I’m currently in New Orleans for residential architect‘s Reinvention conference. Spent most of the day on the annual Reinvention house tour, where one of my favorite projects was a house by Bild Design for New Orleans-based artist Jim Richard. Located in the Gentilly neighborhood, where Richard had lived and worked for many years before Hurricane Katrina, the 2.5-year-old house is a perfect example of a home completely tailored to the needs of its occupant.
The owner spends most of his time in his studio, so Bild principal Byron Mouton opted to place the studio and kitchen upstairs, where they receive lots of natural light (but not so much that it would damage Richard’s work or interfere with his process.) A small bedroom, living area, and garage make up the ground level. An eloquent and enthusiastic Richard told us, “Living there is twice as uplifting as I imagined it would be.” He said that even after more than two years, he still thinks “wow” when he goes up the stairs to the second floor.
Check out Richard’s work at www.jimrichardart.com, and see a few exterior photos of the house on Bild’s website: http://www.bildit.com/index2.php. We’ll be posting video of the house tour soon at www.residentialarchitect.com.
