La Belle Maison | The Richardson Family
Into the Woods
-Liesel Schmidt
With its white painted brick and flush mortar façade, the home that Tyler and Shelley Richardson own along the wetlands of Mandeville is something of a nod to French country construction, a modern take on classic design that stands proudly amid immaculately manicured landscaping. Set back from the road, the long drive ends in a circular approach to the home punctuated with a fountain that perfectly completes the picture and adds to its elegance.
Behind the French doors at the entryway, a large, light-filled living space invites a cozy stay by the massive sac-washed fireplace that holds pride of place in the space, flanked on either side by floating shelves and cabinets that offer minimalist storage and display space. Overhead, a catwalk extends the length of the space and leads from one side of the home to the other. Its natural and painted wood accents echo the natural wood look of the tile floor below and the overall whiteness of the home’s aesthetic, broken only by minimal use of neutrals and details like the pecky Cypress wood mantle in the living room.
It is something of a blank canvas for the finishes that make the otherwise muted spaces notable: the taxidermy heads that overlook the capacious billiard room, all bagged by the homeowners on various hunting trips across the country; the artwork by local Louisiana artists; the barn door enclosures of spaces off the main rooms; the elegant light fixtures throughout the home. Even in its lack of color, the home is still inviting—and that was precisely what the Richardsons hoped to achieve in the spaces, a sense of welcome that was still stylish and not overly done. “Everything was inspired by or decorated by Lesle Veca Designs and V Home & Interiors,” says Shelley, who works as a Senior Financial Advisor for Merrill Lynch, while Tyler owns Tour Big Easy and Zip NOLA, the world’s first fully aquatic zipline located in Laplace. “I wanted our house to be easy on the eyes and comfortable.”
