The Heriz rug in the entryway has been in the family for years. The chandelier is from Niermann Weeks. The walls of the living room are antique pecky cypress. The couch and slipcovered chairs are from Villa Vici. The sisal area rug is from Rug Chic.
In the heart of Old Covington is home that, even though it is new, fits right into the town’s historic aesthetic. Built about a year and a half ago, Tommy and Britton Taber’s home is a comfortable blend of styles that looks clean and modern.
Tommy, who owns Taber Construction, did all the construction, as well as interior and architectural design. “I take my design cues from the architecture that has influenced and affected me throughout my life—the grand Greek Revival homes and Creole cottages I remember as a child growing up in New Orleans, as well as the simple, more rustic indigenous architecture found throughout the South, including old family hunting camps and the classic Gulf Coast summer home,” Tommy says. “Not being a strict traditionalist, I always like to toss in a little contemporary element whenever possible. I would like to believe, that not unlike a family heirloom, we design and build homes that can stand the test of time and taste, and be handed down from generation to generation.”
Overlooking the den is the kitchen with a large island topped by a Mexican travertine topped island that opens onto both rooms. The stools are from Oly Studios, the chandelier from Dennis & Leen in Los Angeles.
The house’s floor plan of a center hall with rooms off the side is a familiar style to the area. A unique departure can be found in the dining room with its peaked beaded board and exposed rafter ceiling. Rooms are either painted in a creamy light tone or paneled in antique pecky cypress woodwork.
In the kitchen, Tommy designed the cabinets and had Gordon Jackson of Jackson Custom Woodworks build them.
The house has a mix of custom-made elements as well as those found through intrepid searching at salvage stores and other places. For the kitchen cabinets, Tommy called upon carpenter Gordon Jackson of Jackson Custom Woodworks to take his detailed drawings of cabinets and make them a reality. Jackson also made the wet bar cabinets and the bathroom cabinets. The double front doors are antique cypress from the Bank in New Orleans and the distressed heart pine floors were a real find, from a convent near Lafayette.
The wet bar is located under a stair adjacent to the den. The walls are made of antique pecky cypress.
The Taber’s eclectic home is “intentionally uncluttered, but we do have some treasured family heirlooms, including antique silver pieces from both of our families,” Britton says.
Contemporary furnishings have clean neutral lines highlighted by sisal rugs. Antiques, such as the four George Lous Viavant duck prints from the Tally-Ho Club in Slidell, add a distinct Louisiana flair, as does the vintage ceiling
fan—reminiscent of the ones that used to be Kolb’s restaurant in New Orleans—“It’s on a rubber rotary, remember that?” says Tommy.
The den has easy access to a screened porch through French doors.
The vintage ceiling fan is from the Woolen Mill Fan Company and is reminiscent of the ones found at the now-defunct Kolb’s restaurant. The painting is from Gallery Nu in Covington. A faux turtle shell hangs over the fireplace.
It’s this sophisticated mélange of old and new that makes the Taber home beautiful to look at and comfortable to live in.
The master bedroom is light and airy. Linens are from Pottery Barn.
