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Studio Becker Xu streamlined the kitchen by building all of the appliances into the millwork. The budget-friendly countertops are a Formica solid surface.

White laminate and wood veneer helped the partition stay within budget, and create a clean backdrop for the couple's eclectic display of folk and outsider art, much of which was collected on their travels around the world.

A blue checkered Moroccan rug amps up the visual interest in the space, along with a new yellow Togo couch and Herman Miller coffee table. Switching out the mullioned windows for new tilt-and-turn windows from Semko help the space feel larger and increase energy efficiency.

In Hanna Bui’s Sausalito houseboat, designed by architect Craig Steely, sea creatures seen through an enormous back window animate bay views.

The bright and airy kitchen blends functionality and style, featuring a walk-in pantry, marble countertops, double wall ovens, and a concealed induction cooktop within a handmade butcher block island.

A new white oak staircase and railing lead to the main suite now occupying the garden level. The shadow reveal detail is carried throughout the house, scribing doorframes, windows, and baseboard.

A discreet pull enables the under stairs closet door to open.

The top of the staircase is three feet wide, to accommodate the built-in shelving, and becomes wider towards the base, to four feet, making the storage underneath very useful for bigger and boxier items.

For the house’s foundation, Emilie and Seth went with a raised concrete slab on top over wooden piles, which was $39,570. That includes a burnished finish for the ground-floor apartment and the foundation for a detached backyard workshop, some of which was fashioned out of remnants of a dismantled Tulane building. They built the tree house using fence boards and building sills from the original home on the lot.

The couple find the house a bit large for them. Although they achieved the goal of more yard space for the children, Emilie feels the family of four could live leaner than they do here. However, she wouldn’t mind having a hobby room.

The lofted third floor contains the kids’ bedroom, a den/workspace, a play area, and a costume closet. When asked if they would have done anything differently, Seth just says, “I don’t know.... I think it’s not done.” For Emilie, one thing missing is a costume room in place of the tiny closet that currently holds festive getups: “That’s something that every New Orleans home should have.”

The main living area is on the second floor in an open double-height space where the ceiling peaks at 15 feet under an angled roof. It contains an airy kitchen/dining area and a living room. A hallway leads to the primary bedroom, and a loft contains a bedroom for their kids. The ground floor has an apartment they rent to local teachers.

The Weltys started construction by having the structure framed out but allowed themselves time to sort through unresolved areas and select finishes. After they spent a year and eight months manipulating materials and playing with textures, their vision finally came together.

“The idea was to replicate the way trees grow to look for light,” says Camilo.

Rooms branch off from a central atrium as you climb up stairs and ladders.