In the age of nonstop cell phones and computer screens, Lacey and Richard “Dino” Watler wanted to build a getaway where they and their two children (Dean, 10, and Autumn, 9) could decompress and enjoy the outdoors. They considered a variety of ideas, including a rustic camp, a place at the beach and a river house. In 2020, Lacey found a 6½-acre pie-shaped piece of land that backs up to a wide expanse of the Bogue Chitto River in Franklinton, and with the help of architect Lindsay Woolf of Woolf Architecture & Interiors, CP Enterprises and interior designer Betsey Hazard of House of Hazard Interiors, their dream of a North Shore escape became a picture-perfect reality.

The property was ideal for the family, who enjoy outdoor activities such as ATVs and boating (Dino owns a marine service company, Lacey owns a fitness studio). The Watlers had a few clear concepts for the design of the house. The starting point was an image of a “black barn house” with board and batten siding and an A-frame roofline that Lacey found on Pinterest. The house would have to be elevated for flood protection and the couple wanted a woodsy aesthetic that would blend in with the surrounding trees.

Photography by: Sara Essex Bradley and Lindsay Woolf