I just got back from Baton Rouge where I met the winner of the Wisk Detergent laundry room makeover contest, Kristen Maurel!  I will be giving Kristen’s laundry room a makeover in June and the transformation will be featured on Designing Spaces in August.

I really enjoyed getting to know Kristen and her husband Matt, as well as touring their charming city.  I had some time to kill before our meeting, so I went and visited the Old Governor’s Mansion and the Old State Capitol building.  I had never been to Baton Rouge before so this surely was a treat to go around and get to know a new city.

The Governor’s Mansion was absolutely gorgeous.  It was a Georgian- style building that was constructed for Governor Huey Long in 1930 at a cost of $150k.  The mansion was built to resemble The White House (Huey was apparently very convinced that he would one day become the President of the United States).  So convinced, that he even wrote a book about it!  I had a great tour guide who was nice enough to give me the “sped up version” of the tour, since I was running low on time.

Wedding receptions are often held at the Old Governor’s Mansion as well as other corporate events.  I have to say that I definitely wouldn’t mind getting married at a historic place like this- talk about a dream come true!

I loved seeing all of the antique furniture, original frieze work and flooring, moldings, and crystal chandeliers.  I was so upset that I didn’t have enough time to visit the other old Plantation homes that came recommended- Nottoway and Houmas House.  These tours would have been right up my alley!

Above is the grand ballroom where wedding receptions are often held.  All of the light fixtures in the mansion were originals.

The dining area above is also part of the “wedding reception package” and its hand painted wallpaper is original to the house.  The docent told me how much it was per roll…I can’t remember exactly, but let’s just say that it was a ridiculous amount! Apparently they still sell it today overseas.

The private offices…

Apparently Huey loved green so much that he had multiple rooms throughout the house painted/wallpapered in some version of green!

I was surprised at how many elements throughout the house would have still been considered somewhat “stylish” today.  Above, the turquoise and brown color scheme in Huey’s office resembles the color trend of the present and you’ll notice below that they had a pedestal sink in the bathroom, which is quite common now (just not in turquoise!)

Another green room…

The private bedrooms were so quaint

Next, I went to the Old State Capitol around the corner.  This building consisted of both Gothic and Victorian Architecture.  Cast iron staircases, stained glass windows, a cathedral dome, faux bois, gold leafing, marble floors, and brass hardware adorned the interior.

All in all, it was a great trip and I can’t wait to go explore more of Baton Rouge’s architecture in June!