New Orleans Homes and Lifestyles Fall 2016

autumn 2016

New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles.com

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New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles.com

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new orleans

homes & lifestyles

autumn 2016 / Volume 19 / Issue 4 Editor Melanie Warner Spencer creative Director Tiffani Reding Amedeo web editor Kelly Massicot contributing WRITERS Laura Claverie, Lee Cutrone, Valorie Hart, Pamela Marquis, Peter Reichard, Lisa Tudor, Margaret Zainey Roux Contributing Photographers Thom Bennett, Sara Essex Bradley, Cheryl Gerber, Jeffery Johnston, Marianna Massey, Craig Mulcahy, Eugenia Uhl copy editor Amanda Orr intern Marie Simoneaux vice President of sales Colleen Monaghan 504/830-7215 or Colleen@MyNewOrleans.com sales manager Brooke LeBlanc 504/830-7242 or Brooke@MyNewOrleans.com senior Account Executive Zane Wilson 504/830-7246 or Zane@MyNewOrleans.com production manager Staci McCarty senior production designer Ali Sullivan production designer Monique DiPietro traffic Coordinator Terra Durio Chief Executive officer Todd Matherne President Alan Campell Executive vice President/Editor-in-Chief Errol Laborde DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND EVENTS Cheryl Lemoine Event Coordinator Margaret Strahan distribution manager John Holzer ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Denise Dean subscriptions manager Sara Kelemencky SUBSCRIPTIONS Assistant Mallary Matherne

A Publication of Renaissance Publishing LLC Printed in USA 110 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Ste. 123 Metairie, LA 70005 (504) 828-1380 New Orleans Homes and Lifestyles, ISSN 1933-771X is distributed four times a year and published by Renaissance Publishing LLC, 110 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005; (504) 828-1380. For a subscription visit on line at www.

NewOrleansHomesandLifestyles.com. Periodicals Postage Paid at Metairie LA and Additional Entry Offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles, 110 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005. Copyright Š 2016 New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the consent of the publisher. The trademark New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles Magazine is registered. New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photos and artwork even if accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope. The opinions expressed in New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the magazines’ managers or owners.

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c o n t en t s

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features 44. new build of the year

By Valorie Hart

58. Pied-À-Terre

An airy Lower Garden District gem

By Valorie Hart

64. by design

A peek inside the homes of three New Orleans designers

By Lee Cutrone

72. Design Masters

By Lee Cutrone

26 in every issue 18. Editor’s Note 20. Style 24. Artist Profile

Rebecca Rebouché

26. Gatherings

How ’Bout Them Apples Chef Todd Pulsinelli of Restaurant August serves up a family favorite

28. For the Garden

Digging Deep Amending soil for rich, fertile planting

30. Living with Antiques Antiquing

Adding antiques to your home

landscape injects soul into any room

32. Masters of Their Craft

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Feel the Bern Former speech pathologist Maureen Kennedy forges new path as a ceramicist

37. TrendWatch

106. Home Renewal

New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles Autumn 2016

House Fluent Learning the language of your home to achieve the right look

108. in the Spotlight

Adda Carpets & Flooring and Huey Brown’s Kitchens (p. 108) Beth Clybourn Interiors (p. 109) Campbell Cabinets (p. 110) Katie Koch Home (p. 111)

112. Expert Advice

New, Old World Charm Making modern use of antique furniture and art

118. Resources 120. Last Indulgence

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Lighten Up Suspend a new decorative light from the ceiling to add instant ambience to any room in your home

Seasonal Sips Consider the sweet ritual of bourbon and storytelling on the porch this fall

editor’s note On the Cover

NOLA Love, Design Love

N

ew Orleans is for design lovers. With its wealth of historic buildings, storied designers and countless home design shops the Crescent City has always been a bastion of good taste, breathtaking décor and architecture drawing visitors from all over the world year after year. Now with home goods retailers opening seemingly every month; pop-up shops; fresh talent moving to the city; and designcentric events all over town, including Southern Style Now earlier this year and those past and upcoming from this publication (follow us on social media for news and announcements), it’s as if there is a second-wave design movement underway. I for one welcome it, because it translates to even more great stories, products, services, tips and advice to offer up to you, our stylish readers. For years, I covered design in Texas as the design columnist at the Austin AmericanStatesman, senior reporter covering design at The Houston Chronicle and a contributor to Austin Monthly, Austin Monthly Homes, Modern Luxury Texas Interiors, Modern Luxury Houston and other publications. It is a subject about which I love writing and reading and as the new editor of New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles Magazine, I’m enjoying immersing myself in the local design scene; soaking up the top-notch traditional, modern and contemporary design happening all over the city; and looking forward to sharing it within these pages.

Speaking of top-notch design, in this issue, we reveal our New Build of the Year. This show-stopping contemporary haven in Bayou St. John is awash in shades of gray with just the right amount of restraint, and will give you minimalist aspirations. We also celebrate our 2016 Design Masters. These 10 individuals are transforming and pushing the landscape of design in New Orleans and beyond. They are sure to inspire with their compelling stories and praise-worthy work.

Welcome to the autumn issue. We hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed putting it together.

— Melanie Warner Spencer, Editor

P.S. Have you seen the “Essence of Things - Design and the Art of Reduction,” at the New Orleans Museum of Art? View iconic works and prototypes by internationally renowned designers through Sept. 11.

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New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles Autumn 2016

The New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles New Build of the Year is a contemporary showplace in Bayou St. John. Enjoy a peek into this minimalist, sophistcated and accolade worthy home. p. 42 Photographed by Sara Essex Bradley

Editor’s Pick

Blanket statement

As the temperatures (mercifully) drop, we are looking ahead to days spent tucked into a cozy chair with a book and a beverage. This monogrammed cashmere throw from Leontine Linens, $1,500, pairs well with all manner of literature, as well as Cabernet Sauvignon and crisp autumn evenings.

STYLE Produced by Margaret Zainey Roux

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1. “The Finer Things: Timeless Furniture, Textiles, and Details,” (Clarkson Potter, $60) Much like its foundation, a home’s furnishings, art and objects should withstand the test of time. For her newly released book, renowned lifestyle expert Christiane Lemieux interviewed dozens of the world’s most sought-after wallpaper and paint specialists, textile fabricators, accessories artisans and interior designers to compile an unparalleled resource for identifying the hallmarks of timeless, heirloom-quality pieces.

2. Hot Shot Never underestimate the power of the pen. Even in the digital age of text messages and emails, the tech-savvy will fall prey to the .50 Caliber pen.

Its brass bullet-inspired shell conceals a smooth rollerball pen that can be refilled and reused long after hunting season is over. Lucy Rose, 3318 Magazine St., 504-895-0444, beaucoupdesigns.com.

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3. Peace Out Known for his unique approach using digital imaging to create three-dimensional artworks, Louisiana artist Brad Bourgoyne has created a fitting collection of acrylic dove ornaments exclusively for Baton Rouge-based Fig & Dove. Sold in sets of three or18, their spirited, sculptural quality makes them appropriate to enjoy year-round. Sotre, 3933 Magazine St., 504-304-9475, figanddove.com.

4. Golden Rules For generations, de Gournay has been revered for its impeccably handpainted wallcoverings. The firm recently developed and revealed its newest artisan technique, feather gilding. Offering a softer, more detailed effect through the use of delicate “feathered” brush strokes, the process allows any of de Gournay’s classic chinoiserie designs to be reinterpreted to suit today’s contemporary interiors. The paper was expertly employed in one of the bedrooms in the Traditional Home Showhouse during Southern Style Now. de Gournay, degournay.com.

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STYLE

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5. Grand Entrance

7. Drum Roll

The Lazare lantern is a masterful mix of classic and contemporary design.

Hand-forged and hand-finished by American designer Teresa Costa. Its delicate five-arm crystal core is crowned with scrolling metallic leaves and encased in an industrial-inspired mesh casing. The oversized scale makes a statement in any space whether indoor or outdoor. Arabella, 3902 Highway 22, Mandeville, 985-727-9787, lunabella.com.

Kudos to a piece that marches to a different beat. The Pomona ottoman’s groovy bongo shape makes it an ideal option for space-saving seating or the perfect sofa side perch for a cocktail or book. Available in more than 100 sustainably-sourced fabrics and nearly 10 leathers and metallic nail head trims. Jade, 324 Metairie Rd., 504-875-4420.

6. Beautiful Bounty There is no slowing down for Eva Gordon. At 87, the Canadian architectturned-ceramicist continues to produce her intricately detailed hand-sculpted and hand-painted serving pieces featuring fruits, vegetables and flowers.

Gordon’s platters and plates are in art galleries and museums all over the world and now locally at Brannan Geary. Brannan Geary, 3820 Magazine St., 504-510-5555.

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New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles Autumn 2016

8. Uncommon Goods Ethnic, elegant and little edgy, Madeline Weinrib’s pillows have long been staples in the some of the country’s most posh homes and now designer Ware Porter is bringing them home as the exclusive New Orleans retailer.

With a discerning eye, Porter hand-picks each heirloom-quality pillow in his collection for its ability to push the boundaries between art and design. Ware and Co., 3954 Magazine St., madelineweinrib.com.

A RTIST P ROFIL E

Rebecca Rebouché

By Lee Cutrone

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n her eight years as a full-time artist, Louisiana native Rebecca Rebouché has created iconography so beloved and embraced, Anthropologie reproduces her whimsical, surreal paintings on everything from stationary to teacups.

“When I experience a scenario, I need to process it through my art,” says Rebouché, who also has licensing agreements with Roger la Borde stationary of London and Papyrus greeting cards. “The art is a language of symbols I’ve created. Even though I’ve never taught this language to anyone, the viewer can read it. It ends up being a universal language we all speak. People relate to it.”

Born in Franklin and raised in Metairie, Rebouché attended New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and Louisiana Tech and worked as a graphic designer before making the leap as a full-time artist. Despite Rebouché’s academic training and experience, her work evokes the innocence and quirkiness of a folk artist. She says its emotional vulnerability often invites comparison to Frida Kahlo. By Rebouché’s own account, her allegorical paintings

of the natural world are metaphors for human experience and embedded with meaning. She is especially known for her ocean imagery and her family trees, which incorporate symbols chosen specifically to represent the stories and characteristics of each family member.

“My art is not just about what is represented, but also about how it’s represented,” says Rebouché, who has a waiting list for family tree commissions.

Rebouché’s latest body of work addresses the question of how one artist draws on the work of another. Entitled “1989,” it is based on pop star Taylor Swift’s album by the same name and on indie rocker Ryan Adams’ subsequent cover version. She describes the undertaking as “a body of work that interprets song into visual compositions.” There are 13 paintings, each one inspired by one of the 13 songs on “1989.”

“Ryan Adams making the [Swift] songs in his own way was like another permutation,” says Rebouché. “So I’m taking his songs and making another permutation into a different medium. If you’re adding value and not restating something, then you are adding to the human record.” n

find HER work This fall, Rebouché will have a show of the new work at a yet-be-determined space in New York.

