When your backyard offers a panoramic view of a lush golf course it makes you feel like you are living on a beautiful country estate,” Celia Ward explains as she opens the glass doors that lead from the family room onto the broad veranda overlooking the swimming pool and Metairie Country Club’s golf course. “We fell in love with the lot the first time we saw it. Where else can you live just minutes from everything and have such a pastoral setting?”
It wasn’t a problem getting the house Celia wanted because her architect husband, Charlie, is well-versed in creating beautiful structures. “We wanted an open floor plan that would take full advantage of the rear view,” he says. “I think we definitely accomplished our goal since the moment you open the front door you can see all the way to the pool and green space beyond.”
The Wards’ home has a traditional façade, with the interior incorporating the best of an open floor plan. Behind the handsome glass front doors is a wide foyer. A rug at the rear of the main open area defines the large family room, while the more formal living and dining rooms flank the foyer. “It’s 50 feet from the front door to the rear pair of French doors,” Charlie says. “This is an ideal house for entertaining and we enjoy the way the house flows. We like the way the rear porch becomes another room once we open the French doors.”
The handsome kitchen that adjoins the family room was designed with the help of Monique Bennett of Kitchens by Design. “We knew that our family and friends always like to gather in the kitchen so we made sure it was large enough to accommodate more than one cook and lots of kids and grownups,” Celia explains. Here again the thought was to capture the rear view, with the breakfast area featuring a triple window, flanked by side windows.
Brookhaven cabinets in a white heirloom color with a charcoal glaze are perfect with the bold red color the couple selected for the walls. Juparana Delicatus granite countertops further enhance the light cabinets. “I especially love the wide draws for pot storage,” Celia says. “It is easy to find just the right one without the clutter of under-counter cabinets where everything is stacked on top of each other.”
Located in Metairie Club Estates just off Airline Drive, the Wards’ home is a standout in the enclave of grand new homes. “We know that the right landscaping makes a tremendous difference in the curb appeal of a home,” Charlie explained. The couple commissioned Lisa Loup to do the original landscape design, with David Bongard’s company – The Green Team – maintaining everything to give the manicured look of an English garden.
