Built to Last
Creating a family home in Sunset that's never going out of style
LaVergne infused the home with timeless treasures, like this antique chandelier from Italy, which punctuates the home’s formal dining room.
One of the best compliments someone gave Paige LaVergne about her home came in the form of a question.
“A carpenter who came in to work on the house recently asked when we renovated,” laughs LaVergne, a designer and owner of Paige LaVergne Home.
Perched on a three-acre stretch of oak and cypress tree covered land in Sunset, the LaVergnes’ Southern neoclassical house evokes the mid-1800s. In reality, it’s circa 2020.
“My goal was to make it feel like it has always been here,” says LaVergne. “I would love for one of my kids to want to take over the home one day and raise their family in it, too.”
Designing a forever home is one thing, but LaVergne’s vision of constructing a livable family heirloom took the building’s plans to a whole new level. LaVergne chronicled the design and construction process on her blog (porchesandporcelain.com), where she admits to sketching out “hundreds of floor plans.”
(Left) The home’s exterior is painted Benjamin Moore’s China White and features double porches. (Right) A row of French doors overlook an outdoor living and dining space. LaVergne says the expansive backyard and pond sold them on the property the first time they saw it.
In the end, she brought in as many features of historic Southern architecture as possible: double porches, rounded columns, painted brick and transom-topped windows. Other inspiration came in the form of the home’s natural surroundings. From the lush, rural South Louisiana landscape and unobstructed skyline, LaVergne pulled greens and blues that appear in both the interior and exterior of the home.
When choosing the finishes, LaVergne leaned into natural materials to accentuate the home’s timelessness. Pine floors, unlacquered brass hardware and antique furniture were chosen for their ability to look better with age.
“I love the feel of a lived-in home and these materials will wear over time and add so much character,” she says.
(Left) LaVergne says she wanted the interior colors to reflect the home’s exterior. The powder blue of her office chairs is a nod to her traditional haint blue porch ceilings.
LaVergne and her husband are avid cooks, and a high functioning kitchen ranked high on their list of must haves. She says the investment is already paying off, as their 3-year-old has inherited their culinary passion and can often be found stationed at the Calacatta gold, marble island assisting with meal prep.
“That’s the showstopper for me in our kitchen,” says LaVergne, who chose to run the same marble from the counters up the wall on her backsplash. “There’s golds and rusts and whites — it’s amazing that it came from the earth.”
The open kitchen, bar and living room flow seamlessly and showcase dentil molding for a more formal feel throughout. A transom between the living room and kitchen provides an architectural sense of separation between the rooms from above.
LaVergne incorporated even more glamour to their formal dining room. The focal point is a large-scale, paper mural of a swamp scene, complete with herons, spoonbills and an alligator. She also sourced an antique Italian chandelier, which hovers above a table handed down from her husband’s parents. The stage is set for future memories of holidays and family celebrations.
For now, while her children are still in high chairs and booster seats, she’s enjoying the comforts of her home in this particular season. “I really wanted a family home,” says LaVergne. That’s been her guiding light from day one.
