BY VICTORIA VAN VLEAR
PHOTOGRAPHY BY F OTOSOLD
When you are building your home from scratch, there are no limits to the design styles you can use. When the architectural design team at Hollingsworth Design approached a new build outside New Orleans, Louisiana, they could choose the exact direction they wanted to take the exterior design. “This was a speculative project,” says Justin St. Pierre of Hollingsworth Design. For this type of project, a company will build a model home to showcase their skill and design style, in this case for the Greater New Orleans Parade of Homes. The design style they chose was based on the plantations in the South—with a cottage twist. A small portico graces the front steps, which gives a focus for the eye on approaching the house. The front façade is symmetrical, but the structure itself isn’t symmetrical. This provides both give and take in the design, pleasing the eye with the symmetry and allowing for leeway in the interior design by building one side of the structure out further than the other. A cool light-gray roof with cream siding creates a neutral and classic backdrop, while the white trim stands out. Notice that even though the white is similar in color to the cream, it provides a subtle contrast that draws the eyes to the architectural lines. To inish it of, custom blue shutters add color and character to the home, and make it look inviting for anyone to knock on the door.