Inspired by the architecture of the tropics, this home, in Lafayette's River Ranch, combines cool modernism with casual comfort. White stucco, limestone and canvas contrast with dark wood, iron and stone. Large arched-top doors open from the great room to a side porch which itself flows onto a generous, but private, courtyard with plunge pool. Stair railings are sculpted in plaster and stucco. Shutters and railings feature wide operable louvers. A wood ceiling forms a pyramid over the master bedroom. All the materials and details combine in a way that is both new and old, exotic and still at home in the environment of south Louisiana.