Life Under the Oak

In 2012, Mike and Johnnie Bond were facing a problem common to growing families: how to best enlarge their home. They needed additional space for a baby on the way and for visiting relatives, and they wanted a floor plan that was both attractive and functional.

The answer didn’t lie solely in increasing the size of the home, said the Bonds, whose residence sits on a five-acre lot on Highland Road. Instead, it was found in a strategy that broke barriers between the interior and exterior. Contemporary architect David Baird created the new design, which plays off the property’s mature trees, established landscaping, pond, and other natural elements. Nicknamed the “House Under the Oak,” the Bond residence redesign was featured earlier this year in the national design magazine, Dwell.

“The original house was on this beautiful lot, but it really did not give the family a chance to connect with the natural landscape,” said Baird, founder of the Baton Rouge-based design and construction firm, +one design and construction, and director of the School of Architecture at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. “They wanted a relationship with the outdoors.”

The existing house was built in the 1980s and featured three bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms. It has been transformed into a five bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath home steeped in contemporary design elements. While the original house had some interesting modern features, the individual rooms felt separated from one another and the house didn’t flow smoothly, said Mike, a Baton Rouge endodontist. Moreover, added his wife Johnnie, it didn’t connect to the surrounding landscape. “The kitchen had one small window and a door that looked out onto the backyard,” she said. “We wanted to open it up and see outside.”

Rather than raze the existing structure, Baird recommended integrating a new design into the existing home. The plan called for opening walls, adding two new bedroom wings, and redesigning the stairwell to a switchback with overhead skylights that invite streams of natural light. A new master bedroom suite holds what the Bonds say is one of their favorite features in the house, an outdoor shower. And the design element that gives the house its nickname stems from a new guest-bedroom suite tightly situated under the expansive limbs of a live oak tree.

Highland Road is an historic east-west drive replete with stately traditional architecture. Columned houses are commonplace along the corridor, considered one of Baton Rouge’s most attractive and expensive places to live. But while the Bonds loved their home’s location and its proximity to their offices, the couple’s architectural interests varied sharply from the majority of their neighbors’.  This professional duo loves contemporary design. “I’ve always just really liked the look of it, especially the clean lines,” said Mike, who had a career in engineering prior to dentistry. “There’s not a lot of clutter.”

On the approach, the house is warm and friendly, with new floor-to-ceiling windows that welcome natural light inside while also creating a soft exterior glow at nighttime. The sheer size of the lot and the placement of the home enabled the family to keep the glass windows free of draperies or blinds. It’s the way they like it, said Mike. The exterior of the house is now trimmed in stucco and Ipe wood, or Brazilian walnut, a highly durable wood that is popular in contemporary construction. 

Modern architecture has come a long way in the capital region, with major public buildings such as the Shaw Center for the Arts and the new Magnolia Mound Visitors Center outfitted in channel glass and steel. And a smattering of contemporary homes has emerged in neighborhoods as more homeowners expand their options for living. Still, a prevailing perception is that new and funky isn’t user-friendly. Johnnie Bond is quick to say otherwise. “I think that ‘modern’ is misconceived as being sterile, but it’s really about functionality,” said Johnnie, a pediatric dentist. “There are plenty of places to put things, and we tend to not have stuff we don’t need. Also, we use every room in the house. Nothing is wasted.”

In Baird, the Bonds found an architect who was instrumental in expanding the presence of contemporary design in the capital region. Baird originally moved to Baton Rouge in 1995 after joining the faculty of the LSU School of Architecture. While in Louisiana, he cofounded +one design with partner Fritz Embaugh and later opened offices in Dallas and Las Vegas. Baird left LSU in 2009 to become the director of the UNLV School of Architecture. 

Baird has long championed contemporary design as a tool for creating optimum living conditions in any location. He designed a notable personal residence on a narrow, neglected lot on Christian Street, in Baton Rouge, in close proximity to the interstate. Baird created a linear structure that fit on the odd-shaped lot and built the walls of concrete. He added carefully placed windows of varying sizes. The stark exterior is softened by a blanket of ivy vines. The design was initially met with head-scratching by some neighborhood residents, but it quickly became a showpiece on the street.

In the case of the Bond residence, Baird used contemporary design principles to create elegant solutions. Two new bedroom wings stretch out from the original structure, giving the family fresh new space. The master bedroom looks out onto the pond located at the back of the property. The master bathroom, whose space was part of the original home, has been updated with modern features. It flows into a private and serene outdoor shower courtyard. “It’s probably our favorite feature of the house,” said Johnnie. “Most months out of the year we all take a shower outside. There’s just something about it that’s really natural and pleasant.”

Outdoor showers have grown in popularity, said Baird. These, of course, aren’t the exterior showers common to beach condos. They are private outdoor nooks composed of the same elements as traditional showers: hot water, a drainage system, and niches for towels and toiletries. Fans of outdoor showers swear by their ability to help establish a daily connection with nature. And maintenance is minimal; there is neither glass nor tile to keep clean.

Balancing the master bedroom addition is the guest suite, which sits under the outstretched limbs of a live oak. Baird wanted to place this wing as close to the tree as possible but recognized the risk of building atop its delicate root system. He used coil piling to snake the foundation’s footings underground as close to the tree as possible without causing damage. The generous windows in the room let in plenty of natural light and give a full view of the tree.

Johnnie Bond said that the kitchen renovation has also been tremendously satisfying. Baird called for reconfiguring the kitchen to create better flow to the outdoor grilling station, covered patio area, and fire pit.

“The whole back of the kitchen is now glass, and you can really see outside,” Johnnie said. “Except for a few months out of the year, we’re opening the back doors, and I’m cooking and Mike’s barbecuing. We’re drinking wine, and the kids are outside. It’s great.”