NewOrleans
HOME + STYLE + DESIGN APRIL 2022
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B U N N Y D E C O R P. 4 // L O C A L I N F L U E N C E R S P. 8 // M U S I C A C C E N T S P. 10 // F E S T I VA L A R T P. 1 4
Contents
T U E S – S AT 10AM – 5PM SUN 12PM – 4PM 504.354.9158 1 1 6 0 M A G A Z I N E S T.
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S H O P O N L I N E AT CONSIGN-CONSIGN.COM
8 BRIGHTEN YOUR HOME
flowers WITH THE
OF
SPRING!
YOUR ORDER MENT E G ARRAN Y! TODA
CURRENT HOURS: MON-FRI 7am-1pm /// SAT 7am-Noon
Ap r i l 2 0 2 2
VOLUME 3 | NUMBER 4 |
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BLISSFUL BUNNIES Hope into spring with rabbit-themed decor
WARM WELCOME New Orleans DIY couple, TikTok’s self-declared gay uncles, release new book this month
KEY NOTES Home accents for festival season
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ESTELL A’S
ALL THAT JAZZ Local homes honor the sounds of the city
ON THE COVER : PHOTO BY CHRIS GR ANGER / THE TIMES - PIC AYUNE
P U B L I S H E R | Jeanne Exnicios Foster S E N I O R V I C E-P R E S I D E N T, S A L E S A N D M A R K E T I N G | Sara Barnard
GAMBIT DETAILS
APRIL 2022
A DV E R T I S I N G D I R E C T O R | Sandy Stein
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C R E A T I V E D I R E C T O R | Dora Sison S P E C I A L S E C T I O N S E D I T O R | Sarah Ravits C O N T R I B U T O R S | Zana Georges and Kaylee Poche
Samara Poché | Jennifer Saltaformaggio | Sophie Joseph
P R E-P R E S S C O O R D I N A T O R | Jason Whittaker
The Right Realtors, Right Now
G R A P H I C D E S I G N E R S | Maria Boue, Catherine Flotte,
912 Elysian Fields Avenue New Orleans, LA 70117 teamrightside.com
504-233-2551
Scott Forsythe, Courtney Leonpacher, Emma Veith
A DV E R T I S I N G I N Q U I R I E S
504.483.3150
GOT A TIP? GET IN TOUCH
sravits@gambitweekly.com
20,000 Sq.Ft. Warehouse • Everything in Stock • Financing Available• 6 Months Interest Free
Kitchen Cabinets • Vanities • Granite • Marble Quartz • Quartzite • Sinks
NEW Pure White Shaker
$1868.75
Special price for 10X10 SF Room
Grey Shaker
$2052.75
Slab Door
Special price for 10X10 SF Room
Available in White, Walnut Wood Grain, Oak Wood Grain, Dark Wood Grain
Free Quote • Free Layout Design • Receive a Free Sink w/ purchase of 25 sq. ft. countertop (sink valued at $190)
Vanilla Cream
$1960.75
Special price for 10X10 SF Room
METAL SHELF RESTS
MEMBERS & SUPPLIERS
METAL BRACKET REINFORCEMENTS
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SOFT-CLOSE TRACK
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ADJUSTABLE 6 WAY HINGE
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GAMBIT DETAILS
INSIDE ½ PLYWOOD
APRIL 2022
HIGH QUALITY YOU CAN TRUST
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B UNNIES l u f ss i l B
Paper placemats |
$30 for set of 12 from Estella’s (601 Frisco Ave., Metairie; 504-833-8884).
Hop into spring with rabbit-themed decor
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ESTELL A’S
Napkin ring |
$7 from Judy at the Rink (2727 Prytania St., 504-8917018; judyattherink.com). PHOTO PROVIDED BY JUDY AT THE RINK
Rabbit with crown |
$95 from Relish (600 Metairie Road, Suite B, Metairie, 504-3093336; relishneworleans.com).
PHOTO PROVIDED BY RELISH
Nora Fleming topper |
$14 from Little Miss Muffin (766 Harrison Ave., 504482-8200; 3307 Severn Ave., Metairie, 504-455-1444; shoplittlemissmuffin.com).
GAMBIT DETAILS
APRIL 2022
PHOTO PROVIDED BY LITTLE MISS MUFFIN
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Bunny on wicker egg |
$36 from Estella’s. PHOTO PROVIDED BY ESTELL A’S
Hand-crafted baskets |
$25 each from Judy at the Rink.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY JUDY AT THE RINK
Blissful BUNNIES
Bunny door hanger |
$54 from Little Miss Muffin. PHOTO PROVIDED BY LITTLE MISS MUFFIN
Bubble gum bunny pillow | $65 from Relish.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY RELISH
Salt and pepper shakers |
$88 from Judy at the Rink.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY JUDY AT THE RINK
Straw bunny with cart |
$27.50 from Judy at the Rink.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY JUDY AT THE RINK
N E W O R L E A N S G I F T S • LO C A L A R T I S T S & D E S I G N E R S
ARE YOU READY FOR THE
Van Gogh EXHIBIT?