Her work is also viewable online at rebeccarebouche.com and anthropologie.com.

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THOM BENNETT PHOTOGRAPH

New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles.com

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gatherings

How ‘Bout Them Apples!

Chef Todd Pulsinelli of Restaurant August serves up a family favorite Produced By Margaret Zainey Roux

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New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles Autumn 2016

Eugenia Uhl Photograph

recipe

Roasted Apple and Brussels Sprout Salad with Goat Cheese and Pecan Pork Crackling

Goat Cheese Spread 2 Granny Smith apples peeled, cored and cut into 6 slices 1 large yellow onion, peeled and split

whisking until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste and reserve until serving.

½ jalapeno, seeded

Pecan Pork Crackling 1 bag of store-bought pork rinds

½ pound goat cheese

½ cup pecans toasted

1 tablespoon honey

1. Mix together pecans and pork rinds in food processor. Process until mix is crushed. Reserve for serving at room temperature.

1 tablespoon water 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar salt and pepper 1. Heat oven to 450 F. Place onion, apple and jalapeno on a pan and roast for 15 minutes until the vegetables are browned and charred. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

2. Once cooled, place onion, apple and jalapeno into food processor and purée. When the vegetables are smooth, add goat cheese and honey. While blending these together, pour in vinegar and water to create a smooth sauce.

3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Reserve until serving.

Note: The goat cheese spread makes a delicious dip. Make a little extra and store leftovers for a fast, flavorful snack or appetizer alongside fresh apples, dehydrated fruit chips or whole grain toast points.

Dressing ¼ apple cider vinegar ½ cup canola oil 1 tablespoon honey Salt and pepper 1. Combine vinegar and honey in a medium bowl. Drizzle in oil while

Salad 4 Granny Smith apples (cored but not peeled) ½ pound radish 1 pound Brussels sprouts (cleaned and split) 2 cups water Juice of two lemons 1 tablespoon olive oil Salt 1. Heat oven to 450 F. In mixing bowl, toss Brussels sprouts in oil and salt and then place in oven for 10 minutes. Set aside.

2. Combine lemon juice and water. Slice Granny Smith apples and place in lemon water to keep apples from turning.

3. Slice radishes and place in ice water to keep crisp.

4. Smear 2 tablespoons of goat cheese spread on each plate.

5. In a large mixing bowl, mix sliced apples, radishes, roasted Brussels sprouts tossed with apple cider vinaigrette and place on plate atop goat cheese spread.

6. Sprinkle salad with crackling.

Yield: 10 salads

Made from the best of fall’s bounty, this sophisticated southern salad is family favorite for Chef Todd Pulsinelli, executive chef at Restaurant August. Serve alone for a light weeknight supper or alongside roasted pork or quail at a holiday feast.

Born in Germany and raised in Ohio, Pulsinelli began cooking in local kitchens at a young age and has spent nearly a decade working with Besh Restaurant Group at Domenica, American Sector and Besh Steak. He resides in Mid-City with his wife Elizabeth and son Hank.

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for the garden

Digging Deep Amending soil for rich, fertile planting

By Pamela Marquis

I

n my mind there are several classic film moments.

One is when Dorothy opens her black and white door onto the technicolor of Oz. Another is when Red and Andy embrace on the pristine Mexican beach ending my perennial film favorite, “Shawshank Redemption.”

But my all time favorite film moment is in “Gone with the Wind,” when Scarlett, silhouetted in a glowing crimson sunset, clenches a handful of soil and declares, “As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again.”

This moment deeply resonates with my DNA, a DNA built from generations of ancestors who tilled the soil and harvested the bounty of the land. I was thrilled earlier this spring to move into a house that sat on a huge cleared lot. I would once again have the garden of my dreams.

I had visions of generously giving away my bountiful harvest to family and friends and I’d have a pantry filled

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with canned tomatoes, beans and pickles. But those dreams were dashed the moment I turned over my first shovelful of soil. It was solid clay more dense than cement. Unlike the soil Scarlett clenched, I knew my soil would do precious little to keep me from starvation.

This was the kind of soil where most folks would simply stop and build some containers and grow in raised beds.

Not me, I plodded along and amended the soil the best my budget would allow. I did, however, make a promise that come fall I would commit to a strategy of completely building up my soil.

“Louisiana soil is normally comprised of thick layers of clay, which lack the organic matter and permeability that plants need to thrive,” says Martin Romero, a landscape architect with Mullin Landscape Associates LLC. “Removing some of the dense clay layers and supplementing with

Good Reading “The Soul of Soil: A SoilBuilding Guide for Master Gardeners and Farmers,”

by Joe Smillie and Grace Gershuny This book provides essential information about one of the most significant challenges for those attempting to grow delicious organic vegetables: the creation and maintenance of healthy soil.

“Out of the Earth: Civilization and the Life of the Soil,”

by Daniel Hillel “Out of the Earth,” offers a description of the complex inner processes that form soil with a lyrical assertion of its powers and significance. “Soil is a living entity: the crucible of life, a seething foundry in which matter and energy are in constant flux and life is continually created and destroyed,” Hillel says.

“The $64 Tomato: How One Man Nearly Lost His Sanity, Spent a Fortune, and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden,” by William Alexander.

This delightful book explores the author’s joyful obsession with tending his kitchen garden. His honest account is educational, insightful and highly entertaining.

fertile topsoil (mixture of organic material and sandy loam for added drainage benefit) help the long term health and vitality of plants by stimulating root growth.

Just like us…you get out, what you put in.”

Another reason for adding organic matter to your soil is to provide food for the

beneficial microorganisms that release nutrients into the soil as they decompose the organic matter. By feeding the worms and millipedes and other tiny organisms, we improve our soil.

So I am ready to get to work; I am not going to till up my garden. That would destroy what little structure my soil already has. I will pull out weeds, finish my meager harvest and then begin covering my garden from now until spring with loads of organic material.

I plan to start with manure.

This is the first layer because it takes at least six months for manure to break down sufficiently. I get my manure from Sugar Roots Farm.

This amazing little farm is home to turkeys, chickens, goats, pigs, horses, Martha the Cow, sheep, a llama and lots of rabbits. I volunteer to muck out the pens and my reward is as much manure as I can smush into my containers. Sharessa Garland runs the farm as a hands-on, interactive educational experience and offers farm tours and kids’ camps. It provides children a great insight into the farm-to-table movement.

Next, I’ll keep adding layers of leaves, grass clippings, compost and straw throughout the fall and winter. I am shooting for at least four inches of organic matter. The final step is to make sure to keep it moist but not waterlogged.

So if all goes as planned next spring I’ll have the best soil in the 7th Ward and by July I’ll be giving away my bountiful harvest to family and friends — I will never go hungry again! n New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles.com

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L I V ING W ITH ANTI Q U ES

Pamela Pipes

Antiquing Adding antiques to your home landscape injects soul into any room

By Laura Claverie

O

n any given day I look into my stack of mail or open a local newspaper and see a chic ad for brand new furniture. I take time to read the catalogs and view each meticulously staged photograph, depicting perfect lives lived in well-appointed rooms. I often wonder: Where is the soul in that room?

Just as the soft wail of Tom Sancton’s clarinet or John Boutte’s smoky voice adds soul to a piece of music, a well-placed antique can add soul to a room, no matter the décor. In a city like New Orleans where soul drips off the oak trees, a home should reflect that as well.

“New Orleans is blessed with a variety of styles,” says decorator Patricia Brinson. “There’s no one ‘stereotypical look.’ Our variety of well preserved architectural styles

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— from funky arts and crafts, to gingerbread cottages to elegant galleried mansions — lend themselves to antiques of all kinds. They are part of the rich and diverse culture of this city. We are also blessed to have many talented artists and designers who reflect this variety in their work.”

So whether your aesthetic is mid-century modern, contemporary, bohemian or Old World elegant, any room can benefit from a thoughtfully-curated antique, and thus, give your décor soul.

“Nothing is more boring than a house full of all new furniture or all antiques,” says Mary Hines, co-owner of H & H Estate Sales. “The mix is what makes it interesting.”

Hines and her sister Gail Bergin have successfully talked young customers out of selling all the family antiques.

eugenia uhl photographS

advice Before you sell or reject a family antique, find out its value and how it could be used in your home.

Don’t be afraid to paint a piece to give it an updated look.

Antiques have many lives.

Use a piece in a bold, creative new way.

Add lights to an antique bookcase or china cabinet to freshen its look.

Family portraits anchor a room and give it history.

Use your grandmother’s china, crystal, linens and silver. They are great conversation pieces.

“We know that they’ll regret selling that armoire or buffet as it will add interest to a modern room one day,” says Hines.

Likewise, decorator Meg Bradley, whose clients prefer the mid-century modern look, recommends her clients add personality to their homes with antique accessories.

“A beautifully displayed collection of antique blue and white china can add magic to a mid-century modern room,” says Bradley.

She often uses antique architectural elements to create lamps, places ancient olive jars in rooms or covers bland sheetrock with antique cypress paneling giving a modern room the necessary gravitas.

Brinson echoes that approach, saying that it works for any person’s individual taste.

“Even a contemporary

home can be enhanced by one spectacular piece like a beautiful classic antique dining room table, a sparkling crystal chandelier or a gorgeous Oushak rug,” says Brinson. “I tell my clients — especially the young ones — to save up for that one special antique that you will be proud to own. An antique keeps or increases in value over time and can translate into any setting. A new piece won’t do either.”

We live in a city with a plethora of antique stores, consignment shops and estate sales, so antiques are readily available. Who knows what might be hiding in your mother’s or grandmother’s attic or storage unit? You might find just the piece that will take a brand-spanking new, all neutral, soulless room to a new and exciting level.

Pamela Pipes knows this well. Her elegant uptown digs are a mixture of contemporary furniture and fabrics and warm antiques from her family.

Her late mother, Carlota, was an astute collector with a dazzling, fearless eye for decorating. Today, many of her antiques reside with Pamela.

“My antiques make me feel closer to my mother, now that she is gone,” says Pipes. “I can look at a piece and be reminded of my childhood home and feel Mom is with me 24 hours a day. Each time I look at one of her pieces, I feel a deep connection to her.”

And that, my friends, is what adding soul to your home is all about. n New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles.com

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M ASTERS OF THEIR CRAFT

Feel the Bern Former speech pathologist Maureen Kennedy forges new path as a ceramicist

By Lauren LaBorde

T

he New Orleans iconography that local artisans incorporate into their work might include the ubiquitous fleur-de-lis, a traditional treat like a sno-ball, or perhaps a crawfish or alligator.

Maureen Kennedy has incorporated a less common, but nonetheless quintessentially New Orleans, icon: the cockroach. A recent collection from the ceramicist, known for hersimple, clean handmade wares, featured items emblazoned with the perennial nuisance of New Orleans.

