My Houzz: Dive Into a Cajun Country Home With an Indoor Pool
Drenched in sunshine from a massive glass atrium roof, this newly redesigned Louisiana home works swimmingly
Contributing home tour photographer and writer for Houzz. I am currently practicing architecture in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Contributing home tour photographer and writer for Houzz. I am currently... More »
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Spencer Hoyt was stoked to snag a John Hackney–designed house in Lafayette, Louisiana. Hackney, a protégé of Bauhaus cofounder Walter Gropius, had created a hip layout that surrounded a glass-encased indoor pool with a retractable roof that sent sunlight into nearly every room. Just one problem (OK, make that a few problems). The 1980s-built house was in bad shape. The roof leaked, the exterior was dilapidated, the landscaped was neglected, and the natural light was being muted by too-bold colors inside.
Hoyt, the owner of Comit Developers, an Internet marketing and site-development company he started in 2004, grabbed Mindy Gromer from MG Designs to help jazz up the design to celebrate the abundant light and cool architecture. And since all the glass surrounding water was creating a greenhouse effect, the pair resolved to make the house more energy efficient by painting the roof white, swapping in double insulated glass for all the sliding doors and windows, updating the HVAC system and adding a solar system to heat water in the home — yes, including the swimming pool, year-round.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Spencer Hoyt
Location: Lafayette, Louisiana
Size: 3,500 square feet; 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, indoor pool and atrium
Hoyt, the owner of Comit Developers, an Internet marketing and site-development company he started in 2004, grabbed Mindy Gromer from MG Designs to help jazz up the design to celebrate the abundant light and cool architecture. And since all the glass surrounding water was creating a greenhouse effect, the pair resolved to make the house more energy efficient by painting the roof white, swapping in double insulated glass for all the sliding doors and windows, updating the HVAC system and adding a solar system to heat water in the home — yes, including the swimming pool, year-round.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Spencer Hoyt
Location: Lafayette, Louisiana
Size: 3,500 square feet; 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, indoor pool and atrium
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by Adam Breaux
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| Sunshine floods the double-height living room on the ground floor via two small, square skylights. Overwhelmingly bold colors originally adorned the walls, distracting from the bright ambience, so Gromer painted them stark white to let catchy mod furnishings and kicks of color come to the forefront. Hoyt's coworkers designed the tall wall art piece. The painted lumber pieces are by Lafayette artist Brooke Indest-Wilke. The glass head was picked up at Pier 1 and then filled with green Styrofoam balls. White swivel chairs: Z Gallerie; glass accent table: Grandlin Road; floor lamp: Big Dipper Arc Lamp, CB2; rug: custom by Neil Flooring |
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by Adam Breaux
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| The house is organized around the atrium and pool, where sunlight pours down from an expansive glass retractable roof. Large windows allow nearly every room in the house to benefit from the natural light. |
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by Adam Breaux
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| This second-floor dining room overlooks the pool atrium on one side and the living room on the other. Hoyt bought the painting from a local art vendor. He inherited the pendant light chandelier from the previous owner; it's made from three slightly modified Ikea floor lamps. Dining table: CB2; rug: Flor |
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With a glass roof and year-round heated pool, the atrium often takes on a greenhouse-type atmosphere.
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| So it's a good thing Hoyt can manually open the skylight roof by pulling on this chain system from the ground to air the space out. |
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| A sliding glass door connects the living room to the pool area, which is literally steps away. |
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| This long, linear corridor next to the pool leads from the front door to a guest bedroom and bathroom beyond the pool. Hoyt had all the sliding doors and windows replaced with double insulated glass. The floors are original to the house and are thought to be Mexican terra-cotta tile. The stainless steel fish cutout was designed by graphic designers with whom Hoyt works. |
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by Adam Breaux
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| The corridor runs past a solid wooden door leading to the room where Hoyt spends most of his time at home. Surprisingly, it's the darkest room in the house and one of only two rooms that aren't directly adjacent to the atrium. The only natural light penetrating this room comes from the doors leading to the back porch. |
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| The long, linear corridor along the atrium is repeated on the second floor, leading from the stairs past the dining room and then the kitchen, ending at the master bedroom and bathroom. The kitchen remains open enough along the glass-lined corridor to be illuminated by the skylight. |
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by Adam Breaux
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| The pattern-filled master bedroom, which overlooks the pool, reflects the homeowner's interest in graphic design. Wallpaper: Entre Nous; chairs: Cost Plus World Market |
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by Adam Breaux
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| The exterior was in desperate condition when Hoyt bought the home; renovations such as the white stucco piece around the entry gave it a much-needed facelift. |
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| Winter is an opportunity to invite friends over for beers around the backyard fire pit. The balcony on the second floor gives an unobstructed view to an undeveloped, open area of land that's soon to become the largest park in the city. |
Ideabook published on Feb. 20, 2013.
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