APRIL 2022
www.shopaliceandamelia.com
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4 432 MAGA Z I N E ST | N OLA 70115 | 5 0 4-5 02-620 6
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Blissful BUNNIES Damask platter |
Cynthia Kolls Easter bunny ornament |
$48.99 from WilliamsSonoma (3301 Veterans Blvd., 504-828-3769; williams-sonoma.com).
$32 from Judy at the Rink. PHOTO PROVIDED BY JUDY AT THE RINK
PHOTO PROVIDED BY WILLIAMS-SONOMA
Bunny with Boa dish |
$36 from Relish. PHOTO PROVIDED BY RELISH
Floppy eared rabbit |
$95 from Relish.
GAMBIT DETAILS
APRIL 2022
PHOTO PROVIDED BY RELISH
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“No hunting” sculpture |
$325 from The Shop at The Collection (520 Royal St., 504-598-7147; shophnoc.com). PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE SHOP AT THE COLLECTION
Flocked bunnies |
$100 each from Judy at the Rink. PHOTO PROVIDED BY JUDY AT THE RINK
Embroidered towels |
$34.95 for set of two from Williams-Sonoma.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY WILLIAMS-SONOMA
Blissful BUNNIES Peter Rabbit tea towels |
Set of two for $28 from Pottery Barn. PHOTO PROVIDED BY POTTERY BARN
Pom-pom bunny sherpa lumbar support pillow |
$55.50 from Pottery Barn (3301 Veterans Blvd., Metairie, 504-219-0168; potterybarn.com).
Tall bunny door hanger |
PHOTO PROVIDED BY POTTERY BARN
$49.99 from NOLA Gifts & Decor (5101 W. Esplanade Ave., Suite 17, Metairie, 504-407-3532; nolagiftsanddecor.com). PHOTO PROVIDED BY NOL A GIFTS & DECOR
Toilet paper holder |
$128 from Anthropologie (333 Canal St., 504-592-9972; anthropologie.com). PHOTO PROVIDED BY ANTHROPOLOGIE
GET YOUR SPRING FESTIVAL ESSENTIALS READY
SUPPORT
GAMBIT DETAILS
bestofneworleans.com/shop
APRIL 2022
LOCAL JOURNALISM
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Warm
Ciolino and Armato give tips for hosting gatherings in their upcoming book “Housewarming.” PHOTO BY AUGUSTA SAGNELLI
WELCOME New Orleans DIY couple, TikTok’s self-declared gay uncles, release new book this month By KAYLEE POCHE
Scrolling through TikTok
Armato and Ciolino putting the finishing touches on a mural.
GAMBIT DETAILS
APRIL 2022
PHOTO BY AUGUSTA SAGNELLI
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during the early months of the pandemic, many users found an unlikely source of comfort amid the chaos: faux FaceTime calls from Beau Ciolino and Matt Amato. “Hey sweetie, it’s your gay uncles,” they’d say in their videos, before showing you how to make a floating herb garden, giving advice on what plants you probably won’t kill or sharing cocktail recipes to try. Turns out your gay uncles weren’t so far away after all. Both Ciolino and Armato are from New Orleans, and they met and started dating as Loyola University students. And over the last two years, they’ve been majorly renovating a late 1800s shotgun home in Algiers Point. “New Orleans has always been a part of our story and continues to be so,” Ciolino says. In their new book “Housewarming,” which comes out April 19, they tell their story and share what they’ve learned about home design, DIY projects and entertaining over the years. Though they’ve amassed more than half a million TikTok followers during the pandemic, Ciolino and Amato have been creating content professionally for years. Navigating what life would look like post-graduation, they started their blog “Probably This” in 2014 and began posting about food and entertaining. With Ciolino’s background in baking and cooking and Amato’s experience in the service industry, it was a natural fit.