“The idea of a roach in a bowl or cup kinda freaked people out, but at the same time it’s a very much an image of what we deal with every day here,” Kennedy says.

“There’s not a day where I don’t walk into my studio and I’m like, ‘Oh … hey, little friends.’”

For Kennedy, it’s all part of the fun, sometimes scary, adventure of committing to the life of a full-time artist. On

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the sidelines of her life for many years, art is the central focus of Kennedy’s life now through her company Bern Ceramics, which in its short history has embarked on some big projects.

The Slidell native attended the University of Mississippi to study speech pathology, where her plate was full of challenging pre-med courses. To ease some of her stress, her family suggested taking a “fun” class, so Beginning Pottery it was.

“I was awful at it,” she says. “I’m covered in clay every time I’m walking across campus to my dorm, thinking ‘What am I doing?’”

But eventually, things clicked.

“It’s almost like learning to ride a bike: One day you just get it. It either works for you or it doesn’t. When it did happen, it was probably 2 o’clock in the morning right eugenia uhl photographs

before the semester ended — it was like, ‘Oh my God, I can finally do it.’ I didn’t look back after that.”

Ceramics remained a hobby when she moved to Charlottesville, Virginia and started working with children with autism. She lived there for 10 years, and on a visit home to the New Orleans area she decided she needed to move back.

“I realized there was such a need for behavior therapists in this area after the storm,” she says.

Back in New Orleans, she took a ceramics class again as an outlet from her stressful job.

“It was therapeutic for me,” she says. “Here I am working with all these kids, providing therapy for them, so this was a really good way for me to balance.”

She sold her wares publicly for the first time at the Little Flea market in the Lower Garden District, and nearly sold out of everything. Since then, she’s taken the leap to running Bern Ceramics full-time, which has led to some exciting collaborations. Kennedy likes these collaborative projects; pulling inspiration from others infuses some variety into her work, and helps with the isolation of working for yourself.

Kennedy collaborated with Sara Ruffin Costello for the bug wares made available for the Southern Style Now design festival. Costello is the former creative director of Domino magazine who now lives in New Orleans with her photographer husband Paul Costello.

Another recent collaboration was with chef Kristen Essig to create plate wear

for the restaurant Cavan (Essig has since moved on to become chef and partner at Coquette). Even for big projects like this, Kennedy makes everything by hand using a pottery wheel. This gives each plate a slightly different look from the next, as well as tactile allure.

“The plates are all the same, but if you stack them all up they’re not going to stack completely perfectly.

I like that — it gives a handmade sense to it,” she says. “The people that are drawn to my stuff, they say the like to pick it up.”

Kennedy’s works — which include vases, plates, and “catchalls” — have a natural ceramic tone with pops of light blues, greens, and pinks, and sometimes warmer hues. Some plates are painted with a well of gold in the center.

You can find Bern Ceramics at Little Flea Market. She fields a lot of orders through Instagram (@bern.ceramics), and will be stocking her items in more stores here and in other cities (she’s currently working with a boutique in San Antonio on another bug-themed collection).

She works out of a garden shed at her Uptown house that she’s transformed into a studio. After taking a huge career leap, she’s sometimes that clay-covered college student again, asking herself, “What am I doing?” but for the most part she seems to be enjoying the adventure.

“It worked out and it’s not been easy, but what is, when you’re working for yourself?” she says. “It’s been a growing experience and it’s been exciting.” n New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles.com

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TREND W ATCH

Lighten Up Suspend a new decorative light from the ceiling to add instant ambience to any room in your home

By Lisa Tudor Photographed by Eugenia Uhl

Indigo denim strips and ball-chain swags hang from the bronze wrought iron frame of Currey & Company’s Boho Chandelier, at Sotre.

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Cloud Hanging Lamps made of thin cotton fiber held into shape by weightless wire armature are available in three sizes by designer Hae Young Yoon for Hive, exclusively at Katie Koch Home.

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New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles Autumn 2016

Italian ceramicist Paola Paronetto’s Cartocci paper clay and gilt pendant lamp acquires its striking texture from adding paper pulp and fiber to the ceramic mixture, giving each piece a distinctive tactile quality, available in colors and sizes exclusively at Katie Koch Home.

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A modern twist on classic mid-century design, this lightweight white enamel and brushed gold pendant is available in a variety of shapes, sizes and finishes at Eclectic Home.

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New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles Autumn 2016

Organically shaped and inspired by nature, designer Kelly Wearstler’s gilt Utopia Banded Pendant lamp teams her signature carved bronze technique with glass globes, exclusively at Eclectic Home

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T h e B e s t o f a u t um n

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New Build of the Year

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Pied-Ă€-Terre

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By Design

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Design Masters

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New Build of the Year

F Written and Styled by Valorie Hart

Photographed by Sara Essex Bradley

Facing page: Natural materials, organic elements and a mix of furnishings warm up designer Donna Russell’s modern aesthetic, giving her interiors a human touch.

or years, a lot across from the historic ruins of Spanish Fort on Bayou St. John sat empty, seemingly awaiting the right buyer with the right vision. That buyer was Kevin Lagrazie, owner of a large, traditional house on Orleans Avenue. Lagrazie was looking to downsize. He loved the Lake Vista area and quickly snapped up the vacant property.

To help bring to fruition his dream of a contemporary house on the bayou — an area steeped in history and lore — Lagrazie called upon Dodie Smith, principal of the architecture firm C. Spencer Smith, and interior designer Donna Russell.

“Views, access and orientation always play a part in decisions,” says Smith, whose work Lagrazie had long admired. “This

home has an historic fort site located directly in front. Our major rooms, living, dining and elevated kitchen, bar area (and the master bedroom on the second floor) have direct views of the levee and the remains of Spanish Fort. For personal, private exterior space, we retained a large oak shaded side yard which these rooms abut as well.”

Smith is well versed in the language of contemporary design, but also has vast experience in the historical. She served on the Vieux Carre Commission for years, and then assisted the Orleans Parish School Board and the Recovery School District in the renovations and rehabilitations of the historic schools. “[In] New Orleans, our neighborhoods are distinct,” says Smith. “My response to a new

or renovated home Uptown is very different to that in Lake Vista. I do not agree in conforming (the design) to (the) neighborhood (architectural style). However, as a contemporary home, I worked on the simple geometry and balance of the design and find it ‘fits’ by not being too obvious or contrived. I think it is a handsome response to my client and his site, further enhanced by his interior designer.”

Critics of contemporary design often describe it as cold or unapproachable. By introducing natural materials such as zebrawood for the cabinets, as well as organic elements and a mix of furnishings however, Russell — with whom Lagrazie worked on his Orleans Avenue home — cultivates depth and a human touch.

“The design sensibility is traditional [in New Orleans], says Russell. “People are so used to this traditional style that when they see contemporary design, they like its

Top, left: The sectional couch designed by the Italian company, Minotti, has built in leather end tables. Custom drapes by Fabrics Second to None. Bottom, left: Fine art photography by Lisa Conrad is nestled in next to the fireplace in the living room. Right: The modern fireplace bisects the open floor plan allowing for a second seating area with a Minotti swivel lounge chair, West Elm daybed, and custom monogrammed pillows. The carpet used in the living room and bedrooms is a true soft nylon product that mimics wool and silk. Facing page: An overview of the open floor plan affords two seating areas, and a dining area — all with a view onto the bayou. Lighting fixtures from Eclectic Home.

The spacious open plan living room has sweeping views of Spanish Fort and Bayou St. John.

freshness, but don’t know how to achieve it for themselves.”

Since Russell, Smith and Lagrazie were starting from scratch, it was an opportunity to shape a new, fresh vision.

A hard-edged, yet sculptural staircase is softened by the incorporation of wood.

The glass banister disappears allowing the design of the stairs to stand out.

Contractor Leo Galvan also helped design and build a distinct lighting element combining silver and gold leafed oil lid disks and LED lighting.

Most of the living room furniture came from Smink Inc., located in the Dallas Design Center. The dining table is from Restoration Hardware’s RH Modern collection with lighting fixtures in the living and dining area, as well as nightstands, lamps and custom upholstered bed, in the master bedroom from Eclectic Home. Fabrics Second to

None did the custom window treatments, including hardware and installation. The cabinetry (except for closets and office) came from Adda, which was also the source for flooring, backsplashes and custom rugs, with the closets and office

by California Closets. Assembled on site, the Stairway Shop built the staircase in their facility. Custom mirrors, cut glass tabletops and glass for the bathroom showers are all from C Glass.

While the team submitted plans to City Hall in October of 2014, and broke ground in January of 2015, the house wasn’t completed until July of 2016.

“You have to be prepared for problems and set backs,” says Russell. “The global economy and internet resources mean that you have access to materials from around the world, but your project can be held at the mercy of events happening far away. When exotic and

Facing page: A cozy sitting area on the upstairs landing. Acrylic and metal chair is from the showroom of Jade Interior Design. Left: A favorite textile from the home owner’s art collection is featured in a prime spot.

The industrial console table made from tractor parts is a flea market find.

Right: Wide plank oak wood floors are stained dark throughout the second floor. The cabinetry in the home office is from California Closets. Light fixture from Eclectic Home.

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unusual materials are used, there is a bigger risk.

For example, the large commercial windows were delayed in production setting the whole project back for months.�

Adding to the setbacks were the usual issues designers and builders face with city bureaucracy and red tape.

Lagrazie had total trust in Smith and Russell for every aspect of the project however and as of the writing of this piece had not been to the site, because he wanted the thrill of the big reveal.

Top, left: The view from the custom made mahogany wood and steel front door opens onto the bayou. Front knot garden was planted by Freret Garden and Landscaping. Top, right: The clear glass stair railing affords a dramatic view to the the downstairs space. The mixture of textures give warmth to the modern design. Bottom: Large metal discs in the stairwell are back lit for a dramatic effect. The large, lantern ceiling fixture is from Eclectic Home. Facing page: A deft mixture of furniture in the dining area featuring a modern dining table with brass legs, contemporary wooden arm chairs and a traditional bench upholstered in curly lamb, along with a modern lighting fixture above the table create a sophisticated, layered look.

Facing page: The master bedroom features a bed from Eclectic Home that was custom upholstered. Bedding by Fabrics Second to None. Cerused oak nightstand from Eclectic Homes. Top, left: The master bathroom features a Victoria and Alberto Napoli tub from the Minimalist Contemporary collection. There is access to the balcony that runs along the side of the house.

Top, right: Menswear fabrics were the inspiration for the design throughout the home. Large scale tile with a felt-like texture dovetails with this idea. The clean lines of the bathroom’s Danze fixtures add to the masculine charm. Bottom, right: The dressing room off the master bathroom features cabinetry by California Closets.

Toss pillow from Eclectic Home.

