Callin' Baton Rouge

Decorator Anne Underwood fills her reimagined Louisiana rambler with a medley of bold textiles and storied antiques

- JEANNE LYONS DAVIS,JACQUELINE MARQUE,JO GREMILLION

Open House The designer knocked out a wall in the galley kitchen to connect it to the inviting living room.

“THE BONES were great. And that’s where the list stopped,” says Baton Rouge designer Anne Underwood with a laugh, recalling her first impression of the traditional 1970s home she purchased back in 2016. However, its spot in the Stanford Place neighborhood—just a stone’s throw from Louisiana State University’s revered Tiger Stadium—was unbeatable. Nestled on a tree-lined street within walking distance of the famous University Lakes (with whooping cranes, roseate spoonbills, and great white pelicans), it was all about location, location, location. The house’s quirks, such as the laminate countertops and vinyl floors, could be fixed, but the position in town was irreplaceable.

Anne’s passion for decorating was sparked during her childhood in Baton Rouge, going to estate sales with her mother, Susie, and then solidified when she attended design school in New York City. Even in the late 1990s, when her peers favored minimalist black and neutral staples, the Southern creative embraced vibrant tones and patterns. “Color has always been in my DNA,” she says, noting she not only painted her Manhattan apartment red but also outfitted it with an animal-print rug. “I’ve always liked what people dubbed as ‘busy.’ I rarely do plain colors and solid fabrics; I’ve always naturally zigged when others zagged.”