Christmas in the Country Tour of Homes, West Feliciana, #Louisiana

Owners of four stylish and distinct West Feliciana private homes – two modern, two historic – will open their doors to visitors during the Friends Of The West Feliciana Parish Library – Christmas in the Country 2013 Tour of Homes. The event showcases architecture and interior design in a quartet of dwellings set in the rolling Feliciana hills and in downtown St. Francisville in Louisiana.

The home tour, set for Sunday, December 8 from noon till 5 p.m., is part of the parish’s popular Christmas celebration on the first weekend of December. Last year’s Tour of Homes was the most popular yet, and organizers expect this season’s crowds to be even bigger.

The day begins at 11 a.m. with an optional jazz brunch at the Bluffs Resort Clubhouse, 14233 Sunrise Way, featuring trumpet player John Gray. (The jazz brunch must be purchased separately.) Doors to the private homes open at noon. The tour trail takes visitors on the following itinerary:

Home of Betsy & Christophe Levasseur. Built in 2012, this sprawling Acadian-style country house, designed by architect Mark Matthews, features extensive use of reclaimed hardwood on floors and beams throughout. The mantel over the fireplace is a hand-hewn railroad trestle.

Home of Coco & David Treppendahl. In 2003, the Treppendahls bought this beautiful, sanctuary-like property and turned a tractor barn into a refined-rustic design jewel. The pole-beam house, called Dellamata by its owners, retains the original tin roof, but has taken on cypress board and batten siding. Working from her own artistic conception, architect Coco Treppendahl – whose studio is on the premises — built Dellamata with salvaged materials such as pine beams and reclaimed windows. Situated serenely among live oaks at the end of a winding gravel road, Dellamata has about it the air of a rural hermitage.

Home of Emily & Billy Honeycutt. In the early 1900s, local carpenter George Baier built this house on St. Francisville’s historic Ferdinand Street, and settled there with his family. In more recent times, it was used as a law office until the Honeycutts purchased the house and returned it to a residence with the help of architect Billie Ann Brian. Mature camellia trees surround the home with classic Southern floral ambiance, and the back yard makes an unusual but graceful incline to a hollow below.

Home of Anna Macedo. Well-known area artist Anna Macedo recently moved into this Ferdinand Street home, which doubles as her studio. Owned by Peggy Sanders and Sue Catchings, the house was originally built as a two-room cottage in the mid-1800s. The current owners made significant additions in the 1970s. Macedo’s quirky eye for detail is well-known from her work in Country Roads magazine, so visitors are sure to enjoy an insider’s look at the environment she’s created.

St. Francisville’s wonderful main-street shops – along Ferdinand, Commerce, and Royal Streets — will be bursting with Christmas cheer, so guests won’t want to miss all they have to offer as they pass by on their way to the next destination.

Visitors are invited to cap off their day at the Bluffs Clubhouse with coffee, dessert, and shopping at the Boughs Of Holly Boutique, a seasonal pop-up shop featuring the work of local artists and artisans. There will be Christmas music and decorations at the Bluffs chapel, and, back at the Clubhouse, a special 4:30 p.m. drawing that will award valuable prizes to tour ticketholders (must be present to win).

Tour tickets are $20 per person, with proceeds going to Friends Of The West Feliciana Parish Library. Advance tickets may be purchased online at wftourofhomes.bpt.me or in person at the West Feliciana Parish Library. On the day of the tour, tickets will be available at the Bluffs Clubhouse or at homes on the tour.