives no schedule for future work. Any additional details about the home’s costs, construction dates or the carriage house would need to come from the owners, designer or project partners.
Key Questions
Where is the renovated home?
It is in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. House Beautiful reports that the Colonial was moved there from Prairieville in the late 1920s.
What was added to the property?
The expanded property includes a carriage house, pool house and landscaped grounds, in addition to the original four-bedroom main home. The pool house has a kitchen, living area, bathroom and wood-burning pizza oven.
Who led the interior design?
Anne Underwood was the interior designer. The report lists LRK Architects as architect, Bernhardt Normand Construction as contractor and ARBO Landscape Architects as landscape architect.
When was the renovation finished, and how much did it cost?
The source says the project unfolded over several years but does not give an exact completion date or budget.
Source: housebeautiful.com