“The restaurant that I worked at the most was Sylvain in the French Quarter and they took such pride in their decor,” Armato says. “They would quiz us on the different art pieces in the restaurant, and I loved all of that.” “I was like, ‘What can I do that involves entertaining and decor and all of this stuff, but I don’t have to have customers?” he adds, “and this blog turned into that.” In 2016, they started getting paid work through their blog and quit their jobs to create content and freelance full time. The following year they ditched the pink shotgun they’d been living in, sold their belongings and hit the road in a 1969 camper they’d renovated, traveling west to Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, California, Utah and Colorado for about three months. Then, they spent two years in Covington before moving back to New Orleans. It was a lot of moving around, and when they count them up, Ciolino and Amato have lived in eight different homes over the last nine years. “We had to find ways through our skills and design and DIY projects to make those spaces feel like home,” Ciolino says. “That’s really what spurred ‘Housewarming’ to become a book in the first place.” In 2020, they bought their first home together. The Algiers Point house was bigger than they wanted and needed a lot of work — including the demolition of a structurally unsound shed — but ultimately, the brick fireplaces, high ceilings and
original wood flooring for the price were just too good to pass up. The home is a departure from the interior style of their past places. Leaning into the historic aspect of the house, they describe it as “modern Victorian” and “grandma chic.” Instead of the clean lines or colorful arch murals they’ve featured in other homes, they’ve opted for a pink plaster shower, a clawfoot tub practically in their bedroom, an office with floor-to-ceiling navy bookcases, and a den with green and pink floral wallpaper and a gallery wall. Their guest bathroom has white hexagonal tile flooring with a black floral pattern, a mahogany cabinet with a ton of character and another clawfoot tub, obviously. “It’s giving asylum,” they say in a video showing off the renovation. “It’s giving haunted-bathroom-child drama.” “We’re doing very ornate stuff, even bordering on gaudy,” Amato says. “That kind of stuff really makes sense for this home.” Amato and Ciolino say New Orleans has influenced their design tastes, and that local readers will be able to see that throughout the book in the styles and colors that pop up. They also love to shop for vintage pieces in the city at places like Magazine Antique Mall, Heirloom Furnishings and Consign
Ciolino and Amato painted a circle mural as a backdrop in this bedroom. PHOTO BY AUGUSTA SAGNELLI
Armato and Ciolino call this room they put together “The Pink Room.”
Warm
WELCOME Consign, as well as at estate sales and on Facebook Marketplace. “We’ve always found a real advantage in being somewhere that inspires us and also has a really unique point of view,” Ciolino says. “We’ve been really fortunate to have New Orleans and Louisiana as a whole give us a really unique lens through which to look at the world and to look at design and to look at architecture and food and entertaining and community, which are all really big pillars of what we do and explore in our brand day to day.” That, along with their family ties, is why even though Amato and Ciolino have talked about living in other places — and their careers could take them there — they don’t think they’ll ever leave the city for good. “I think that we’ll always keep one foot in New Orleans,” Amato says. You can find Ciolino and Amato on social media @probablythis or through their website probablythis.com.
BENSON’S IS NOW
PHOTO BY AUGUSTA SAGNELLI
DIFFERENT NAME. SAME GREAT SERVICE!
COPYRIGHT BEAU CIOLINO AND MATT ARMATO
INDOOR AND OUTDOOR CUSHION INSERTS FABRICS • LEATHER • SUNBRELLA 3044 GALLERIA DRIVE • 504.831.5244 BORDEAUXUP.COM
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The cover of Ciolino and Armato’s new book.
APRIL 2022
The Benson tradition of quality and service continues as Bordeaux Upholstery, serving the Greater New Orleans area with craftsmanship that is second to none!
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Key NOTES Home accentts for festival seaason
Fats Domino door hanger |
$62 from Little Miss Muffin (766 Harrison Ave., 504-482-8200; 3307 Severn Ave., Metairie, 504-455-1444; shoplittlemissmuffin.com). PHOTO PROVIDED BY LITTLE MISS MUFFIN
“Saint Allen” by Cheryl Anne Grace |
$85 from Where Y’Art Works (1901 Royal St., 504-325-5672; whereyartworks.com).
Kitchen towel | $15 from Little Miss Muffin.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY WHERE Y’ART WORKS
PHOTO PROVIDED BY LITTLE MISS MUFFIN
“Trombone Shorty Getting Funky in Havana” by Erica Goldring |
$200 from Where Y’Art Works.
GAMBIT DETAILS
APRIL 2022
PHOTO PROVIDED BY WHERE Y’ART WORKS
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Cynthia Kolls horn collage |
“Find me at the Fest” door hanger |
$64 from Little Miss Muffin. PHOTO PROVIDED BY LITTLE MISS MUFFIN
$375 from Judy at the Rink (2727 Prytania St., 504-891-7018; judyattherink.com). PHOTO PROVIDED BY JUDY AT THE RINK
Key NOTES
Festival shirt door hanger |
$48 from Home Malone (629 N. Carrollton Ave., 504-324-8352; 4610 Magazine St., 504-766-6148; homemalonenola.com).
