An Italian Villa on the Bogue Falaya: Interior by Chez-Soi

Just north of Covington, down a quiet country street, beyond a pond and a sparkling fountain, stands a lovely Italianate villa any Tuscan duke would envy.

The four-acre property backs up to the Bogue Falaya and overlooks the river from a 30-foot bluff. It is a place where you can sip Chianti by the heated saltwater Romanesque pool, while wild deer wander through the pine-studded landscape. "We enjoy the river and the privacy we have due to our neighbors, the St. Joseph Seminary, including 1,000 acres of undeveloped property," states homeowner Michael Combel.

Combel and his wife Frieda are Covington natives who own Vintage Court, a local reception facility. Over the last two years, Combel, a former building contractor, and Frieda dreamed up and created every bit of the home and grounds. Michael Combel designed and built the house, filling it with wonderful details of carved marble, elaborate moldings, and Ionic columns. The interior includes a living room with a 26-foot coffered ceiling and a bathtub so luxurious that once you get in, you might never get out.

Frieda Combel planned the landscape, still in the finishing stages, with native Louisiana plants and shrubs. The pond in the front yard appears manicured but natural. A spray of water shoots up from its center. Closer to the house, the garden transitions to a more formal hedge-lined stone walkway and features a five-tiered Italian fountain.

The main rooms of the house and the master bedroom all look out or open onto the back terrace and pool. "We enjoy having our pool so close to the house," says Frieda Combel, "which usually brings our children and grandchildren to our home."

When it came to decorating the villa, and to recent preparations for Christmas, the Combels turned to their daughter, Erin Combel Clavier, owner of Chez-Soi, a local home furnishing and decorating store. "Except for a few family antiques, all the furniture and accessories inside the home are from Chez-Soi," says Frieda Combel. The French chez-soi translates to “at home,” and the shop features everything from antique reproductions to paintings to artistic candelabras.

"The size of the house, and especially the very high ceilings made decorating a challenge," according to Clavier, whose parents wanted classic and traditional-style furniture. She brought in furniture by Theodore Alexander and Cherrill and decorative objects from a variety of sources. And although the interior decorating is finished, Clavier finds herself stopping by her parents new home several times a week where she is likely to find several members of the extended family relaxing by the pool. ✦