I wanted my home to feel like a tree house, offering a calm place of solitude in the city.
Hi, I'm Anthony Cane (Instagram: @anticonuovo_buildingstudio), a 34-year-old architect with design-build experience in residential, commercial, and hospitality projects across the US and UK. In my spare time, I'm passionate about travel & history, photography, graphic design, music production, running, and yoga – and I also enjoy building custom furniture with reclaimed construction materials.
My home is located in 7th Ward, New Orleans. I chose this neighborhood for its proximity to the city center and its friendly vibe. The affordability of the property was a big factor. I'm living in a renovated double shotgun home, common to this area. I've lived here since 2018, and the renovation was completed in 2020.
The home was in bad shape due to roof leaks, termite damage, and other maintenance nightmares. But since the renovation, I've grown to love this place. It's not big, but I designed and built it, so it has everything I need.
I live on the extended side of the double shotgun house, where I’ve also transformed the attic space into an upstairs bedroom. My home is approximately 1100 sq, ft. with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and an office space. The rental one-bedroom unit is 650 sq. ft. I own the entire property, but rent out the other one-bedroom unit to a tenant. It was possible to complete my new addition without any foundation work, which left room in the budget for the rest of the project to take place.
I wanted the addition to feel like a tree house, offering a calm place of solitude in the city. The upstairs bedroom captures this perfectly, with long windows and skylights framing treetop views. Inside, reclaimed lathe, birch plywood trim, and cork floors provide natural tones and warmth. Externally, metal panels matching the roof give a contemporary finish.