Show your love this February 14th with some great gift ideas shown here as part of House & Home’s first annual Valentine’s Day Gift Guide. Check off items on your gift-buying list and support local businesses when you buy gifts from merchants located close to home. Among the gift options suggested here by local businesses are home accessories and furnishings, personal health and beauty indulgences as well as several one-of-a-kind handcrafted treasures by regional artists and craftsmen.

But the kitchens of the past have something in common with the kitchens of today. They were bustling centers of activity where children hauled in the firewood as their father built the daily fire. The mother planned and prepared meals and created lists for trips to the market.

Back then, a kitchen had to be well-proportioned and make maximum use of its space. Every square foot had a function. The modern kitchen is often just as functional and just as much the hub of family life; it’s just that the nature of those functions have evolved.

Today’s building and remodeling professionals gets one chance to build and design a kitchen, but he or she also has at their disposal the collective knowledge and experience of thousands of kitchen designers who came before.  

Builder Steve Rabalais of Rabalais Custom Homes is keenly aware of the hundreds of choices that can be added to a kitchen, but he knows he must be expedient with his kitchen designs. Practically speaking, too many frills in a kitchen can price his house out of the market. After all, the success of
his business is predicated on making a
 timely sale.

“I’m a home builder who’s building the total package,” Rabalais says. “We put everything in our kitchens that we think today’s customer wants.”

As a builder, Rabalais has to temper today’s customer wants with practicality and a fair price point. Color schemes should be neutral but allow for future customization.

“You want to stay with neutral colors,” Rabalais says. “It’s pretty much what people are looking for.”

Kitchen design also needs what Rabalais describes as the “wow” factor.

Rabalais believes the wow factor includes high ceilings, granite counters, exquisite cabinetry and state-of-the-art appliances. 

Another wow factor? A pot-filler faucet attracts Rabalais’ potential customers. Instead of having to bring the soup caldron to the sink for filling, or, worse, like the 19th century cook who had to fill a bucket of water at the well and haul it inside, Rabalais’ custom kitchens include a water spigot located conveniently at the cook top. Can I get a wow?

For interior designer Becky Walker of Baton Rouge’s The Design Studio, South Louisiana residents have unique standards.

A continued influence and very much a part of the wow factor for clients is Walker’s inclusion of design elements popularized by the noted late architect A. Hays Town.

In one kitchen featured within this article, Walker describes Town’s design influence as keenly felt. 

“Hays Town was our inspiration,” Walker says of the kitchen design. “We included the distressed beams, hardwood floors and brick and natural stone to marry into a sleek look that gives the kitchen a sophisticated feel.” 

And today’s client is knowledgeable, says Walker. “The consumer is so much more sophisticated as to what is out there these days.” 

When working for individual clients, cabinet maker Rodney Tassistro of RTE Cabinets & Millworks says homeowners already know what appeals to their individual tastes and their wow factor is clearly defined.

Within one of the featured kitchens,
Tassistro’s client’s desire was an old-
fashioned look. 

“The homeowner came to me with very specific pictures of what she wanted,”
Tassistro says. “She said, ‘Turn my kitchen into this.’” 

To give the customer what they want, builders and craftsmen have to be innovative. In essence, they infuse their personal wow factor into their work.

“My client was very specific about the cabinet knobs,” Tassistro recalls. “We decided on walnut, but we had to have them custom turned.”

Ensuring the wow factor means a cabinet maker needs the skill to produce a modern kitchen with new or pre-existing elements that aren’t necessarily standard. For example, Tassistro’s clients had an antique table that they wanted to use as an island. 

“The island was an old table piece,”
Tassistro says. “I modified it with some
drawers underneath and put a piece of quartz on top.”

The quartz top—a touch of innovation—
is the only hard-surface counter in Tassistro’s design.

“The rest of the tops and backsplashes are Spanish cedar,” Tassistro explains. “We put lots of coating on the cedar to give it a very nice sheen.”

The cabinet maker also fashioned the cabinetry to resemble individual pieces of furniture.

 “(At the base of the cabinets) We painted the foot plate black so it just disappears and gives the illusion that each cabinet is a piece of furniture.” Tassistro says.

Jaw dropping design does not come easily. It takes careful planning, imagination and a clear dialogue between client and builder or remodeling professional. But when outstanding design meets superior craftsmanship, there is only one word to describe it: Wow. 

Whether your holiday traditions include chestnuts roasting on an open fire, bright copper kettles, or singing carols, it’s the time for family and friends. This December, holiday decorating is brandishing new festive colors from bright magenta to lime green, and it’s not afraid to show off its Louisiana culture, bringing the most basic necessities to its Christmas table. This year, use your holiday trimmings to reflect your true self; the whimsical, the elegant, and above all, the joyous.

Using festive jesters to decorate the umbrella tree with pink, turquoise, and gold ornaments, interior designer Monique Breaux has a cheerful home for the holidays. With a little help from her employees at POSH Exclusive Interiors in Lafayette, Breaux has a unique decorating scheme for her family and friends to enjoy all season long.

“My husband and I love Christmas time and we have two amazing young boys,” Breaux says. “Being a designer, our home is always pristine and perfect, so Christmas time needs to be fun and whimsy to reflect children, so what better than a tree full of jesters to accomplish that feeling?”

The tree is, without a doubt, the focal point of the decorated living area in the Breaux home. The tree hangs from the ceiling, instead of standing on the floor. Known as an “umbrella tree,” it takes up less floor space than a standing tree, yet also displays ornaments better.

“The umbrella tree is actually very easy to decorate,” Breaux says. “Now my real secret, listen close, are some very special elves that do this for me. They are the POSH elves!”

