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Tour a Baton Rouge couple’s Southern vacation home

Photos courtesy of Melissa Oivanki

City meets country

A bit of the city on a hilltop … that’s what Carolyn and Mike Culotta were looking for with their 5,000-square-foot Acadian-style farmhouse. They ended up with an airy and open design, with enough space to enjoy company and entertain confidently.

Kathy Simoneaux and Adele Merchant of Acadian House Kitchen and Bath Studio were the designers for the Magnolia, Mississippi, vacation home. Simoneaux had worked with the Culottas before and had an idea of what was important to the couple: sufficient appliances, including two dishwashers and a built-in microwave, pantry space and lots of white cabinets. The dramatic white kitchen reflects Carolyn’s interest in staying classic. Her Baton Rouge home, by contrast, has dark cherry kitchen cabinets.

Even though the kitchen contains plentiful storage and cooking space, it’s also welcoming—a large, angular island offers seating but still leaves enough room for foot traffic around it. In the family room, an unusual bi-level bar features comfortable leather seating, as well.

The bathroom suite features two completely separate bathing areas. Carolyn and Mike each have their own bathing and dressing rooms and lavatory, and they share a walk-in closet.

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Kitchen island. The island pulls double-duty as social center and work center, as it houses a dishwasher and a built-in microwave. Having extra seating is helpful because guests tend to gravitate toward the kitchen. The zebra-print barstools were sourced through Cati Hardy at By Design Interiors.

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Bi-level bar. The couple didn’t want another traditional bar. They chose comfortable rolling chairs through Cati Hardy at By Design Interiors instead of barstools, and Acadian House custom-made the bar to accommodate the low seating. It has quartz countertops.

Triple armoire. Carolyn envisioned a large armoire for storage behind the bar. She found exactly the one she wanted—with perfect dimensions and color—at Crown and Colony Antiques in Fairhope, Alabama.

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Wooden walls. The house is almost entirely wooden construction—walls, ceilings and floors. The couple opted for wooden boards, run horizontally, instead of sheetrock to avoid dust and mess during construction. The result is a distinctive look that works well with the farmhouse style.

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Dresser mirror. In Carolyn’s dressing area, an oversized decorative mirror that she found while antiquing is the centerpiece of the dressing table. It’s a reproduction of an antique but was an excellent purchase at Inessa Stewart’s.

—FAITH DAWSON