Inside the award-winning Hattic Street home by The Front Door Design Studio
Sponsored by The Front Door
Dwayne Carruth knew the house on Hattic Street needed to special.
A new-construction home in Long Farm Village, it was to be featured on the 2024 Parade of Homes, an event hosted each spring by the Home Builders Association of Greater Baton Rouge.
“With it being a Parade home, we wanted it to be special,” says Carruth, who heads The Front Door Design Studio, a residential architecture firm. “We were shooting for something that was classic and full of detail and something that was very livable.”
From the start, Carruth coordinated with builder Manchac Homes and Hillary Hooper Interiors to create a vision for the four-bedroom, three-bath home. What they came up with is a house that marries moody jewel tones with bright, airy spaces and a vibe of modern yet timeless elegance — with plenty of space for friends and family to gather.
“We wanted it to be good for entertaining,” Carruth says. “The bar and the butler’s pantry were important features there. We also wanted just a killer master suite, and I think it turned out pretty cool. The closet’s incredible.”
The house won People’s Choice in its division on the Parade of Homes.
A few of Carruth’s favorite features in the Hattic Street home include:
The bar. Located right off the foyer, the bar area is painted a deep, brick red hue and offers lots of storage and counter space — everything the home mixologist needs to craft drinks for guests, who can lounge nearby. “It’s dark and sexy,” Carruth says, “and Hillary added curtains to give it some extra texture, which I thought was really nice.”
The staircase. It’s Carruth’s favorite part of the house. “The staircase turned out so well, and there were a lot of people involved in getting that right. Getting the finishes on the stone and the ironwork — that’s a lot of coordination. But I love how it turned out.”
The master suite. With a comfortable bedroom, a roomy, oversized closet and a monochrome, spa-like bathroom, the master suite is a true refuge.
The home office. This room could also function as a front bedroom, but Carruth treated it as an office. Knowing your demographics is key. “This buyer is typically somebody that has a home office and a nice master,” he says.
Carruth credits teamwork for pulling off this house.
“Having a group of people that work well together and share a common vision from the very beginning is critical,” he explains. “There’s no gap in communication during the design process.”
Working alongside builders and interior designers helps Carruth design one-of-a-kind homes.
“We try to find the trends before they’re trends so by the time they make it into a house, they’re not passé and out of date,” he says. “But at the same time, we want it to be timeless.”
Looking to create a unique home of your own? Take the first step by scheduling an appointment with The Front Door via phone, videoconferencing or in person in Baton Rouge or New Orleans.
“We’ll listen to your ideas,” Carruth says, “and we’ll take it and run.”
You can see photos of some of The Front Door’s projects at www.instagram.com/thefrontdoorarch