“Music New Orleans” by James Macaluso |
PHOTO PROVIDED BY HOME MALONE
$20 from Judy at the Rink. PHOTO PROVIDED BY JUDY AT THE RINK
Porch Fest ceramic art | $98 from Home Malone.
Jazz diorama |
PHOTO PROVIDED BY HOME MALONE
$26 from Alice & Amelia (4432 Magazine St., 504-502-6206; shopaliceandamelia.com). PHOTO PROVIDED BY ALICE & AMELIA
e v i t s e F t s o M e Th ! r a e Y e h t f o e Tim
MON - SAT | 10AM - 5PM 2 7 2 7 P R Y TA N I A S T
(50 4) 89 1-70 1 8
W W W. J U D YAT T H E R I N K .C O M
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OPEN
APRIL 2022
Décor e m o H l Colorfu es and Styles ap in all Sh
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Key NOTES
“Cool Jazz” by James Macaluso |
$20 from Judy at the Rink.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY JUDY AT THE RINK
Trinket tray |
$40 from Home Malone.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY HOME MALONE
“Paradise City” by Mario Goossens and Karel Van Mileghem | $45 from Judy at the Rink.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY JUDY AT THE RINK
All that Jazz door hanger |
GAMBIT DETAILS
APRIL 2022
$48 from Home Malone.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY HOME MALONE
Louisiana Gumbo CD | $15 from Alice & Amelia.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ALICE & AMELIA
“A Life in Jazz” by Danny Barker |
$39.95 from The Shop at The Collection (520 Royal St., 504-598-7147; shophnoc.com). PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE SHOP AT THE COLLECTION
Band art by Lorraine Gendron | $150 from Judy at the Rink.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY JUDY AT THE RINK
Key NOTES
Rebirth Brass Band shower curtain | $68 from The Shop at The Collection.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE SHOP AT THE COLLECTION
Crawfish door hanger |
$48 from Judy at the Rink. PHOTO PROVIDED BY JUDY AT THE RINK
Music Street nightlight |
$32 from The Shop at The Collection. PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE SHOP AT THE COLLECTION
Why remove your old bathroom and kitchen fixtures? RE-GLAZE THEM!
$2000 from Where Y’Art Works.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY WHERE Y’ART WORKS
Every Bunny Loves Easter Time! E ASTER & SPRI N G D ECO R!
APRIL 2022
CERAMIC TILE FORMICA CAST IRON CULTURED M A RBLE FIBERGLASS
“King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band” by Connie Kittock |
504-348-1770 NOW OFFERING MILITARY, VETERAN, FIRST RESPONDER AND SENIOR CITIZEN DISCOUNTS
708 BARATARIA BLVD. |
MOST JOBS DONE IN HOURS
southernrefinishing.com
CERTIFIED FIBERGLASS TECHNICIAN
4308 WAVERLY ST. | METAIRIE | 504.354.2248 VISIT US ONLINE
WWW.GORDONSHOMEDECOR.COM
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RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL
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z z a J
L L A THAT
LOCAL HOMES HONOR THE SOUNDS OF THE CITY |
By SARAH RAVITS
This month marks what we’ve all been waiting for: a triumphant return
to the Fair Grounds to celebrate, eat, dance and mingle for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. It’s been a long three years without an in-person Jazz Fest, but in the meantime New Orleanians kept the spirit alive, whether it was through “festing in place” in 2020 and 2021, thanks to WWOZ 90.7 FM, or by showcasing the vibrant posters of past festivals in their homes. As anyone who lives here will confirm, it’s not just two weekends a year – festing can be incorporated into everything we do, including home decor. ABOVE: Since 1982, Joe Lorio of Algiers Point has been collecting Jazz Fest posters and hanging them up in a room in his home. PHOTO BY SUSAN POAG / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE
LEFT: The stairway to the third floor of the home of David and Lauren Toups is decorated with Jazz Fest posters. PHOTO BY JEFF STROUT / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE
BELOW: Joe Lorio’s home, from another angle.
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APRIL 2022
PHOTO BY SUSAN POAG / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE
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L L A THAT A hallway in the home of Fleurty Girl founder Lauren Thom features art depicting several Jazz Fest legends. PHOTO BY CHRIS GR ANGER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE
r e like.. . t s n a i E pp o O T H IN
PHOTO BY CHRIS GR ANGER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE
Curbside & Delivery Still Available!
5101 W. ESPLANADE • 504.407.3532 at Chastant • Metairie
3001 ORMOND BLVD • 985.603.4011
at entrance to Ormond Estates • Destrahan www.nolagiftsanddecoronline.com @nolagiftsanddecor
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Mon-Fri 10am-6pm | Sat 10am-4pm A home in Faubourg St. John pays homage to the Congo Square stage.
APRIL 2022
EASTER home DECOR IS HERE!
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