
A rejuvenated Ellerbe Road home meshes Old World design with bright pops of Louisiana.
Randy
Williamson and Betty Ross of Designer’s Showroom in Shreveport worked
together on the home. Williamson also did the interior design when the
previous owners had the home built in the mid-’90s. Williamson said the
homeowners wanted the space to be elegant and comfortable because they
have a large family and like to entertain.
“We are working from Italy,
France, Belgium and Germany,” he said. “Those are the countries [the
home’s] pieces were inspired from.”


The
home itself was influenced by the designs of Louisiana architect Hays
Town, whose work was shaped by the Spanish, French and Creole history of
the state. The home’s courtyards and fountains reflect the Spanish
tradition, while raised exterior stairs and French doors embody the
Creole influence of New Orleans.
A
gate outside the front of the home is nestled in a brick arch green
with ivy. A bricked walkway leads into a courtyard and continues up a
set of steps to double wooden doors that open to a foyer.
The
dining room is located off of the foyer. The room’s main attraction is
the 15-and-a-half-foot-long dining table. The tabletop was constructed
from floorboards salvaged from a building in Chicago that was torn down.
Four pedestals formulate the base of the table. A pair of upholstered
settees from Century Furniture and side ladder-backs offers seating. The
host chairs are Belgian and upholstered in an original tapestry. A
250-year-old Grand Vaisselier features a clock in the center and plate
storage. The head of the fallow deer trophy mount above the doorway was
cast out of bronze, and the antlers were attached to it. “This was
actually an award-winning trophy mount,” Williamson said. “It won awards
in Europe – this was one of the largest fallows found outside of
Germany.”
Eight-foot-tall
Italian lamps with hand-carved cherubs command the great room. A
European chandelier hangs in the room. A 150-year-old royal trophy
mounts hang above a set of French doors. They are from a hunt castle
that was shared by Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and Austrian emperor
Franz Joseph I. A wet bar is located behind the seating area.
Williamson
and Ross won the designer’s lottery when they found the cabinet to the
left of the fireplace. It hides a niche in the brick wall that
previously housed a television. “It held a square TV from the ’90s,”
Williamson said. “We actually found a cabinet that fit within a couple
of inches to put in front of it, and you’d never know the hole was
there.”
A
remarkable bed fills much of the spare bedroom off of the foyer. The
pair of twins, with built in teesters and a canopy, came from Habersham
Home. Williamson and Ross hung a 100-year-old French crystal chandelier through the teesters of the beds.
Another
bedroom serves as a double service room. It has an 18th century French
daybed with monograms on the ends. The room is a nursery as well as an
additional sleeping area.
Designer’s
Showroom and Vintage Construction worked together to install a new
ceiling in the master bedroom. It is made of reclaimed barn wood and
false pine beams were created to support its weight. The 9-1/2-foot-tall
poster bed is from Habersham. Designer’s Showroom did the monogram
embroidery on each hanging panel. The silk canopy has a gold leaf
medallion in the center of the sunburst. A reproduction of an antique
fountain stands in a corner. The room’s original fireplace had a mantel
board, which Ross said dated the home. They replaced it with a French
mantel that just fit the space. “The cabinet to the left (of the
fireplace) was pretty much the same situation. It fit like a glove,”
Ross said.
The
dressing room off the master bedroom was an addition to the home. A
generous Habersham dressing table sits beneath an antique French mirror
flanked by dramatic crystal sconces. Originally dining room pieces, a
pair of buffet deux corps was placed on either side of the dressing
table. They display collectibles and family photos. Additional seating
can be found on the confidante in the center of this room.
The
sink and cabinet in the master bathroom were replaced with an antique
buffet from France. Granite countertops and a pair of sinks were added. A
built-in fireplace faces the bathtub, and a small seating area with a
chair and a half beckons cozily.
Gleaming
cabinets and stainless steel appliances fill the kitchen.
Louisiana-themed artwork from The Red River Revel adorns the wall above
the bricked alcove that houses the cook top. A hand-painted faux clock
was found at the flea market in Paris, France. A pair of century
barstools provides a place to sit at the large kitchen island.







Another
piece of artwork purchased at the Revel is hung in the outdoor kitchen.
The large crab is painted on a door and overlooks a swimming pool. Two
gothic tables with zinc tops are bumped together beneath the painting.
Church-inspired arches comprise the tables’ legs.
“We
wanted to do a fun theme (in the exterior pool bath) – we did coral and
water,” Williamson said. The walls pop happily with ocean-theme
wallpaper. A dining room piece was repurposed into bathroom sink
cabinetry with a granite counter top. The seating area has a pair of
chairs, while Italian hand-carved sconces and Mediterranean prints are
mounted on the wall. The walls of the toilet closet mimic ocean waves. A
thin antique vaisselier from southern Belgium is home to framed aquatic
prints.
In
the pool house, a painting of two cranes on a screen hangs above a Dutch
cabinet that belonged to Williamson’s mother. Cool colors and
light-colored furniture were chosen for this bright space. A grand
chandelier – 5 feet in diameter and 5 feet tall – hangs from the vaulted
ceiling. Another bathroom has unusual wallpaper from England emblazoned
with colorful fish.
“It
was a phenomenal project to work on and just really able to be
creative,” Williamson said. “It was a labor of love and one of my
favorite projects we’ve ever worked on.”