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A historic Colonial in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has been renovated and expanded into a family compound with a pool house, carriage house and landscaped grounds. Designer Anne Underwood updated the interiors with colorful finishes while retaining the main house’s traditional character.
A century-old Colonial in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has been renovated and expanded with a pool house, carriage house and landscaped grounds, turning the historic residence into a larger family compound. Interior designer Anne Underwood led the effort to add space for family life and guests while retaining the main home’s traditional character, according to a House Beautiful report.
The project grew over several years from a renovation of the original four-bedroom main house into a wider property designed for family gatherings and entertaining. The home has three-and-a-half bathrooms; the new outbuildings add separate places to relax and host visitors. The report identifies LRK Architects as the architect, Bernhardt Normand Construction as the contractor, and ARBO Landscape Architects as the landscape architect.
Underwood brought color and pattern into the interiors without discarding the home’s established details. The report describes lemon-yellow checkerboard floors, antique furnishings, hand-painted finishes and vivid textiles. A tucked-away banquette serves as a spot for homework and art projects, while the main living room combines traditional furnishings with a more playful palette.
The pool house was designed for use after swimming and tennis, with durable furnishings and a relaxed, vacation-like feel. Its features include pale wood walls, a colorful pendant fixture and a wood-burning pizza oven. The bathroom pairs blue zellige shower tile with patterned mosaic flooring and a vintage wooden mirror. The carriage house and landscaped grounds complete the additions described in the report.
A Historic Home Made for Family Life
The renovation shows how an older home can be adapted for a larger household without treating its historic character as an obstacle. The owners wanted the original house to remain their family home but needed additional room for entertaining, relaxation and guests. Rather than expanding the main residence alone, the project added separate buildings that provide new uses while leaving the Colonial as the center of the property.
That distinction matters for daily life: the pool house offers a place to gather after outdoor activities, and the carriage house adds space beyond the original four-bedroom layout. Underwood said the planning accounted for what the family needs now and anticipated future needs. The report does not provide project costs or a detailed account of how the work changed the property’s market value, so the confirmed impact is its added space and functions, not a financial return.
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From Prairieville to Baton Rouge
The house had already been relocated once before the recent renovation. In the late 1920s, it was dismantled and moved from Prairieville to its current Baton Rouge address. Its distinctive red clay roof tiles were salvaged from Louisiana State University, according to the House Beautiful account. Live oaks have framed the property for decades.
The current owners had a personal connection to the residence: the wife grew up down the street and admired the house as a child. When the couple bought it, they planned to raise their three daughters there. The report presents the renovation as a multi-year project shaped by that history and by the family’s need for more room, rather than as a standalone decoration update.
“We planned for what they need now but also anticipated the future.”
— Anne Underwood, interior designer
Project Costs and Preservation Details
The report does not state the renovation’s cost, exact completion date or construction timeline. It also does not detail whether the project required special historic-preservation approvals or describe specific structural changes to the original house. The account documents the home’s earlier relocation and identifies design and construction firms, but it does not establish that the property has a formal historic designation.
Descriptions of the compound as a private resort come from the family’s joking characterization and Underwood’s response to it; they are not a formal classification of the property. No information is provided about plans to sell, rent or open any part of the home to the public.
A Home Set for Years Ahead
No additional construction phase or public event is announced in the report. The project is presented as a completed renovation and expansion, with the main home, pool house, carriage house and grounds now serving the family’s daily life and gatherings. Underwood said the design anticipated future needs, but the report does not specify what those needs are or describe any scheduled follow-up work.
For now, the documented next chapter is the property’s use as a family home: the original residence remains at its center, while the new spaces offer room for swimming, tennis, meals and guests. Any later changes, costs or plans for the estate remain unreported.
Key Questions
Where is the renovated home?
It is in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The house was moved there from Prairieville in the late 1920s, according to House Beautiful.
What was added to the property?
The expansion includes a pool house, carriage house and landscaped grounds. The pool house has a wood-burning pizza oven and spaces designed for relaxing after swimming or tennis.
Who designed the renovation?
Anne Underwood was the interior designer. House Beautiful lists LRK Architects as architect, Bernhardt Normand Construction as contractor and ARBO Landscape Architects as landscape architect.
What is known about the project’s cost?
The report does not give a project budget or final cost. It also does not provide a precise construction schedule or completion date.
Source: housebeautiful.com
