A custom luxury home in Destrehan has all the hallmarks of smart design/build practices.
When a local married couple chose to build a custom home on Audubon Place in Destrehan, they turned to Joey Flynn, architect at Flynn Designs, and Jason Maenza, owner of Precision Builders, to make their dream home a reality. The homeowners chose the duo for this project after a successful remodel on their son’s home.
“Jason is always very involved in his custom home projects,” Flynn says. “We get him involved in the process early on, because he has helpful insight on how to bring to life the ideas we design. His background in engineering helps to bridge the concept and the construction to create beautiful and eclectic homes. There’s a reason why his company is called Precision Builders — he is detail-oriented in a way that enhances the overall design elements.”
Flynn, who was involved with the project from beginning to end, began the conceptual, schematic designs and drawings in the winter of 2020 for what he says are unique and creative homeowners. Maenza and his team of subcontractors began building in the late summer of 2021 and completed the home in early 2023.
When it came to the exterior, the homeowners wanted a house with a clean and contemporary look that immediately catches the eye. “This street is unique in that there is not one architectural style that all homes fit into,” Flynn says. “Each home has its own personality, and that’s exactly what we did with [this home].”
In keeping with contemporary design, the 4,602-square-foot home (with an additional 2,524 square feet for porches and two separate garages) features an open floor plan, mono-slope roofs, black-and-white color sequences, plenty of natural light and an emphasis on clean lines (both on the exterior and interior). “Contemporary styles also utilize more raw materials, such as concrete and wood, and a unique example of this are the gabion fences at the front facade,” Flynn says.
Inside, the four-bedroom, three-bath (and three-half bath) home also includes an office, a workshop, an art studio and, most interestingly, a car turntable in the showcase garage. “One of the biggest goals of this design was to seamlessly incorporate the car turntable into the layout,” Flynn says. “[It] was part of the design from day one, and many of our design choices stemmed directly from this feature.”
For example, the homeowner wanted to be able to see the car turntable from several areas throughout the house. This request led Flynn to design a C-shaped plan. Upon walking through the pivoting front door, a rear window under the floating staircase provides a view to the showcase garage. “Utilizing [a] glass elevator and surrounding it with interior-facing and exterior-facing windows to be able to see the beauty of both spaces as you ascend/descend levels, proved to be well worth the effort,” Maenza says.
Additionally, the lot is adjacent to industrial warehouses, thereby posing privacy challenges. So, rather than having a traditional large backyard, the main outdoor living space is tucked into the side of the property – resembling more of a courtyard. “This way, the pool and main outdoor area feel more private and do not have any view of the warehouses,” Flynn says.
Another unique solution was using a large steel beam to support the second floor, while still maintaining a large porch without columns. “Often, we try to hide structural elements as they can be unsightly,” Flynn says. “In this case, we highlighted the steel structure by painting it bright orange to match the car in the turntable room.”
On the interior, the team veered away from typical, all-wood stairs and instead used steel, wood and glass. “As soon as you walk in the front door, the staircase catches your attention,” Flynn says. “With the glass railings, the stairs become part of the room almost like a sculpture.”
Meanwhile, the kitchen and bar — with design and layout by Michael Baudin and Rachel Murray of Legend Interiors — feature quartzite countertops; flush-panel cabinetry; and sleek, high-gloss paint that is toned down with walnut accents. “The design and layout from Legend Interiors is what truly sets this open kitchen and bar area apart from any other,” Maenza says.
Baudin and Murray, who also designed and provided all cabinetry throughout the home, also created a walnut floating corner unit and floating shelf display. “Jason and our team had to make sure it would work properly, [so] there were a lot of field meetings and CAD drawings going back and forth before one piece was framed,” Baudin says. “It’s one of the first things you see when you come from the foyer, and it makes a statement.”
In all, every aspect of this home was thoroughly planned and given a purpose. “This was one of our favorite projects mainly because of the homeowners,” Baudin adds. “[They] were always appreciative of our time and ideas, and that made everyone want to work extra hard to make sure everything was perfect.”
