Bayou Home | Modern Revival

ARTICLE BY APRIL DOUGHTY | PHOTOGRAPHY BY KELLY MOORE CLARK

When BJay and Melissa Durrett bought their home in Creek’s Edge in Ruston, they never intended for it to become their forever home. But, after a three-year remodel, they’ve come to truly love their home.

When BJay and Melissa Durrett bought their home in Creek’s Edge in Ruston, they never intended for it to become their forever home. They purchased the home nine years ago expecting their stay to be temporary. At the time, they had planned to purchase land and build. They had even connected with local Architect Cassidy Keim of Catalyst Design to create plans for a site-built dream home, but despite their best efforts, they couldn’t find a location that felt right. They actually bought and sold two lots and continued to look at other homes for sale. 

During this time, they also started remodeling their current home in Creek’s Edge. The couple were no strangers to real estate investing and understood the added value a remodel could have. Plus, there were things about the home they knew they could improve to make their temporary stay more comfortable. They had worked with Julie Mays of Julie Mays Interiors previously while designing the interior of Durrett Law & Title in Ruston, so they welcomed her expertise once again as they began making changes to update their home in Creek’s Edge. The home had originally been built in a very French Acadian style that was high end and appropriate for its time, but not consistent with the Durretts’ style. Melissa said Mays really helped the process feel less overwhelming, and she helped them approach the updates in a step-by-step, systematic way.

Along the way, the Durretts’ initial plans to sell their home changed. After four years there, their search for what they had hoped would be their forever home had not been fruitful. Melissa and BJay came back one day from looking at a house, and their three boys confronted them. As a united front, they outnumbered their parents and made a passionate and emotional case for staying in their Creek’s Edge home. They loved it there and had friends in the neighborhood. They basically told their parents that they weren’t moving and that Melissa and BJay needed to figure out how to make things work so they could stay. “They revolted,” Melissa said with a laugh.

Shortly after the “revolt” staged by their boys, the Durretts began making a plan to turn their temporary home into their forever home. Melissa said she’d never really liked the idea of a forever home, but in 2020, when they made the decision to stay in Creek’s Edge, they decided they were ready to feel truly settled. As a young couple, they’d moved multiple times and had remodeled multiple houses. This time they wanted to get everything right, so they could feel they had a forever home and not just a temporary one.

To transform their home, the Durretts knew they would need to make some major changes to the footprint of their house, including building a new primary bedroom and outdoor living area on the other side of the house. Although Keim had agreed to help them design plans for a home they intended to build, he was initially reluctant to take on a remodel. BJay said remodels simply weren’t something he was focusing on. According to BJay, Keim only agreed after he was assured he would have the reins to create a new and completely seamless design that would not actually feel like a remodel but a new build altogether.

As they embarked on this journey, the Durretts faced significant hardships due to the timing of their decision. Beginning the remodel during the COVID pandemic led to frequent delays, material shortages, and unexpected costs. Melissa specifically remembers that they waited over a year to get their doors and windows. The remodel took three years and required a lot of patience as the Durretts and their three teenage boys opted to live in the home for the entirety of demolition and reconstruction, but Melissa said it allowed them to approach the process slowly and thoughtfully. After all, they wanted their choices to be perfect and timeless, which can’t be rushed. Over time, they’ve come to truly love their home, and it’s changed Melissa’s perspective on the idea of a forever home.

In the end, the Durretts wanted a warm, modern home, and they’ve achieved that goal. Warm and modern don’t always go together, but Melissa wanted people to see that a modern home can feel comfortable and cozy. “It can feel lived in,” she said. According to BJay, the design also emphasizes wellness and the outdoors. “We wanted it to be peaceful and inviting,” he said. The Durretts love to travel, which also inspired many of their choices for the home. Melissa said, “We wanted it to feel like it feels when we travel to a peaceful place like Costa Rica,” which is one of their favorite destinations. 

From Mays’ perspective, “The home is somewhat masculine, but Melissa’s softness shows through.” The couple wanted beautiful things, but they also needed those things to be sturdy enough to withstand an active lifestyle with three young boys, two dogs, and two cats. The final design achieves that durability while still feeling like a luxury resort with spa-like elements, especially in the primary suite, which includes a luxury bath and shower, as well as a sauna and coffee bar. The primary suite is Mays’ favorite part of the design and the part she is most proud of. The shower and flooring in the primary bathroom were done in micromosaic Italian marble tile, and the shower has a striking ombré finish. The countertops are panda quartzite. Other special elements of the primary suite include a gold-leaf ceiling in the closet, STARK carpet in a python pattern, a mother-of-pearl headboard, hair-on-hide nightstands, and a reflective ceiling in the bedroom, which amplifies light and adds dimension and contrast to the darker space. 