The Christmas tree is chock full of ornaments, ranging from pink butterflies and glittery pinecones, to traditional spheres and blown glass shapes. There is also a variety of colorful faux plants, including mini gold berries and pink moss. And of course, the jesters provide a helping hand. There are two standing on the floor, appearing to help decorate the tree, and one on top, looking over the scene.

“The jesters have been with me for about ten years,” Breaux says. “I picked them up on one of my market trips. They were made in Paris, and have truly passed the test of time.”

Breaux’s love for the holiday season, combined with a busy work schedule, leaves her no time to waste when it comes to decorating.

“Because we offer our decorating service for Christmas time, I always have my home decorated first and it is done the day after Halloween,” she says. “Typically every week after, until the middle of December, we are booked with our clients. My oldest son is still not too keen on the idea of his home being completely decorated for Christmas the day after Halloween!”

Right next to the Christmas tree is a fully decorated fireplace mantle, complete with curled-toe stockings hanging from it. The mantle is covered in garland, illuminated with white lights, and ornaments reflecting those on the tree.

“The garland is key. You have to start with oversized garland, which we sell at POSH Exclusive Interiors,” Breaux says. “I have tried countless types and finally designed one that I can make do almost anything and last year after year. The garland has to hold a lot of ornaments in it, and the again, the more you can stuff into it the better.”

Breaux says her favorite part about decorating for the holidays is listening to Christmas music, which she starts doing November first each year. She has some advice for those who are looking to change up their holiday décor this year.
“Bend and break every rule; actually there are no rules,” says Breaux. “Have fun with your tree and let it express you and your family. The holidays are about creating your own traditions and magic.”

Photo by Melissa Oivanki

In Louisiana, it should be no surprise when we bring our culture into the holiday season, but the home of Aimee and Robby Walker is decked to the nines for a proper Cajun Christmas. Aimee, of Aimee Walker Interiors in Baton Rouge, used everyday elements such as shrimp boots and fishing nets to make the decorations for their outdoor kitchen look festive and authentic.

“Our home is Creole style,” Aimee says. “So doing a Cajun Christmas theme fit perfectly with the cypress cabinets and antique brick of our outdoor kitchen. I usually go more formal indoors, but I wanted something more fun and playful outside.”

Aimee utilized the outdoor area, which includes a bricked patio, a fireplace, and a table and chairs, for her Cajun Christmas décor. She decorated the fireplace mantle with fresh pine branches, a faux crab and crawfish, and red fish netting. She even hung white shrimp boots under the mantle, instead of stockings.

“The boots are as authentic as they come,” Aimee says. “My husband still has not forgiven me for putting holes in the tops when we hung them on the mantle!”

Aimee cut the mantle’s pine branches from her indoor Christmas tree. Before decorating the mantle, she soaked the branches in water for 24 hours, which helped them stay fresh-looking for the entire month.
Aimee purchased the netting at a party store, for a more festive appearance.

“The real nets didn’t show up on the garland, so I wanted something with a holiday color and ran across these.”
The faux crab and crawfish were also purchased from a party store and spray-painted a high-gloss red, with a touch of glitter so they sparkle in the light.

Just above the decorated mantle is a wreath, decorated with Louisiana favorites like a bag of Community Coffee and a bottle of Tabasco sauce. It also has moss, red netting, and an old fan blade with an alligator carved into it.

“I love using unexpected items for decorating, like the white boots instead of stockings, for example,” Aimee says. “I try to change the look from year to year because I get bored doing the same thing.”

For the outdoor table, Aimee covered a tablecloth with the same red fishing nets and topped it with candleholders filled with dried red beans, black eyed peas, and green peas.

“Christmas is my favorite time of year because the house is so festive looking and we always have wonderful food, family and friends over,” Aimee says. “Don’t be afraid to try something different. It doesn’t have to be red and green with candy canes to feel like Christmas.”

Photo by Melissa Oivanki

A large part of the holiday season is hosting family and friends. For homeowners Patricia and Todd Talbot, they had just moved into their home last year when they were chosen to host the family Christmas gathering. Interior decorator Aimee Walker was already working on the home, and added Christmas décor to her to-do list.

“The owner wanted simple, but elegant, since we were still working on the rest of the house,” Walker says.

For the indoors, Walker decorated the living room and dining areas with a tree, mantle décor and a centerpiece for the dining table, along with holiday touches throughout the open area.

Outdoors, Walker placed a few topiaries with lights, along with several large wreaths with red bows on the iron fence around the front and the side of the home.

For the fireplace mantle, Walker draped sheer red and gold scarves to create swags over greenery. They are fastened at each end with gold tassels. Between the ends, there are red and gold bows made from ribbon, which are also holding large gold ornaments. The center of the mantle displays a large gold fleur-de-lis ornament with a bundle of glittery cranberries, along with frosted gold berries. In front of the fireplace are two potted red poinsettias.
The dining table’s centerpiece is simple, yet festive. There is a red, glittery table runner in the center, with two reindeer made of twigs on top of it. Between the reindeer is a bowl with red ornaments that are covered in sequins and pearls. There are also bundles of holly and various ornaments placed throughout the scene.

“The challenge was to not have the home look like they had just moved in as they had just been there for one month,” Walker says.

In other parts of the living area, there are touches of red with potted poinsettias on the buffet and coffee tables. There is also a large red and gold pillow from Pier 1 Imports on the couch. And of course, there is a tree decorated with white lights and red ornaments.

“I like the simplicity,” Walker says. “It doesn’t overwhelm the spaces of this beautiful home, it enhances.”n