Bayou Home | Delta Hunting Lodge

article by Starla Gatson
photography by Angela Shoemaker

“Luxurious” isn’t a word one typically uses to describe a hunting lodge. However, when interior designer Shawn Brazzell was called upon to help create the hunting lodge of her client’s dreams, she found that luxury was a key piece of the puzzle. Her clients are lifelong hunters and avid outdoorsmen who had very specific visions for this property.

“He has dreamed of this place from the ripe age of 12,” she says before adding, “He and his wife grew up hunting and have a true passion for it. From the dressing area, gun safe room, bunk room, and all of the areas in between, we talked about every detail.”

First, the team renovated a structure that already existed on the property. Those renovations were extensive, Brazzell recalls, and once they were completed, that building became the owners’ private space. 

“The scope of work for that structure included raising ceilings, a complete kitchen facelift, adding reclaimed wood to the walls and some ceilings, re-stoning the fireplace, gutting all three bathrooms, and adding custom tile showers,” she says.

The renovation process also included installing knotty alder cabinets and iced blue dunes granite countertops throughout, updating lighting and plumbing fixtures, and adding new doors and hardware. No surface was left untouched, Brazzell says. 

When renovations on the existing structure were well underway, construction on a completely new building began. This new space would be for the owners’ guests to stay and enjoy. Brazzell says she received a rough layout of the building, and, after some refining on her part and many conversations with the property owners and the builder, the work to bring the rest of this dream project to life began.

This new lodge would include a gourmet kitchen, large stone fireplaces indoors and out, an outdoor kitchen overlooking the pond, a dressing area right off the garage entry, a gun safe room, a bunk room, and a double queen room. It was also equipped with knotty alder cabinets and iced blue granite countertops to match its newly renovated sister space. 

Standout features of the new lodge, Brazzell says, are the shower niches adorned in colorful handmade accent tiles, blue textured ones in one bathroom, and unique green ones in the other. The green niche is Brazzell’s favorite, she says, noting that they laid the tiles to resemble an alligator’s back.

“It’s a nod to the 8-foot alligator that lays claim to the bayou that runs parallel to the property,” she explains. 

Despite one structure having received a major facelift and another being built from the ground up, the owners’ dream project was still incomplete. Each building’s interior still needed designing. Brazzell’s goals were to give each space a warm and inviting feel, highlight the beautiful outdoor scenery that surrounds them, and show off the clients’ extensive taxidermy and sports memorabilia collections.

“I began selecting furniture and decor very early on in the project, most of which was custom made,” she shares. Her selections, intentionally chosen to help her accomplish her styling goals, included a custom poker table and live edge wood bartop for the bourbon bar — Kyle Snellenburger of OAWoods carefully crafted these — and a pool table custom felted in the same shade of purple worn by the beloved Louisiana State University Tigers. Items like these bring a fun energy to the space, while her other choices, like whitetail deer antler chandeliers, stick with the outdoor theme and add a touch of grandeur to the space. Accent pieces, like elm mirrors and swivel chairs sourced from Sherri Mowad at In-House Interiors are also worth mentioning.

Comfort was also a priority during Brazzell’s styling process. The leather and crocodile swivel and reclining chairs, the double chaise King Hickory sofa, and the leather and hide ottoman custom-ordered from Burns and Newell Furniture are proof. Each is a perfect spot for settling in and watching a movie or football game on one of the big-screen televisions mounted in the lodge. 

Thanks to Brazzell’s design savvy, skilled builders’ expertise, and the property owners’ detailed vision, both structures look impressive year-round. However, Brazzell says they’re especially aesthetically pleasing during this winter holiday season. She was nearly finished styling the lodge when she was called upon to decorate it for Christmas. It was a request she was happy to honor, noting, “I was thrilled!”

Brazzell decided to lean into the elegant yet outdoorsman-approved atmosphere she and her client were creating. This meant using standard Christmas decor elements — a 12-foot tree with oversized ornaments, bells, and a star on top — but also incorporating taxidermy and natural elements like pine cones and woven sisal balls into the tree. 

“If you look closely, you will see ducks flying onto the tree and deer antlers tucked into the branches,” she shares.

Of course, the tree isn’t the only place in the hunting lodge you’ll see Christmas cheer. Brazzell notes that there are touches of holiday joy in almost every room, including the bunk room. This, the Louisiana-based interior designer states, is one of her favorite spaces in the building.

“Our builder, Heath Hodges of Mississippi, did an amazing job on the custom-built white oak bunk beds [that have] center stairs and motion lights to light the way as you make your way down from the top,” she says. “Each bunk has its own light and a nice tucked-away feel for privacy. I added a large swag of greenery flanking the stairs with rustic bells and a touch of chocolate brown velvet ribbon to continue the holiday decor.”

Move into the dining area, and you’ll spot an iron and antler chandelier from Ruston-based Harp Design hanging above a 10-foot hickory Amish dining table. The table is crowned with a center tablescape of deer and greenery. The deer wear brown velvet ribbons around their necks, Brazzell says, quipping, “No bows here! They wear ties at this table.”

Leather placemats mark each setting, complementing both the holiday centerpiece and the blue, cream, and brown stoneware dishes Brazzell selected. The Louisiana Christmas theme extends into the kitchen and the sitting area, including antlers and greenery draped along the fireplace mantel. 

Each of Brazzell’s holiday design choices was intentional. She says, “It was important to me that we used more natural elements embracing the feel of the surrounding property. The setting is so serene, and I wanted the decor to echo that.”

Creating and renovating these lodges were called Delta’s Dream project, which seems extra appropriate given that these structures are the owner’s dream hunting lodges brought to life. Where they sit on such a beautiful plot of land is icing on the cake, as the bayou and its serenity only add to their dreaminess and make each of them a true sportsman’s paradise.