Melissa was initially unsure about going dark in the bedroom. But together with BJay and Mays, she ultimately narrowed the paint color down from 100 choices to a singular deep blue-green color that is nearly black. The primary suite is now one of Melissa’s favorite spaces in the home. “I love the dark, moody vibe,” she said, “and I’m obsessed with the lighting.” 

One particular chandelier by Visual Comfort has tiny individual crystal leaves that add to the luxury of the space. Overall, the suite feels like a cozy sanctuary apart from the busier communal spaces of their home.

One of BJay’s favorite spaces is the pool house. The couple practically lived out of the pool house during parts of their remodel, and BJay said it and the outdoor space, including the pool and the outdoor living area, are his favorite spaces. “That’s where we go as a family. We’ll cook and eat and just kinda live outside,” he said. He also loves watching games with their boys there and entertaining. He and Melissa wanted a space where people would feel like they could come anytime, whether it was their own friends or their sons’ friends, and they have that now—indoors and out.

Other elements that add to the indoor-outdoor feel of their home are the big accordion door in the living room and the glass hallway that connects the kitchen to the pool house. These elements are also favorites of Melissa and BJay and bring the outside in while creating a sense of oneness with the outdoors, which was important to both of them.

It took quite a team to make the Durretts’ vision for their home a reality. Cassidy Keim was responsible for designing the overall footprint and structure of the home, and interior designer Julie Mays was responsible for leading the Durretts through the interior design process for the space, and BJay’s brother Teddy Durrett, owner of T. Durrett Construction, was the design-build liaison and was also responsible for designing and executing the outdoor hardscapes, which BJay said are really his specialty. 

The outdoor living area is so special to the Durretts, and it’s where they spend much of their time, but transforming that space into the sanctuary it is today was one of the biggest challenges faced along the way. A large creek runs behind the Durretts’ home, and it’s accompanied by a major drop off. The Durretts wanted to allow the creek to remain a focal point while ensuring their outdoor space still checked all the boxes needed to be their forever home. According to BJay, “Cassidy, Julie, and Teddy spent countless hours planning these spaces to ensure they harmonized with other parts of the home and with Melissa and BJay’s aesthetic regardless of the viewing angle from inside or outside of the home.” In the end, the functional design required an exterior foundation wall, low slope metal roof, full outdoor kitchen, custom fireplace with built-in wood racks, a pool and spa area with backlit pool wall and fountains, and a turf and concrete block design. Although there are multiple asymmetrical design elements, Melissa said they all flow beautifully together into a functional space that is so easy to entertain in. And according to Mays, “It’s so secluded and private that it almost doesn’t feel like you’re in Ruston.” The space is exactly what Melissa and BJay wanted for their family.

Other team players in achieving the perfect, cohesive design for Durretts’ home include Brad Roberson, superintendent and master carpenter of T. Durrett Construction; Sandy Sartor of Key Millworks; Chris Hart of Hart Designs; and Kyle Snellenberger of Ouachita Antique Woods. The Durretts’ home is also beautifully accented throughout by original artworks created mostly by local artists, as well as from their travels. Local artists featured in their home include Shelly Nealy, Maggie Jones Boudreaux, Emily Steed Pullin, and others. But BJay’s favorite art piece is one that he purchased as a birthday surprise for Melissa. This piece by Costa Rican artist Johanna Van Parijsexemplifies the modernness and warmth of their home with a rhythmic geometric pattern constructed in a rich, natural wood, making it a perfect focal point in their home.

Now that the Durretts’ home is finished, Mays said it was exciting to watch such an incredible shared vision brought to life, and she’s grateful for all of the artisans who contributed and for the way everyone came together as a team and helped each other. Together, she feels they created a design that reflects the best of her. The Durretts’ openness, creativity, and collaborative nature made them fun and easy to work with. The Durretts feel the same about Julie. As BJay said, they “have the same vibe.” They’re not afraid to take chances, and they have the patience and persistence to wait for perfection. Thanks to Julie, Melissa feels their home is a reflection not only of what’s coming and what won’t be found anywhere else, but also what’s timeless and classic. Although the remodeling process took three years, the final outcome has been a home that changed Melissa’s perspective on the idea of a forever home. She’s gone from not really believing in the idea to feeling truly settled. She and BJay’s vision has become a reality and a true reflection of who they are and their lifestyle.