L A MAI SO N
Artists’ Residency Lafayette creatives breathe new life into a home designed by renowned artist Robert Rauschenberg by Marie Elizabeth Oliver photos by Haylei Smith
Celebrated as one of the most influential artists
of the 20th century, Robert Rauschenberg left an indelible mark on the world through his boundary-pushing creative work. Although his collections are carefully curated in some of the world’s most prestigious museums, one of his earliest pieces can be found nestled in a neighborhood near the Cajundome — a modest home he designed for his parents in the late 1940s. The house stayed in his family until 2013, when a couple of young artists (and expectant parents), Kirstin and David Hebert, wooed Rauschenberg’s sister into accepting their bid to purchase the property. Kirstin recalls sending her “this long text about how it was so
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AC ADIANA PROFILE AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020
much more than a house ... that we would be living in a piece of his art, and that we wanted to grow our family here.” Since then, the Heberts — now a family of four — have painstakingly remodeled the home in the spirit of the artist, marrying their modern family’s needs with their appreciation for the home as an architectural relic. The couple hired Zaunbrecher Design to help reenvision the facade, including a statement-making carport and bold accent colors. Kirstin says their guiding principle has been to think like Rauschenberg. “If he would have designed the house today, what would he have wanted the house to be like?” says Kirstin.
The original, enclosed kitchen was at the top of the Heberts’ refresh list. The couple modernized the space with a walk-in pantry, open shelves and a sleek, quartzcovered island.