Don’t fear the deer. That’s one of the messages designer Colleen Waguespack is sending through the design of this sophisticated study space, one of the rooms featured in the 2021 Ivy House Designer Showhome. So many women dread the idea of displaying their husbands’ deer mounts on their walls, Waguespack explains. “But this is such a strong part of south Louisiana culture, so we wanted to show one prominently displayed with a bar cart underneath.”

The 10-point buck isn’t the only wildlife-inspired element in this room, though—Waguespack turned a custom papier-mâché peacock by New Orleans artisan Kaki Foley into the focal point of the built-in wall by RTE Cabinets & Millwork, which the designer also filled with antique pots and leather books from Fireside Antiques and small artworks from Ann Connelly Fine Art.

Waguespack says she embraced the idea of designing a study since many of her clients are choosing to add such rooms to their plans these days. “It’s a room where most clients are willing to introduce a saturated color and want to make a statement,” she says. “At the same time, they need it to actually function as a home office as so many people are working remotely these days.”

With a custom desk by Conrad Freeman and David Cano, plus an additional seating area and that deer-adjacent bar cart, this is a room equally suited for entertaining or conducting business. Plus, Waguespack points out, it would make a memorable backdrop for a Zoom meeting.

Click on the photos in the gallery below for more views of this cozy corner. And explore more of the 2021 Ivy House Designer Showhome here.