Spanish Fort through the years Around 1701, the French built a fort at the mouth of the languid waters of what is now known as Bayou St. John, where it flowed into Lake Pontchartrain, calling it Fort St. John on the Bayou. When the Spanish claimed the territory it was called Fort San Juan del Bayou, eventually shortened to St. John Fort, and ultimately simplified to today’s iteration, Spanish Fort.

Spanish Fort has seen its fair share of reinvention as it moved into modern times.

Once decommissioned, it became a hotel, a fashionable resort and an amusement park. When the park closed down in 1926, the old fort was abandoned and nature took its course to reclaim it. It became a favorite spot in Lake Vista to jog, fish, picnic or just enjoy a warm day under the shade trees along the banks of the bayou.

The ruins of the fort remain, along with plenty of folklore, including a story about a Spanish officer falling in love with a Native American princess. Her father, the chief, killed the Spanish officer (Sancho Pablo).

The chief’s daughter came to the grave every night mourning the loss of her love, and it is rumored she has been coming to the grave on every night thereafter. Legend has it that the sound of a woman’s cries can still be heard, the grief stricken maiden eternally mourning her lost love. The grave of Sancho Pablo still remains.

Today, residents of Lake Vista enjoy the recreational benefits of the bayou. The ruins are a popular site for school field trips and are visited regularly by tourists.

Facing page: The kitchen features zebrawood cabinets and stove hood. Hematite-colored bar stools add sparkle along with the Minera quartz countertops and island. Custom Roman shade by Fabrics Second to None.

Top: A massive wine cooler was added to house the homeowner’s wine collection.

Bottom: A view into the kitchen. Black stainless steel bar stools from Eclectic Home.

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Subtle shades of neutral hues are the backdrop for pops of color using artwork, fabric and accessories. Art work over couch

by Ashton Shaw Despot.

Pied-À-Terre

An airy Lower Garden District gem

By Valorie Hart Photographed by Sara Essex Bradley

C

ondo living is popular in New Orleans, whether it is a holiday home or a full time residence. Jim and George Ann Wesner bought a St. Charles Avenue, Lower Garden District condo because of their love of New Orleans and their ties to Louisiana. Living full time in Cincinnati, Ohio, they decided this condo was the perfect pied à terre, allowing them to spend more time with their friends and family in the city.

Jim is from New Orleans and graduated from Tulane Law School while George Ann grew up in Lake Providence, Louisiana. Newcomb College brought her to New Orleans. Despite attending college at Newcomb and Tulane, they met in George Ann’s hometown at a wedding.

“Somehow, we never met while we were both in school together,” says Jim. “Presumably, she was mostly in the library while I was mostly at the frat house.”

Susan Currie of Susan Currie Design was called upon to pull the interiors together. Currie began by talking with the Wesners about their preferences for furnishings and colors. “[The main goal was] to design a comfortable second home in a city my clients love to visit frequently surrounded by their books, music and

Top: Vintage table from Caravan Finds. Bottom: Sofa from Wesley Hall; Worlds Away coffee table Facing Page: Master bedroom has custom drapes; bedding from Legacy Linens; nightstand from Busbin Fine Home Furnishings. Bottom, left: Concave front dresser in the master bedroom is Hickory White. Bottom, right: Custom drapery designed by Susan Currie

other favorite things,” says Currie. “We designed beautiful custom cabinetry to achieve this throughout the condo.”

Having a great floor plan that functions well was at the top of Currie’s priority list, but there were some structural challenges to overcome with this particular project.

“The low height of the windows in the condo dated the rooms so all the window treatments were designed to give the illusion of height to draw the eye upward,” she says. “Very limited lighting made the condo seem very dark. There were just a few overhead lights and the concrete ceilings limited what we could add so a great lighting plan was a

Top: The homeowner loves antique, vintage and reproduction furnishings as well as art with an Asian motif. Bottom: The Wesners are bibliophiles. Custom cabinetry was added in the study and living room to house their collection.

Facing Page: The guest bedroom features vibrant blue dupioni silk draperies and a roman shade with a cobalt blue large-scale design of cherry blossoms and vases.

must. We incorporated new decorative sconces in several bedrooms and attractive brass library lights over the custom bookcases, along with fabulous lamps to create ambience and sparkle in each room.”

The Wesners purchased their condo in May of 2015. It took about a year to complete the interior design. The building dates back to 1979 and was later converted to condos in 2005. The Wesners unit had been minimally updated over the years so they seized the opportunity to create a space that was fresh and functional. After the decisions were made about furnishings, Currie managed the project involving tasks from removing dated popcorn ceilings to adding new custom cabinetry. As Currie alluded to, the Wesners are bibliophiles, so adding a place to curl up with a good book was essential to every room. Custom bookcases were added to the living room and study while one bedroom also received a cozy window seat perfect for reading.

The condo is approximately 2,000 square feet with a gracious living and dining area. Jim and George Ann love collecting photos of New Orleans architecture and jazz musicians, as well as antique maps of Louisiana.

On a shopping trip together with the designer they

discovered an old map of the Mississippi River and George Ann’s hometown. It was a must to add to the gallery wall off the living room. The Wesners were thrilled and it complements the photo of George Ann’s family home placed next to it.

There are two larger master bedroom suites, one with an adjoining study, as well as a guest room.

The guest bedroom features vibrant blue Dupioni silk draperies and a Roman shade with a cobalt blue large-scale design of cherry blossoms and vases.

Jim loves antique, vintage and reproduction furnishings and art with an Asian motif.

“The Asian decor became a focus in many of the rooms and we capitalized on it by using great fabrics like the Jim Thompson No. 9 for the living room draperies; accessories and art; and finally the striking hand-painted Theodore Alexander Chinese leaf leather top desk for the study,” says Currie.

In the second master bedroom, a chinoiserie style the roman shade with oriental fans, as well as the reproduction Theodore Alexander Chinese leaf desk, bringing the design together. The inviting space has become a home away from home for the Wesners and their guests throughout the year. n

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By design A peek inside the homes of three new orleans designers

B y Lee C u t r o n e

P h o t o g r a p h ed by Sa ra Esse x Bra d le y

The old saying that the cobbler’s children have no shoes is often true.

Have you ever met a contractor who wasn’t last on his own to-do list?

But this is not always the case. Three locals who have their hands in the business of home design are sharing their own labors of love with us in this issue, illustrating that those who help beautify the homes around us do indeed manage to bring their special talents to their own homes.

Erin and Mark Jacobs River Ridge As owners of the home furnishings store Abode, designer Erin Jacobs and her husband Mark Jacobs knew exactly what they wanted when they built their new home. Having lived in River Ridge for 15 years, the Jacobses and their two children outgrew their previous home. So they decided to build one designed specifically for their family’s tastes and needs. “We wanted something conducive to my family when they come in town,” says Erin, who has a large extended family and notes that Mark is one of five siblings who all live here. “That’s the amazing part — it has room for family.” The Jacobses house has an upstairs master, their two children’s bedrooms and a downstairs guest suite. The couple’s other goals when building: to take advantage of the site’s light and views; they designed the living spaces to accommodate their daily life — forgoing a formal dining room for an open kitchen, living and dining space; and they wanted the house to have a rustic contemporary feel that is both casual and elegant. Erin’s experience as a designer coupled with the store made acquiring materials, supplies and skilled craftsmen readily accessible. “I do this all day long,” she says. “It made doing my own house easier.”

Kendall Winingder and Patrick Schindler Uptown When Kendall Winingder and Patrick Schindler built their Uptown home, they considered its design from multiple angles.

As partners in their own real estate development and design companies (Felicity Property and Felicity Design) they designed it to fit in with the historic character of the neighborhood. As a couple, they designed it to reflect their tastes (she calls her combination of clean-lined transitional pieces, modern elements, calming palette and bohemian flair “warm modern;” he’s a minimalist) and accommodate the family life they were about to begin as newlyweds. To satisfy the first part of the equation, they paid attention to details — antique gingerbread brackets, decorative quoins, reclaimed cypress doors, tongue-in-groove pine floors, French doors, exposed beams, milled windows and gas lanterns. “I love when people think the house has been there forever and it’s actually new construction,” says Kendall. To make the house an expression of their combined aesthetic and lifestyle, they incorporated items from their travels, art they’ve collected, distinct lighting, custom paint finishes, cumaru wood decks and a contemporary kitchen. They’re currently finishing a new uber-modern home for their family, which includes two toddlers and two dogs, while their award-winning business focuses on multi-family dwellings, including St. Anna’s in the Lower Garden District. “Our partnership is very complementary,” says Patrick. “I take a minimalist view, Kendall brings it all to life.”

Natasha ShaH Downtown Designer Natasha Shah’s Esplanade Avenue pied–à–terre serves as both a staycation escape for she and her husband, Pulin Shah, and a place for visiting friends and family.

Because it’s located on the edge of the French Quarter, she respected its historic bones (the ground floor apartment is one of two residences in the 19th century, double gallery Queen Ann house), but also gave it a free-spirited, offbeat ambiance, much like the neighborhood itself. “It’s all about the French Quarter,” she says. “It’s very decadent.” Against a classic backdrop of high ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows and crown moldings, she created an irreverent mixture of Mardi Gras colors, reimagined antiques, animal hides, modern photography and surprise elements — including a taxidermy peacock and an indoor swing. The effect is of an historic interior turned on its ear. The master bedroom, for example, juxtaposes red velvet drapery inspired by a 19th century New Orleans boudoir with exuberant zebra wallpaper

by Scalamandré. The smaller of the two bedrooms mixes a French-inspired bed topped by a crown canopy with playful bunny rabbit wallpaper by Southern artist Hunt Slonem.

“There are some traditional elements, but I put them in a new light,” says Shah. “I wanted them to be young and fun.”

des master

sign rs w ritten by

Lee Cutrone

photographed by

jeffery johnston

master of landscape design

Beverly Katz Exterior Designs

As a girl growing up in Texas, Beverly Katz wanted to be a ballerina. As an adult, she found her way into another artistic endeavor — landscape design. Katz first worked as a landscape architect’s assistant and then struck out on her own. In business for more than 25 years, clients have come to refer to Katz as a “landscape therapist” due to her way of transforming their outdoor spaces by exploring an owner’s interior life. “I study people through their interior first so I can capture what they like and need and let it flow to the outside,” she says. A life member of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers, Katz has garnered multiple awards and has been featured on HGTV. She believes her ability to create livable outdoor rooms is the key to her success. “Function and correcting problems are first, beauty comes next,” says Katz, who has worked closely with landscape architect Kay Ourso for 20 years. She infuses each job, even the ultra modern, with a touch of historic New Orleans, making her a favorite among owners of historic homes and other landmark properties. “I love to take design and put it in place,” she says.

master of interior design

Shaun Smith

Shaun Smith Home

Native Mississippian Shaun Smith grew up spending weekends, summer vacations and holidays in New Orleans visiting family.

“That’s when my love for New Orleans developed,” says Smith.

After attending college in California and working for an Atlanta design firm, he made his way back to New Orleans and began renovating houses. In 2008, he renovated, decorated and flipped his first residence, which garnered multiple offers and sold above asking price even before going on the market.

