Jeeves House is located in a dense, covenant-controlled traditional neighborhood development in Lafayette, LA. The owners wanted a contemporary home within these strict traditional design limits. Sited on a small corner lot, the owner's request for four bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, and ample space for entertaining made it imperative to make smart use of all available square footage.

Of the three typologies allowed by the design covenant, Caribbean was chosen. This typology allowed for a courtyard to veil the contemporary window wall, deep roof overhangs to shed the water and shade the walls, and a slab foundation to minimize steps for the clients concerned about aging in place. To create consistency between the modern interior and the more traditional exterior of the home, the ipe and white painted brick materiality is used both inside and out.

Spatially, the home consists of 3 zones; an interior and an exterior public zone, and a private zone.

Within the large, open interior space, living, cooking, and dining areas are arranged shot-gun style. This public realm is highlighted by a shifting ceiling plane that creates subtle spatial boundaries, diffuses and directs the natural light, and provides alcoves with dimmable lighting that can be adjusted to suit any occasion. The centrally located kitchen offers bar seating at both ends to create ample seating for large gatherings. Appliances and cooking supplies are tucked away in generous cabinetry to create a minimal aesthetic.

An exterior courtyard parallels and mirrors this large interior space with a central outdoor kitchen. The boundary between these two zones is blurred by a 12'-tall glass wall, creating a heightened sense of spaciousness and connection with the outdoors. The 8' brick wall encloses the interior/exterior space at the street and provides privacy in the dense community.

The private zone contains three bedrooms, an office, and two and a half baths and is separated from the public zone by alcoves and sliding ipe doors at each guest room entrance.

The building orientation takes full advantage of natural light, an uses the courtyard wall and soffit to reduce thermal gain. The high gloss floor and shifting ceiling brings diffuse light to the entire living-kitchen-dining reducing the need for electrical lighting in daytime hours. All appliances are energy star rated and foam insulation with 2X6 exterior walls create a tight, high performance enclosure. All electrical lighting is dimmable LED Energy Star Lighting, and remote-controlled solar shades allow owners to control the degree of sunlight coming through the window wall.

Jeeves House is a home of two faces; a traditional external condition that addresses the Louisiana suburban neighborhood context and an interior that is spacious and contemporary.

What was the brief?

The owners wanted a contemporary home within these strict traditional design limits. Sited on a small corner lot, the owner's request for four bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, and ample space for entertaining made it imperative to make smart use of all available square footage.

What were the key challenges?

There were two major challenges. The first challenge were the tight site constraints. The small site on the corner of a small, high density subdivision challenged us to make the most of a little. The design had to find a way to maximize the feel of a small exterior courtyard and to bring the outside into the house. The second challenge was how to balance the strict neighborhood design covenant with the contemporary wants of the client. The design covenant was very traditional and the owner's design goals were not. Our job was to find balance between these opposite requirements.

What were the solutions?

To resolve the two challenges listed previously, we created a courtyard strategy. The courtyard, narrow and long, created both a screen and a clear indoor/outdoor relationship. It runs along the long side of the property, screening the contemporary façade and allowing for maximum light and exposure to the outside. The house was also designed to be long and narrow which meant that the relationship to the exterior was maximized.

Team:

Architects: emerymcclure architecture

Photographer: James Osborne IV