Estate Planning: Nell and Robert Seegers Blend Past and Present for A Contemporary Take on the Future

ARTICLE BY: MARE BRENNAN
PHOTOGRAPHY BY: KELLY MOORE CLARK
ARCHITECTURE: KELLY KERR, BATON ROUGE, LA
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE: RHYMES OLIVER
INTERIOR DESIGN: SANDY MCMILLAN, ASID, INTELLIGENT DESIGNS AND JESSICA BYRAM, INTELLIGENT DESIGNS
CONTRACTOR: BING BISHOP, BING BISHOP CONSTRUCTION CO.

What the future holds is never certain, but Nell and Robert Seegers have gazed into their crystal ball and divined a plan that takes them securely into the next phases of their lives. When Robert retired from his gastroenterology practice, the couple went with their instincts to pare back their footprint and maintenance obligations here in Monroe to allow for their favorite pastimes: travel and visits to their beloved children and grandchildren.

Says Nell of the move, “We loved our previous home on Island Drive, but in talking with the late Bing Bishop, this neighborhood, which he developed with Mike Husted, was perfect for our needs.” The neighborhood, Pargoud Place, is a jewel filled with stately homes and collegial neighbors and is located at the intersection of Pargoud Boulevard and Loop Road.

The Seegers’ previous home on Island Drive, a distinctive Georgian-style traditional, was designed in 1992 by Kelly Kerr of Baton Rouge after the original architect, Martha Solomon, went on maternity leave. “We again called upon Kelly Kerr to design a house that would compliment the neighborhood and its existing homes, as well as fit on a small lot,” adds Nell.

Architect Kelly Kerr notes, “The best houses I have designed have relied heavily on building a trusting relationship with the owners. Having owners heavily invested in the design process, asking questions, providing answers, and challenging norms most often leads to a design that lives best for the owner and satisfies all their needs.”

The needs and wants for the Seegers were simply stated. Ease in transitioning through phases of life, like the ability to have parents live comfortably with them if needed and to be able to age gracefully themselves was paramount to the couple. Incorporating their existing art and key pieces of their antique collection and striking a balance with more contemporary style was the icing on the cake. Maintenance of the gardens had to be kept to a minimum. Oh, and light! There had to be more light!

Kerr explains, “As a rule, I normally design features into my homes that allow for my clients to remain in their homes for as long as possible. That includes minimal or no thresholds at main points of entry, doors wide enough for wheelchairs or walkers into all rooms, showers with no curbs to allow rolling into them, blocking in walls for grab bars if or when they become necessary, door and cabinet hardware that allow for reduced range of hand strength and motion, heights of vanities for less bending, seating at kitchen islands for comfortable food preparation, etc. All of these were designed into the Seegers’ home to allow them to stay in this home as they are able to do so.”

Builder Bing Bishop assisted with incorporating these ideas throughout the home to make it easier to grow old in, including wider doorways, entrance steps only at the front door, extra wide bathroom doors, two bedrooms and full baths downstairs and guest rooms are on the second floor. With aging parents and caregivers in mind, the builder put blocking within the walls of all baths for future handrail installation, if needed. Nell elaborates that before drywall went in, photographs were taken to show where the blocking exists within the wall. An ingenious central vacuuming system throughout the home, called Hide•A•Hose, puts ease of clean up at the fingertips with retractable hoses hidden within the wall. With a nod to Louisiana’s brutal heat and high humidity, exteriors are fabricated with durable HardieBoard planks, which never rot, and metal clad exterior doors and windows for protection from the elements.

Kerr points to key ways to maximize light when building, “Especially when you are downsizing or building on a constricted site, the use of natural light and windows becomes more important. If you are lucky enough to have a view or you can create a view such as a courtyard or terrace, opening up the interior to that view can make a smaller home feel much larger. Glazed doors to the exterior can also make the home live much larger by giving access to outdoor living areas, as well as bringing in daylight. Taller windows and doors, or windows and doors with transoms, can give the impression of higher ceilings in homes of all scales. In the Seegers’ house we used framed views to the porches and courtyards as well as taking advantage of windows into the more constricted side yard to bring in natural light and make the house feel and live larger.”

In order to create a cohesive space that reflects the couple’s evolving style, Nell and Robert called on interior designer, Sandy McMillan and her team at Intelligent Designs to help provide direction and guidance, making the best use of what to bring from the Island Drive house. The late Sandra John was the couple’s interior decorator on Island Drive. McMillan’s experience in space planning helped the couple decide what to use, what would fit and where to utilize existing pieces of furniture. Nell remarks, “I can only imagine how difficult it is to take another designer’s work and incorporate it into a new space.”

McMillan was able to “shop” from the Seegers’ collection before they conducted a moving sale. She then masterfully used new fabrics, furniture and accessories to successfully blend key pieces of the Seegers’ most treasured traditional antiques with new contemporary furnishings, updating the whole with a fresh, timeless quality.

“The Seegers have a beautiful collection of antiques and art. We balanced those more traditional pieces with neutral upholstery, tailored accent fabrics, and several neutral colored rugs to provide a transitional look. The Seegers’ home is a beautiful pairing of pieces they have collected over the years with the addition of new furnishings that provide a light overall feel in the space,” remarks McMillan of the project. For example in the dining room, the metallic detail on the hand-crafted wall covering provides just enough sheen to allow a warm light reflection from the antique chandelier which had been Robert’s 40th birthday present to Nell.

Throughout the home, the neutral palette highlights the architectural details that make the house feel open, not heavy.

The foyer sets the tone with a vintage Fortuny pendant the Seegers sourced from Villa Vici in New Orleans. An antique English chest mixes well with a contemporary, layered abstract by Kathy Vellard.

In the kitchen, McMillan chose a linear quartzite countertop, paired with a luminous glass tile backsplash. Contemporary acrylic counterstools add function without heaviness. Light fixtures in the kitchen and bathrooms illuminate with a more modern, streamlined sensibility. The liberal use of LED lighting throughout provides ample brightness with cost efficiency and huge energy savings. Thoughtful touches like undercounter, multi-bin receptacles make recycling easy.

For the open floor plan den and living spaces, McMillan selected a neutral geometric Stark rug in the den to compliment the beautiful antique wool rug in the living room. An abstract painting by Frank Kelley Jr. is the perfect counterpoint to the flood of light that filled the space from banks of windows that look onto the courtyard. McMillan chose fabrics for pillows that would pull colors from paintings, adding color and texture to otherwise neutral sofas and seating areas.

With a well-curated collection of regional artists that reads like a virtual Who’s Who, the creamy-neutral walls of the Seegers’ home sing with vibrant pops color. “We brought many works of art from the old house and with a friend’s suggestion, we used art installer John Pecorino of New Orleans to place and hang each piece optimally,” adds Nell. Of note is a gallery wall effect created by Pecorino that ascends the well-lit staircase to the second floor. Here, Pecorino grouped paintings with more oranges, says Nell, noting that he grouped art throughout the home by several methods, whether it was subject matter, or color or even media with like media.

“We wanted to achieve a smaller yard with less maintenance through materials and plant selection,” says Nell of her garden. Rhymes Oliver, landscape architect, designed the hardscape and plantings with that in mind. “I love the patio,” adds Robert. “We have never had a more comfortable space.”

Planning for the future has never looked so good.