“It was was kind of meant to be,” said the couple of the house they built in Lakewood South.
Already Lakewood residents, the couple frequently walked by the site where a midcentury ranch, badly damaged by Katrina floodwaters, sat empty and in disrepair for a decade. When the property went up for sale in 2015, they purchased it in the space of two weeks and began imagining the family home they’d erect in its place.
As admirers of a striking modernist house that architect Julie Babin of practis architecture + design created for clients Uptown, the couple hired Babin to lead the project. The team also consisted of Ross Karsen, formerly of practis, and custom home builder Tommy DeRose. The result is a contemporary house based in midcentury modernist tradition — clean lines, lack of ornamentation, and emphasis on indoor/outdoor spaces.
Bold minimalism sets the tone and stands out among the surrounding houses that mostly date from the 1940s to the 1980s. Babin and Karsen put intricate and dynamic details into the structure, included things from both husband and wife’s individual wish lists, and considered every feature in terms of function. The sleek fireplace in the open living area is a prime example, delivering both a midcentury aesthetic and multiple uses. It conceals the stairs, includes a bench with hidden storage, and though ventless has a vertical portion that reads like a chimney.
“A lot of thought and care was put into each meeting and iteration and all of the material selection,” said Babin, who adds that even the placement of the family’s Christmas tree was part of the conversation. “[The homeowners] wanted to make sure it felt right now and in the future.”
“One of the comments we constantly get from friends who come over is ‘it looks like you put so much thought into it,’” the homeowners said.
The entire project took two years of planning and another two of building due to the pandemic. The clients used the time to make a host of decisions: everything from the gorgeous turquoise blue Moroccan clay tiles used for the pool and outdoor kitchen (and integral to the views enjoyed from inside) to the placement of the barrel arched hallway that adds a surprising counterpoint to the home’s many right angles.
While the homeowners wanted a modern house, they also wanted warmth, comfort and easy maintenance that works for a young family; they have a 6-year-old son and a 4-year-old daughter. They envisioned a blend of textures, a design built around the existing live oak at the front of the lot and a kitchen that would accommodate the husband’s love of cooking as well as daily family activities and entertaining, and that would connect to the outdoors. The husband, who plays the piano, also wanted a music room. The wife’s Pinterest images included a bar with walnut shelving and a soapstone counter, indoor and outdoor fireplaces, and open inset shelving in the kitchen. All the requests were worked into the design.
The horizontal emphasis of the architecture, the extended eaves, the split level created by the primary suite, the muted color palette, and the open plan living are all drawn from midcentury design.
The exterior combines brick, NewTechWood (a durable composite that looks like natural wood), metal, stucco, and cement. Inside, where the space gradually grows as you move through — from the 8-foot height of the entrance to the 23-foot height of the living room, white oak floors meet quartz counters, full height glass doors and rich walnut paneling. There are four outdoor areas. Outdoor living at the rear of the house includes a pool with pool house and outdoor shower, green space and an outdoor kitchen where sliding glass doors and materials continued from the interior create a natural extension of the main kitchen. A cozy coffee nook sits next to the kitchen, a patio is off the primary suite, and a balcony with seating and a dining table is on the second level. Slatted wood, both vertical and horizontal, appears inside and out: in the entrance, in the pool area, and above the dining room where strips of stained maple delineate the dining area. The kids’ bedrooms, which are mirror images, the balcony, and a window in the foyer all have views of the oak tree.
“From the kids’ rooms, you feel like you’re in a treehouse,” the homeowners said.
The wife selected the furnishings and paint colors, which range from warm brown and charcoal to cool slate and white and reflect the same attention to detail as the architecture. When the owners couldn’t find the perfect lighting for the kitchen island, they splurged on custom globe pendants accented with touches of gold and walnut that tie into the surroundings.
Another subtle yet invaluable detail is the use of pocket doors that hide away for an open flow, but also provide seamless privacy when needed, a useful amenity since the primary suite is on the ground floor. A motorized pergola system above the outdoor kitchen can be opened or closed for ventilation instead of a hood and gives the space flexibility for use in multiple seasons. Since the house has a flat roof and no attic space, an air-conditioned storage room as well as a home office were placed on the mid-level between the first and second floors. An elevator pit, now used as closet space, was built into the house in case the couple decides to install an elevator for aging in place.
The kitchen was outfitted with two large islands — one for prep and cooking, and another for daily meals and entertaining as guests congregate in the kitchen. An abundance of sleek built-in cabinetry and closets enables the homeowners to maintain the streamlined look while still having easy access to daily essentials.
With 4,900 square feet and everything from home office to spacious butler’s pantry and mudroom, hidden electric shades and complete smart home amenities, the four-bedroom house is everything the clients dreamed it would be, according to the homeowners.
“We lived in it before we built it; we thought about how we wanted it to be and how we would use it. Julie and Ross made it all come together,” they said.