“That created a buzz,” he says. “All of a sudden, I had people calling me to decorate their houses.”

Smith soon opened a retail shop on Magazine Street, which also serves as his design office. The magic, according to the designer, is in the mix. “I saw that there was [a] need for somebody who was mixing vintage with antiques,” he says. “Things with a little less age but still a lot of style. It’s all about the right pairing of different periods of furniture all living together.”

Smith’s work has caught the attention of House Beautiful, which counted him among its Next Wave Designers in 2015. He also served as the New Orleans partner and lead project coordinator for the well-attended Traditional Home inaugural Southern Style Now Showhouse held in the spring.

master of kitchen design

Chris Licciardi

Marchand Creative Kitchens

Designing kitchens is second nature to Chris Licciardi. The third generation of his family to own and operate Marchand Creative Kitchens, he began learning the business inside and out when he started working in the various departments of Marchand at 13. Today, Licciardi and his staff design hundreds of kitchens each year. “We like to say sell kitchens and provide cabinets, appliances and countertops for those kitchens,” says Licciardi, a certified kitchen designer. “Every kitchen is different for every person. You have to find out what that person wants and needs and design for them.” With individuality such a key part of the business, Marchand sells a wide range of products; handles every type of kitchen from traditional to contemporary; and designs every size kitchen from small and efficient to large and luxurious.

“We can supply it, deliver and install it,” says Licciardi. Now in its 57th year (55 of those in the same Division Street location), Marchand has Metairie and Northshore showrooms to service the needs of New Orleans and its surrounding areas as well as the broad spectrum of customer tastes.

“Kitchens are all about the people you do them for,” says Licciardi.

master of home accents

Dianna Knost A.K.A. Stella Gray

If there’s one thing that feeds Dianna Knost’s creative spirit and eye for home accents more than any other, it’s travel. A south Louisiana native with a love for organic forms, found objects and self-made designs, Knost has always loved the hunt for beauty, especially the bohemian variety.

“I always preferred to go out and find it or build it myself,” says Knost, who repurposes furniture, is a self-taught painter and has designed her own jewelry. But it was a trip to Africa that set the course for Knost’s eventual path into retail. In 2012, she opened A.K.A. Stella Gray on Magazine Street. Today, she regularly travels the world in search of furnishings, textiles and home décor, which she describes as “bohemian luxury.”

In the last few years, road trips have yielded such treasures as tumbleweeds and taxidermy from Wyoming and rustic furnishings from country fairs she found while heading to and from Massachusetts.

Masks, beads and Kuba cloth from Africa, handmade textiles found off the beaten path in Italy, are also among the shop’s wares. “I travel to places I love,” says Knost. “I know there will be something I want to bring back – something from a local craftsman or street artist or something I find.”

master of decorative finishes

Diane Killeen

Diane Killeen Painting Studios

Diane Killeen was always artistic. After graduating from college with a degree in studio art, she honed her artistic direction, completing the decorative painting and restoration course through the City & Guilds of London Institute’s North American program. There she got hands-on training at the renowned Biltmore Estate. Today, Diane Killeen Painting Studios specializes in custom hand-painted finishes for historical and contemporary settings. Her expertise includes traditional water gilding, venetian plaster, faux marble, faux bois, trompe l’oeil, stenciling, glazing, murals, metallic finishes and decorative plaster restoration. Her classical training provided experience and cachet, but Killeen says growing up in New Orleans was the catalyst for her love of the decorative arts. “I’ve travelled extensively,” she says. “But most places only have one or two buildings that are registered National Historic Landmarks.

In New Orleans, everything is unique and beautiful.” Locally, she has worked on the Milton H. Latter Memorial Library, The Roosevelt New Orleans and the lobby of the newly refurbished Pontchartrain Hotel, as well as private residences.

On historic jobs, she enjoys the reward of doing her work so accurately that it’s undetectable. On contemporary commissions, she strives to adapt old world techniques to contemporary aesthetics. “I like to get creative by adding a fresh new twist,” she says.

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master of furniture design

Adem Vant Hull furniture designer

Minneapolis native Adem Vant Hull fell in love with New Orleans while growing up. At 18, he moved to the city (just prior to Hurricane Katrina) in hopes of becoming a chef. When Chip Martinson, owner of Monkey wid-a Fez — a custom furniture workshop and gallery — asked Adem to help move his stormdamaged business, Adem became intrigued by the craft. “I was interested, so I started showing up,” he says. “I had always drawn and been good with my hands. I caught on quickly.” Vant Hull apprenticed under Martinson and spent a year in Minneapolis working with custom cabinet makers. He makes tables, chairs, chests, dressers and other furnishings, mostly out of raw hardwoods like cherry, poplar, walnut and maple. His creations vary from rustic pieces based on traditional designs to clean-lined modern forms. “If a client wants a table, I tell them to Google tables and screenshot 20,” he says. “Then we come up with a drawing and a design.” The end goal is a piece that will stand the test of time. “The thing we preach is that we want to be on the Antiques Road Show 200 years from now,” says Vant Hull.

“We try to make something your grandkids are going to have.”

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masters of lighting

Michael Ber and Otis Alexander Lighting Inc.

As co-owners of Lighting Inc., Michael Ber and Otis Alexander bring a wide variety of quality lighting and related products to the New Orleans market. Ber’s father started the business (located, until Hurricane Katrina, on Tulane Avenue at Carrollton Avenue) in 1959 and Ber began working there in 1971. Alexander, whose mother managed the store’s lamp center, began working at the store during summers and weekends when he was growing up. When Ber’s father retired, Ber and Alexander formed a partnership. “We’re a full service lighting business,” says Alexander.

“We don’t just have a showroom.

We work small commercial projects, we offer design services, we sell shades, picture lighting, gas lanterns, ceiling fans, landscape lighting and design, the latest in LED lighting — the gamut of what’s out there.” Ber and Alexander say the level of quality and service and their staff’s knowledge sets the business apart. Many of their employees have been with the business for more than 20 years.

The store strives to serve both the older, traditional market as well as the influx of younger buyers who’ve moved to the city. “We are very particular about what we buy,” says Ber. “We won’t put it in the store unless we would put in our own houses,” adds Alexander.

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master of architecture

Julie Babin, AIA studioWTA

New Orleans first made its way into Julie Babin’s life as a college destination. The Philadelphia native, who planned to attend a university in the northeast, visited Tulane and fell in love. “I thought it was fabulous down here,” says Babin. “It was so different than anything I had experienced growing up.” Babin’s accomplishments at Tulane, where she earned her Master of Architecture, including The John W. Lawrence Travel Research Fellowship and the John W. Lawrence Memorial Medal for Design Excellence. When Hurricane Katrina halted her thesis, she temporarily attended a satellite program in Arizona and then returned to New Orleans. “I felt I needed to stay and help rebuild the city I’d grown to love,” she says. Since 2006, she has been with studioWTA, a full-service design firm with an emphasis on creating buildings that are regionally responsive and sustainable. Her projects run the gamut from singlefamily homes to universities. She’s currently working on the renovation of a downtown building that has the distinction of being the birthplace of the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club, as well as a renovation and new addition to a 115-year old building on Tulane’s campus. Earlier this year, she and fellow female coworker, Tracie Ashe, were honored to become partners with studioWTA’s founding architect, Wayne Troyer. “The profession has historically been male-dominated, but it’s changing,” says Babin.

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master of drapery

Neil Peyroux

Peyroux’s Custom Curtains

Neil Peyroux learned the drapery business by jumping in and teaching himself. He started his to-the-trade workroom in 1998, by purchasing equipment and hiring one seamstress. Within six months, he had expanded to five seamstresses and was filling orders for a clientele that included designers and retailers.

After Katrina, a large segment of the population needed draperies to replace those ruined by the storm.

Peyroux opened a store on Jefferson Highway, offering ready-made and custom heirloom quality products at the best value possible, and business took off. “You can get beautiful curtains off the rack,” says Peyroux.

He sells his ready-made drapery in single width and width-and-a-half panels as well as his custom work to individual clients’ and designers’ specifications. Peyroux is known for his distinctive styles and unexpected color combinations popular among both traditional tastemakers and young homeowners. “I’m inspired by color and especially clients who desire a punch of color with their curtains,” he says. Peyroux’s trims and fabrics come from the top names in home décor including Lee Jofa, Robet Allen, Kravet, and Samuel & Sons, and every order is created in his New Orleans workroom by a team of professional seamstresses.

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master of real estate development

Greg Cummings

Cummings Development and Design Raised in Shreveport, Greg Cummings obtained an engineering degree from LSU and an MBA from Tulane; worked in real estate; and lived in multiple areas of the south. After he built an investment property in Watercolor, Florida, his various areas of experience came together and he found his calling as a developer of high-end residential properties. “I was hooked,” says Cummings. “It was the worst of [real estate] times in Florida. To be successful at the worst of times gave me confidence.” The New Orleans-based developer says he’s created a much-needed specialty.

“I have the ability to recognize investment properties and to bridge the gap between contractor, architect and end user,” he says. “I can come into a project and figure out the problems on the front end.”

The majority of Cummings’ projects are spec houses along Florida’s 30A, and in New Orleans and Louisiana.

He buys the land, designs a plan for the home, manages construction, interior design (the homes are fully finished with furnishings and drapery) and the real estate agents who sell the homes. “I manage every aspect from designing the HVAC system to creating an environment that’s superior all the way through,” he says.

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Campbell Cabinet Co. 220 Hord St. Harahan 504/733-4687 4040 Highway 59 Mandeville 985/892-7713 campbellcabinets.com

Beth Claybourn Interiors 401 Tchoupitoulas New Orleans 504/342-2630

Fireside Antiques 14007 Perkins Road Baton Rouge 225/752-9565 firesideantiques.com

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Doorman Designs 504/408-1616 doormandesigns.com

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Floor & DÊcor 2801 Magazine St, Ste A New Orleans 504/891-3005

Eclectic Home 8211 Oak St. New Orleans 504/866-6654 eclectichome.net

Adda Carpet & Flooring 5480 Mounes St. Harahan 504/736-9001 addacarpetsandflooring.com

Flynn Designs 8903 Jefferson Hwy River Ridge 504/667-3837 flynndesignsnola.com

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shop Mullin Landscape Associates 621 Distributors Row, Ste. F Harahan 504/275-6617

The French Mix 228 Lee Lane Covington 985/809-3152 shopthefrenchmix.com Katie Koch Home 3905 Magazine St. New Orleans 504/410-1450 katiekochhome.com

Palatial Stone 2052 Paxton St. Harvey 504/340-2229 2033 N. Hwy 190, Ste. 9 Covington 985/249-6868 palatialstone.com

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shop Rivers Spencer Interiors 3909 Magazine St. New Orleans 504/609-2436 riversspencer.com

The Historic New Orleans Collection 533 Royal St. 504/598-7147 hnoc.org/shop Stafford Tile & Stone 5234 Magazine St., New Orleans 504-895-5000 4273 Perkins Rd. Baton Rouge 225-925-1233

California ClosetsÂŽ 3211 N. Causeway Blvd.

