“People hire me to make their house beautiful. It’s not about me and my tastes, it’s about them. Each of my projects is unique to fit my client, creating their version of beauty.”
-Cole Baker, Interior Designer and Owner of Maxie Home Interiors
Local interior designer and owner of Maxie Home Interiors Cole Baker specializes in whole home design projects. Graduating from Louisiana State University with a Bachelor’s of Interior Design, Cole has been creating beauty for the past 14 years all over Louisiana.
From coordinating complete renovations to ground- up construction, his passion is blending unique items to create bold design features while balancing his client’s tastes.
His new design studio and showroom will be located in Pope’s Plaza of Bossier City at 532 Benton Road.
Local interior designer Cole Baker of Maxie Home Interiors embarked on a designer’s dream job recently – creating an Old Hollywood look with a modern twist in the desirable Bocage Lakes neighborhood in the heart of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
When contacted by his clients to completely re-invent their home in Baton Rouge, Cole was thrilled to work with clients ready to push their creative boundaries in creating the perfect spaces. Cole crafted each space to fit the client’s lifestyle, making the space a reflection of them. “If you know the person in the house,” Cole mused, “you should be able to see them in the home.” Never wanting a home to look “decorated,” the spaces he created are nothing short of jaw dropping.
For this pair of homeowners who enjoy New York City, Old Hollywood and Art Deco is a favorite style. Cole took what this couple enjoys the most about their favorite places and turned their personal home into a luxurious, unique space.
Stepping through the entryway onto a custom inlay three-stone marble mosaic, flanked by a richly dark-stained oak floor, under an exquisitely delicate Italian chandelier sets the luxurious tone. White-bricked walls offset the dark flooring, while the soaring ceilings and expansive space give strolling room upon entering with bold design features creatively placed.
Developing an eternal love for Moet & Chandon Champagne, these homeowners acquired an exclusive and highly sought-after small bottle vending machine of their favorite bubbly. Careful calibration and temperature settings as to not disturb the delicate bubbles of champagne, the home owners can simply press a button to have one of the 320 bottles to sip at the perfect temperature in their kitchen as the vending machine is a focal point amongst the cabinetry.
Taking their love of champagne to another level, lacquered cabinets with a mirror-like finish of Champagne Pink with custom brass-wrapped trim store the kitchen essentials. Creatively using their space in the renovations, Cole mounted backless cabinets over the new windows with glass shelves in a brass frame for a functionally stunning kitchen feature. The true champagne pink paired with the Calcutta Apuna marble from Triton Stone in Baton Rouge is stunning, as it is on every available surface including the vent hood for a wall of marble. Adding in the brass trim and complete brass wall to the island, no guest would ever want to leave the showcase that is the kitchen while sipping the bubbly under gold-foiled light fixtures from Italy.
The kitchen opens to a breakfast area with wood-burning fireplace. The matte lime-washed white walls and fireplace allow the kitchen to really pop, while the lovely landscape painting over the fireplace draws in the color from the adjoining room. A custom-designed table by Cole was built out of Nero Marquina marble crafted by Ricon Stone.
At the end of the room, guests will be entranced by the 6×8 foot Audrey Hepburn painting by Louisiana’s own world renowned pop art darling, Ashley Longshore of New Orleans.
Of the many rooms in this home that inspire and delight the senses, the master bathroom is almost too gorgeous to use. More of the pink tones perfectly blend with gold tones for an Old Hollywood and Art Deco masterpiece. Pink lacquered doors and cabinets each carefully crafted by the master cabinetmaker Kris Built from Cole’s personal designs set the stage, but the wet room steals the show. Gold-leafed glass tiles are the walls to the shower space where a specially designed Breccia Capria marble sourced from Houston, Texas, pairs with the marble mosaic flooring. While the gold-plated plumbing fixtures imported from Paris, France, will not be outdone by the golden shower, they are equally as exquisite. Blending the art deco look to the old Hollywood style, Cole designed specialty mirrors to accompany the wall sconces almost reminiscent of the skyscrapers of New York City. Stepping to the side of the golden shower, the ladies’ vanity strictly for makeup with Old Hollywood lighting awaits. Each of the 14 bulbs around the mirror were hand cut with their own socket recessed into the wall. From the octagon-shaped knobs to the incredible detail of the art deco inspired cabinetry, every detail in this bathroom is perfection.
Every fashionista’s dream closet was built with shelves upon shelves housing the designer shoes, handbags, jewelry and clothing every jet setter needs. Built-in jewelry drawers and a library ladder to reach those top-shelf items on the fourth tier all encased in bold pink with Cole’s custom-designed brass fittings pair perfectly with the divine black-and-white striped Missoni carpet imported from Italy. This closet is a dream.
The marble-topped island allows the homeowner to design outfits with plenty of space next to Vintage Vogue covers lining an accent wall as the perfect complement to the pink closet. Getting dressed has never been more fun.
This project was a renovation, a rejuvenation, breathing new life into this home. Cole Baker was able to push the envelope on his design ideas, which rendered a lavish work of art at every glance in each of his rooms.
In true Dorothy Draper fashion, Cole Baker was inspired by his personal design idol known for breaking boundaries with her bold use of patterns and color. Cole channeled his inner Dorothy in the powder room for a visual masterpiece. Ashley Longshore’s Gem Paper design, hand printed by Flavor Paper in New Orleans, shimmers and shines just as the real gems do. But, the glamour doesn’t stop there. The vintage malachite and brass mirror is perfection while allowing all of the colors to jump off the walls. Not to be outdone by the amazing walls, a work of art is in the flooring with New York glass mosaic artist Allison Eden’s original work found at the base of the sink. Like walking into a colorful dream, this powder room could charge for admission it’s so amazing.