Metairie 504/828-5705 californiaclosets.com

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Kathy Slater Interiors/ Design Collection 3908 Magazine St. New Orleans 504/400-9032 kathyslater.com

Russells Cleaning 3704 Robertson St. Metairie 504/832-1546 3401 Tulane Ave. New Orleans 504/482-3153 russellscleaning.com

Louisiana Custom Closets 13405 Seymour Meyer, Ste 24 Covington 985/871-0810

Susan Currie Design New Orleans 504/237-6112 susancurriedesign.com

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Nordic Kitchens and Baths Inc. 1818 Veterans Blvd.

Metairie 504/888-2300 ext. 211 nordickitchens.com

Triton Stone Group 6131 River Road New Orleans 504/738-2228 tritonstone.com

MLM Incorporated 3500 N. Causeway Blvd., Ste. 160 Metairie 504/322-7050 South Shore 985/231-0233 North Shore mlm-inc.com

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New Orleans Architecture Foundation home tour promotional section

Join the New Orleans Architecture Foundation on Sept. 24 for a self-guided tour of seven stunning Uptown / University area homes, where you will learn about the history and architectural significance of each.

For tickets, visit: noafhometour.eventbrite.com

photographed by sara essex bradley

NOAF Home Tour promotional section

New Orleans Architecture Foundation Home Tour Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016 | 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Ticket Information

NOAF MISSION

About NOAF

Ticket price provides entrance to seven private homes and can be purchased in advance at noafhometour.eventbrite.com or the day of the tour at Holy Name of Jesus School at 6325 Cromwell Place.

The mission of the New Orleans Architecture Foundation is to support education and advocacy activities that enhance public appreciation of architecture and design as vital community assets that enrich the quality of life in New Orleans.

New Orleans Architecture Foundation is a 501(c)(3) that supports our mission by raising funds through programming and through corporate and private donations. Each and every gift – no matter how small or how large - helps our organization to accomplish three major goals: engagement with the community, expanded programming and retiring the debt on the AIA Center for Design.

Prices In Advance: $25 each On the Day of the Tour: $30 each As with any charitable donation, please consult your tax preparer for advice and the deductibility of your ticket. In the event of cancellations, please consider your ticket purchase as a donation to the New Orleans Architecture Foundation. No refunds will be given.

We are accomplishing our mission by increasing our presence in the community and by launching new events and continuing education opportunities that provide the community with significant and valued benefits. In addition, we will continue to significantly expand our engagement through both our programs, organizational activities, peer networking opportunities and will actively encourage and allocate resources for projects and activities.

The Foundation will continue to accomplish these goals by providing a comprehensive program of architecture tours, exhibitions, public lectures, and education programs featuring notable speakers, architecturally significant structures and the latest in continuing education topics.

For more information, please visit our website at noaf.org

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NOAF Home Tour promotional section

Featured Homes 1. Ann Stafford 6036 Garfield Street 2. Pierre & Allison Stouse 1433 Exposition Boulevard 3. Vincent Saia & Glynn Stephens 1565 Exposition Boulevard 4. Randy Aucoin & Jon Gray 6034 St. Charles Avenue 5. Lee Ledbetter & Doug Meffert 6161 Marquette Place 6. Liz & Poco Sloss 1804 State Street 7. Patrick & Sarah Vance 1821 State Street

For a full map of the homes, visit noaf.org/hometourmap

1 Ann Stafford 6036 Garfield Street The Stafford House was constructed in 1980 at the height of the Postmodern era, which attempted to reconcile Modernist spare architecture with the influence of the building’s locale and the context of the residential tradition. Designed by architect Errol Barron, The Stafford House takes its general shape from the neighborhood and employs formal devices in place of traditional details. The design creates moments of interest at key points, including the entrance, the pediment, and skylights among others. The pediment, for example, is separated from the house to bounce south light into a high window over the stair. The living room, children’s bath, and rear porch exemplify the modernist credo “form follows function.” In 1980, Architectural Record recognized the home as an innovative “Record House.”

NOAF Home Tour promotional section

2 Pierre & Allison Stouse 1433 Exposition Boulevard Designed by architect Robert Spencer Soulé, the home of Pierre and Allison Stouse was constructed in 1908 as part of the affluent developments that emerged around Audubon Park. The original property encompassed the entire square of Pitt to Garfield and Exposition to Calhoun. Built in a center hall, arts and crafts style, the home’s prominent feature is a deep, wrap-around porch that faces Audubon Park. Bay windows flank the center hall on both floors of the home, offering verdant views and natural light.

The Stouses purchased the home in 2002 from the estate of Allison Stouse’s grandparents, who had coincidentally purchased the home in 1939 from Pierre Stouse’s cousin. In a 2005 renovation, Allison Stouse relocated the kitchen, added a bedroom, and extended the porch.

3 Vincent Saia & Glynn Stephens 1565 Exposition Boulevard Designed by architect Rathbone DeBuys and built in 1905 under an original Tudor Revival design structure, the home of Vincent Saia and Glynn Stephens maintains its original Tudor feel while exhibiting a modern contemporary interior feel. Numerous windows offer views of Audubon Park and the backyard, which features a prominent sculpture of a hand by artist Jesus Moroles. The house has been remodeled several times over the century with a major renovation in 1989 by architect David Leake. After purchasing the main residence in 2000 and the guesthouse in 2006, Vincent Saia and Glynn Stephens renovated and “married” both homes under the direction of Chrestia, Staub & Pierce. René Fransen designed the pool and landscaping of the two homes.

NOAF Home Tour promotional section

4 Randy Aucoin & Jon Gray 6034 St. Charles Avenue Built in 1965 in the French traditional style, the home of Randy Aucoin and Jon Gray resembles a French townhome with radius-style casement windows, a steep slate roof, and stucco exterior.

Draftswoman Beverly Hymel designed the home for she and her husband, and architect Tim Favrot created the formal plans for construction from Hymel’s drawings. In 2012, Randy Aucoin and Jon Gray purchased the home and spent eight months on a comprehensive renovation and expansion with the help of preservation architect Lauren Harrell, who duplicated all masonry quoins and banding around windows and matched existing copper gutters.

Elements of the renovation include solid hickory flooring throughout, a coffered ceiling, detailed kitchen and baths, a pool and outdoor living area, and an expanded master bedroom.

5 Lee Ledbetter & Douglas Meffert 6161 Marquette Place Originally the personal residence of architect Nathaniel “Buster” Curtis, Jr., one of New Orleans’ most influential 20th century architects, the Curtis house has been described as a Midcentury-Modern “marvel of glass and steel” behind its eight-foot perimeter wall of white brick.

Today, the Curtis house is owned and occupied by architect Lee Ledbetter and husband, Douglas Meffert, who bought the residence in 2013. Built in 1963 at 4,100 square feet, this National Historic Landmark is comprised of interlocking indoor and outdoor spaces with framed views of the gardens. Ledbetter and Meffert have since converted the seven bedrooms to three plus a gym, updated the kitchen and baths, resurfaced the walls, re-landscaped, restored the fountains, and furnished with a combination of antiques and classic midcentury pieces, some original to the house.

NOAF Home Tour promotional section

6 Liz & Poco Sloss 1804 State Street Originally built in 1929 for the Postmaster of New Orleans, the Spanish Mediterranean home of Liz and Poco Sloss was designed by architect Paul Charbonnet, Sr. The home features a smooth stucco exterior, clay tile roof, interior and exterior wrought ironwork, and ornamental exterior frieze. Liz and Poco Sloss acquired the home in 1986 and renovated the kitchen in 2012 with the assistance of architect Michael Carbine, who also redesigned the backyard and outdoor living space in 2008. The home’s interior owes its antique- and art-filled look to the design work of Nina Sloss and Ann Holden.

Landscaping was completed by Pam Hayne. Of the home’s notable interior features are the original, black wroughtiron gates that lead into the solarium.

7 Patrick & Sarah Vance 1821 State Street Built in 1920, the Mediterranean Revival home of Sarah and Patrick Vance features a symmetrical façade, centered portico, and ground floor arches with casement doors. The spacious living room extends the length of the original home, enjoying triple exposure via five sets of casement doors that open onto an expansive garden landscaped by Pam Hayne. A renovation and expansion under architect Peter Trapolin created a family room, kitchen, breakfast room, and a master bedroom-bathroom suite. Additionally, Trapolin converted an antiquated kitchen into a study with a classically arched doorway, paneled walls, and bookcases.

The family room echoes the open living room and features French doors and windows under Palladian transoms.

Architect Lee Ledbetter designed the pool and stonework, and Gerrie Bremermann led the interior design.

Presented by

Chairmen: Peyton and Liz Bush and Lamar and Michelle Villere

St. Charles Avenue invites you to our 3rd Annual Wine, Dine & Design extravaganza featuring 25 elaborately decorated tablescapes crafted by top designers. View these true works of art at the Preview Party as you indulge in tasty tidbits, cocktails and live music. Or, enjoy a three-course, lunch with wine while seated at one of our beautifully decorated tables. 100% of all ticket sales and proceeds will benefit Bastion.

Preview Party October 12 | 6-8pm Luncheon October 13 | 11:30am-1:30pm

Luncheon Tickets - $150 per person Call Margaret Strahan at 830-7264

Audubon Tea Room 6500 Magazine St.

Preview Party Tickets - $50 per person available at MyNewOrleans.com/Events

Sponsored by:

Boysie and Joy Bollinger; Sally and Walter Cockerham

About Bastion: Bastion is a nonprofit organization that is building an intentionally designed neighborhood in New Orleans for returning warriors with lifelong rehabilitative needs and their families. Through their powerful community model that empowers neighbors as volunteers in a warrior’s care plan, Bastion will sustain a thriving recovery from the wounds and casualties of war.

HOME RENEWAL

House Fluent

Learning the language of your home to achieve the right look

By Peter Reichard

W

hen a renovation project wraps up, it’s always gratifying to hear compliments from friends and neighbors — but with the completion of the latest project on our house, one compliment was by far the most gratifying: “It looks like the house was always meant to be that way.”

That is precisely what my wife and I were trying to achieve with an addition to our home. We wanted to add space yes, but in a way that expressed, rather than diminished, the soul of the place.

It didn’t happen by accident, and it almost didn’t happen at all.

With any type of historic renovation – even of a 1950s “modern” house, like ours — the available materials and popular aesthetic insensitivity generally work against

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getting it right. For that reason, do it yourself design is frequently a bad idea. Architects (good ones, at least) are there in good part to keep their customers from doing something stupid.

In our case, I had assurance from an architect friend that we weren’t doing anything stupid and moreover, that we didn’t need his services. That seal of approval, however, came three years after we bought our house.

In the meantime, we pondered our addition project, and the years we spent living in the pre-renovation house were critical. As the months passed, we learned to read the house. We got a sense of the themes in the architect’s mind when he designed it; his intermittent use of masonry walls inside and out; the intersection of these planes with planes made of other materials like glass, Jason Raish illustration

sheetrock and stucco; the use of clerestory windows in every room, even in one room with no outside walls; the careful exclusion of direct western sunlight through the windows.

We knew the name of the architect who designed and built the house in 1955, John Rock. This allowed me to gather information from Tulane University’s Architectural Archives on some of his other work.

As it happened, he had designed several other houses in the neighborhood during the same era. On walks with the dog, I would pass these houses, noting the common themes and considering how we might apply them to our addition.

It got to the point where the renovation wasn’t just for us. It became a tribute to the architect, a World War II veteran who died in 2009. I looked at every picture of his work on which I could get my hands. I talked to people who knew him. I wanted our renovation to honor him by speaking his architectural language as best we could.

That meant immersing ourselves in the architecture of the time. We bought books on the Case Study House program of the 1940s through 1960s, on Eichler’s modernist developments in California and on various favorite midcentury architects.

Those books sat on our coffee table at all times.

Speaking our architect’s language also meant paying attention to the similarities and differences between him and his contempo-

raries in New Orleans; the stoicism of Curtis & Davis; the clean futurism of Charles Colbert, John Lawrence and Charles Rowe; the Frank Lloyd Wright-tinged playfulness of Albert Ledner and Philip Roach. We drove around.

We took pictures.

Even after all that, my wife and I still hesitated.

We didn’t want to screw up the house. That’s where doing a rendering and getting the final nod from an architect friend gave us the courage to proceed.

Every New Orleanian who owns a historic house and plans to alter it has an obligation to read Lloyd Vogt’s “New Orleans Houses: A House-Watcher’s Guide.” It takes readers through the fundamental house types and styles in New Orleans from the colonial period through the modern period. It enlivens a walk through any historic neighborhood, giving you the knowledge to roughly date each dwelling. It teaches you the basics of a Greek Revival versus say, an Italianate dwelling. More importantly, it teaches you not to put Craftsman-style doors on your Eastlakestyle double shotgun, or vice versa. The renovator of a Creole cottage ought to know the history of Creole cottages; how they originally functioned and why; and what features distinguish them from other home types in New Orleans.

But for those who can’t be troubled to take an interest in all this, it’s best to leave the design work entirely to a good, local architect. n New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles.com

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i n t he S P O t L I G H T

Adda Carpets & Flooring and Huey Brown’s Kitchens Chris Judge

By Pamela Marquis

F

looring is a central part of interior design. It adds a sense of personality to any space, residential or commercial. Chris Judge, owner of Adda Carpets & Flooring, helps his clients choose solutions that best blend durability, cost effectiveness and beauty. Also at the same location, Judge’s other business, Huey Brown’s Kitchen helps clients with the whole picture from cabinets to appliances.

Judge and his staff take pride in providing individualized service and following each job from start to finish.

What current trend excites you? I’ve been recommending the new cork flooring to many of my clients. Although the product has been available for years, the improved durability and current designs work well in a variety of applications.

How does living in and around New Orleans influence your inventory or design aesthetic? As a lifelong New Orleanian, I tend to be drawn to beautiful, classic wood and natural stones, which lend themselves well to a timeless, southern elegance and ease.

What sets you apart from your competition? I think our level of service truly sets us apart from our competitors. It is so refreshing to go into a business establishment where you are actually listened to and helped with your design. We strive to accomplish that goal with each and every client.

What was the best design advice anyone gave you? ‘Every room needs a touch of black.’ Whether it’s found in an accent tile, an area rug, a small piece of furniture or even a picture frame, something black adds a bit of drama and often grounds the room.

5480 Mounes St. | Harahan | 736-9001 | hueybrownskitchen.com

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i n t he S P O t L I G H T

Beth Claybourn Interiors Beth Claybourn

By Pamela Marquis

“A

good designer has done her job well when the home they have decorated reflects the taste of its owner, without a trace of the designer’s style.”

That is awarding-winning interior designer, Beth Claybourn’s design philosophy. Her business, Beth Claybourn Interiors, includes a team of talented designers, a showroom in Baton Rouge and a retail gallery in New Orleans.

What current trend excites you? The movement away from all white interiors is really exciting for our designers.

Rooms without color and pattern lack soul and personality.

With this movement back to timeless classics, our designers can create spaces that are full of character that can grow and evolve with clients over the years.

What is one of the more unique items you carry or services you offer? Many people know that we offer a bridal registry. However, what makes ours truly unique is the fact that any item in both of our stores can be added to the registry. Couples can come into the showroom and chose things like one-of-a-kind antiques or contemporary upholstered goods along with place settings and crystal.

This innovative registry process allows for loved ones to start building collections for newlyweds.

How does living in and around New Orleans influence your inventory or design aesthetic? New Orleans is living history to me, and its Old World charm is enchanting.

I use this sense of stately elegance in combination with clients’ visions to create rooms that will stand the test of time and reflect a deep understanding of design history.

401 Tchoupitoulas St. | 342-2630 | bethclaybourninteriors.com jeff strout photo

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Campbell Cabinets B.J. Farrell and Bruce Farrell

By Pamela Marquis

T

op-quality kitchen cabinets are made like good furniture and no one understands this better than Campbell Cabinets owners B. J. Farrell and Bruce Farrell. The company carries a large selection of kitchen and bathroom cabinets made from oak, maple, cherry, hickory, birch and alder in styles from contemporary to country.

What are some things you need to know to best help your clients? When working with a client, we like to know their personal style and taste. Also, family size and family demographic are important because you want the kitchen to function best for the family members living in the house. Does the customer have children, if so are the children young or old? Is an elderly person living in the home? If a family member is disabled or has mobility issues, we can accommodate them with the cabinet design. The answers to these questions can influence the cabinet design.

What current trends excite you? Currently, painted cabinets, such as grays, whites and soft whites are very popular, as well as gray stains. A big trend today is simplicity. Our clients are selecting recessed-panel cabinet styles for that clean, simple look. The recessed styles range from traditional to contemporary.

How does living in and around New Orleans influence your inventory or design aesthetic? New Orleans has such a diverse style of architecture and culture. The architecture differs in New Orleans and surrounding parishes, which in turn reflects a different cabinet style, color and design. It adds excitement and fun because each project is different.

Harahan | 220 Hord St. | 733-4687; Mandeville | 4040 Highway 59 (985) 892-7713; Picayune, Mississippi | 601 Highway 11 North (601) 798-8008 | campbellcabinets.com

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Katie Koch Home Katie Koch

By Pamela Marquis

K

atie Koch is known for designing and engineering fine, hand-sewn window treatments. She also specializes in slipcovers, pillows, bedcovers and upholstery. Her business, Katie Koch Home, includes a design showroom with an extensive fabric library and a personally curated inventory of vintage furniture with an emphasis on midcentury modern pieces, many of which have a designer provenance. Koch hand selects one-of-akind items and visits with artisans around the globe to bring thought provoking pieces to her local clients and designers.

What is one of the more distinctive items you carry or services you offer? Our showroom offers design elements unlike any other retailers in the area. I believe in picking items that are either sculptural, textural or forward thinking in design.

What sets you apart from your competition? Katie Koch Home is a full service workroom and showroom. I am hands on in the drapery, textile and soft goods fabrication process. All of the work is done on site where the design team can oversee all details. We also enjoy working with our trade clientele and offer design solutions to designers and architects on projects they are working on.

How would you describe the “perfect” room? I like a room that has perfectly appointed pieces, never overdone.

Having a few beautiful elements is better than having a room full of layered objects that you cannot focus on.

Sometimes the negative space can make all the difference in showcasing certain design elements.

3905 Magazine St. | 410-1450 | katiekochhome.com jeff strout photo

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EXPERT ADVICE

Kevin Gillentine

New, Old World Charm Making modern use of antique furniture & art

By Kelcy Wilburn

A

side from its architecture, a home’s art and furniture are often what give it character — but character isn’t necessarily all you want. Art and antique furniture shouldn’t be mysterious or inaccessible — they exist to be enjoyed, to be used.

Original, handmade items typically excel in quality, and whether you’re buying the piece for its original intent or hoping to give it new life with a new use, adding to your collection should be fun and full of inspiration.

President, CEO, and third generation owner of M.S. Rau Antiques, one of the largest premier fine arts and antique galleries in the world, William Rau is as much a lover of art and antiques as he is an expert.

“I am a true history buff, so I am most drawn to

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pieces with historical significance,” says Rau. “For me, that’s the real allure of collecting — discovering the story behind an item or a work of art.”

While Rau recognizes that beauty and allure is the function of some pieces, he also enjoys the usefulness of items with practical purposes and has furnished his home with a few that he uses every day: a rice carved bed in his bedroom, Victorian bookcases in his den and the Tiffany flatware used on special occasions.

“People shouldn’t be afraid to live with and use their antiques,” he says. “These pieces have survived for a very long time — some, hundreds of years. Chances are good they will continue to survive.”

An interior designer for over 25 years, Kathy Slater

theresa cassagne photographs

also worked in antique buying and dealing before developing her furniture line, the Kathy Slater Design Collection.

Growing up in Georgia, she was surrounded by English and Chippendale furniture, as well as chinoiserie. A move to New Orleans instilled a love of French antiques, especially the Louis XVI style. Antiques are hardly for collecting dust in Slater’s home, as she makes use of them in a variety of ways.

“I use an 18th century German commode that I bought from Tara Shaw many years ago as storage for all my linens,” she says. “I use my Louis XV French buffet — bought from a Paris flea market

on a buying trip — as storage for dinnerware and serving pieces.

And I use a Louis XVI French canapé as my main seating in my living room.”

A favorite piece of Slater’s is a gilded 19th century Louis XVI daybed her parents bought from a French Quarter antique store many years ago. She fondly remembers her children napping on that daybed when it was in her mother’s home.

While the aforementioned uses are largely true to the pieces’ original purposes, there are a lot of ways to incorporate antiques into modern lifestyles.

“Take the past and give it a transformation,” says

Laura Roland, designer, buyer and manager for Fireside Antiques.

According to Roland, antique armoires were once in high demand for their ability to hide previously deep TVs. In today’s streamlined, flat-screen world, armoires are less effective.

“Enfilades, which are buffets with three or more doors, are one of the most sought-after antiques,” says Roland. “They go below those big, flat-screen TVs and house all the TV components.”

Bibliotheques are also taking the place of armoires in many homes as they can give the needed height in a room with tall ceilings. Their ability to both declutter

a room and display your treasures in one place helps keep a room simple.

Roland’s favorite antique is her family’s French buffet a deux corps, which is filled with a variety of dishes, serving pieces, glasses and flatware collected from France and Italy and used on weekends and long lunches.

“I smile every time I open those 200-yearold doors, revealing my treasures that each come with a story,” she says.

“Our past must never be forgotten.”

And speaking of not forgetting the past, it’s important to retain the integrity and history of antiques — especially those that are fine or that

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Kathy SlateR

exhibit a remarkable patina. Transforming and altering a piece for an altogether new use should be done mindfully so as to not risk ruining a true work of art.

“If you have an antique piece that’s not a high-end piece, it’s okay to paint it or transform it,” says Rivers Spencer. “For instance, I had a big antique armoire cabinet that wasn’t especially nice, and I converted it to a bar by lacquering it robins egg blue and putting a mirror in the back of it. But if it’s an old beautifully patinaed wood chest, you wouldn’t want to do that,” says Rivers Spencer, designer and owner of Rivers Spencer Collection.

Spencer is seeing a rising trend in using antiques in nurseries. People are taking old pieces, painting them, adding crystal knobs or other features, and converting them into changing tables.

One of Spencer’s favorite refurbished pieces in her home is an old, French mirror with intricate wood carving. Spencer wasn’t enamored with the wood color, so she refinished it using the champagne silver leaf finish she developed for the Rivers Spencer Collection to breathe new life into the piece.

Penny Francis, owner and designer of Eclectic Home, loves to use old chests of drawers for vanity sinks.

“By adding a stone top and notching out the first drawer for the P trap, they become amazing original

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MS Rau

works,” she says. She recommends considering pieces in new contexts, like using an old farm table or cabinet as a center island for the kitchen. Like Spencer, Francis also recommends modern finishes in place of old finishes you can’t get past.

“Classics with modern finishes you will want to keep,” says Francis.

Just as a new finish can liven up wood furniture, reupholstering can make a similar world of difference in chairs and sofas. Some pieces may have been upholstered during decades with unmistakable styles, and making it your own with a fabric that fits your personality or home can transform it from something you once shrugged at to something you now love.

Katie Koch Home, newly located at 3905 Magazine St., offers reupholstery services or antiques and vintage pieces (as well as slipcovers) and drapery consultation, design, and on-site fabrication. The new showroom also features a variety of one-of-a-kind vintage and contemporary design pieces such as lighting, furniture, rugs and pillows.

“Katie likes to elevate a piece by reupholstering in fabrics with either bold patterns, color, texture, or a combination of all three elements,” says Lori Watts, showroom manager.

Some of her go-to fabric designers include Pierre Frey

theresa cassagne photographs

for his unique patterns and Jim Thompson for his work with texture.

The showroom has a fabric library to help with selections and upholstery consultations. The work is handled on-site with personal supervision by the design team. The company works with the design trade as well.

Art, whether antique or modern, plays an important role in bringing a room together and giving it a pleasing aesthetic.

There are a number of ways to give new life to your walls.

Kevin Gillentine is well known for his contemporary landscape paintings, and the Kevin Gillentine Gallery houses some of

those works in addition to works from guest artists, antique prints and museum-quality custom framing. As both an artist and designer, Gillentine knows the intricate relationship of art to its surroundings, and there are a number of ways to make the old look new and the new look old. One way to do that is to mix the two.

“Mixing antiques and contemporary items is a hallmark of a good design,” says Gillentine.

“If you mix in something antique, it gives more character to the room and gives it warmth. If everything is contemporary with no balance of antiques, it can often make

a room feel cold — it can be beautiful but not have the same warmth.”

Whether you prefer to mix a few contemporary pieces into a more traditional home design or mix a few antique pieces into a contemporary home, both methods will positively affect the overall ambiance. Paintings like Gillentine’s can adapt to the look of their surroundings and appear antique when placed over an old piece of furniture or contemporary amidst contemporary furniture.

Another way of changing the feel of visual art is through its framing.

According to Gillentine, framing and hanging a series of antique prints,

such as hand-painted natural history bookplates, can be a great way to warm up the wall of a contemporary room, especially if you use contemporary frames.

Likewise, framing modern artwork with antique-style, hand-carved, gilded frames will allow it to take on a more historic, museum-like appearance.

The beautiful thing about art and antiques is that they are always adaptable — adaptable to the room they are placed in and adaptable to new use. If you fall in love with a particular piece of antique furniture or art, adapt it to your home and explore its possibilities.

Whatever you do, don’t be afraid to use it. n

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a d ver tisin g

advertising resource directory Architect Chrestia Staub Pierce 7219 Perrier St., New Orleans 504/866-6677 jthaller@cspdesign.com

Eclectic Home 8211 Oak St. New Orleans 504/866-6654 eclectichome.net

Wren’s Tontine Shade & Design 1533 Prytania St., New Orleans 504/525-7409 wrenstontine.com

building materials Adda Carpets and Flooring 5480 Mounes St., Harahan 504/736-9001 addacarpetsandflooring.com

Fireside Antiques 14007 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge 225/752-9565 firesideantiques.com

HOME IMPROVEMENT Hunter Douglas Window Fashions 800/937-STYLE hunterdouglas.com

Palatial Stone and Tile 2052 Paxton St., Harvey 504/304-2229 2033 N. Highway 190, Suite 9 Covington 985/249-6868 palatialstone.com gardening/landscape Exterior Designs, Inc 2903 Octavia St., New Orleans 504/866-0276 exteriordesignsbev.com Mullin Landscape Associates LLC 621 Distributors Row Ste F, Harahan 504/275-6617 mullinlandscape.com Perino’s Garden Center 3100 Veterans Blvd, Metairie 504/834-7888 perinos.com Home Builder Celtic Build 3803 Cleveland, New Orleans 504/722-8406 celticbuild.com M L M Incorporated 3500 N.Causeway Blvd.,Ste.160, Metairie 504/322-7050 mlm-inc.com home furnishings & accessories Beth Claybourn Interiors 401 Tchoupitoulas St., New Orleans 504/342-2630 bethclaybourninteriors.com Dop Antiques & Architecturals 300 Jefferson Highway, Building 1 New Orleans 504/373-5132 dopantiques.com Doorman Designs 504/408-1616 hello@doormandesigns.com doormandesigns.com

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Flynn Designs 8903 Jefferson Hwy, River Ridge 504/667.3837 flynndesignsnola.com JADE 324 Metairie Rd, Metairie 504/875-4420 jadenola.com Kathy Slater Interiors/Design Collection 3908 Magazine St., New Orleans 504/400-9032 kathyslater.com Katie Koch Home 3905 Magazine St., New Orleans 504/410-1450 katiekochhome.com Kevin Gillentine Gallery 3917 Magazine St., New Orleans 504/891-0509 kevingillentine.com Maria Barcelona Interiors 9501 Jefferson Hwy, River Ridge 504/305-5095 maria@mariabinteriors.com mariabinteriors.com Peyroux’s Custom Curtains 2929 Jefferson Hwy, Jefferson 504/267-4496 Rivers Spencer Interiors 3909 Magazine St., New Orleans 504/609-2436 riversspencer.com Shades of Blue 3530 Magazine St., New Orleans 504/891-1575 shadesofblueinc.com Susan Currie Design New Orleans 504/237-6112 susancurriedesign.com The French Mix 228 Lee Lane, Covington 985/809-3152 shopthefrenchmix.com The Historic New Orleans Collection 533 Royal St., New Orleans 504/523-4662 hnoc.org

New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles Autumn 2016

Southern Refinishing, LLC 708 Barataria Blvd., Marrero 504/348-1770 southernrefinishing.com Insurance LCI Workers’ Comp 1123 N. Causeway Blvd., Mandeville 985/612-1230 lciwc.com

Stafford Tile & Stone 5234 Magazine St., New Orleans 504/895-5000 4273 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge 225/925-1233 staffordtile.com Triton Stone Group of New Orleans 6131 River Rd, Harahan 504/738-2228 tritonstone.com retirement living Lambeth House 150 Broadway, New Orleans 504/865-1960 lambethhouse.com Poydras Home 5354 Magazine St., New Orleans 504/897-0535 poydrashome.com

kitchen & bath Cameron Kitchen & Bath Designs Inc. 8019 Palm St., New Orleans 504/486-3759 cameronkitchens.com

specialists Bayou Closets 2537 North Rampart St., New Orleans 504/944-8388 Rob@BayouClosets.com

Campbell Cabinet Co. 220 Hord St., Harahan 504/733-4687 4040 Hwy. 59 Mandeville 985/892-7713 campbellcabinets.com

California Closets 3211 N. Causeway Blvd., Metairie 504/828-5705 californiaclosets.com/metairie

Classic Cupboards 5809 River Oaks Rd South, Harahan 504/734-9088 classiccupboards.com

Floor & Décor Design Gallery 2801 Magazine St., New Orleans 504/891-3005 4 Westside Shopping Center Gretna 504/361-0501 flooranddecorneworleans.com

Ferguson 901 S Labarre Rd, Metairie 504/849-3060 ferguson.com Kings Marble and Granite 11 5th St., Gretna 504/366-6680 kingmarbleandgranite.com Marchand Creative Kitchens 3517 Division St., Metairie 504/888-0695 2180 N. Causeway Blvd, Mandeville 985/892-2572 mckitchens.com Mattix Cabinet Works 415 N. Solomon St., New Orleans 504/486-7218 mattixcabinet.com Nordic Kitchens & Baths Inc. 1818 Veterans Blvd., Metairie 504/888-2300 nordickitchens.com

Cox Communications cox.com

Louisiana Custom Closets 13405 Seymour Meyer Blvd. #24, Covington 985/871-0810 louisianacustomclosets.com Ruffino Custom Closets 110 Campbell Ave., Mandeville 985/809-7623 ruffinocustomclosets.com Russell’s Cleaning Services 3401 Tulane Ave., New Orleans 504/482-3153 3704 Robertson St., Metairie 504/832-1546 russellcleaning.org StudioWTA 1119 Tchoupitoulas Street New Orleans 70130 504/593-9074 studiowta.com •

New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles.com

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RESOURCES The area code is 504, unless otherwise noted.

ARTIST PROFILE PG. 24

St. 465-0450, cglassinc.com; Jade Interior Design, 324 Metairie

Rebecca Rebouché

Rd, 875-4420, jadenola.com

rebeccarebouche.com Pied-À-Terre PG. 58 GATHERINGS PG. 26

Susan Curie Design, 233 Walnut St., 237-6112, susancurriede-

How ‘Bout Them Apples

sign.com; Caravan Finds, 2011 Magazine St., 250-6119; Wesley

Chef Todd Pulsinelli, 301 Tchoupitoulas St. New Orleans, 299 -

Hall, wesleyhall.com; Worlds Away, worlds-aways.com; Legacy

9777, restaurantaugust.com/about

Linens, (703) 830-6818, legacylinens.com; Busbin Fine Home Furnishings, (704) 374-0536, busbin.com; Hickory White, hickory-

FOR THE GARDEN PG. 28

white.com; Theodore Alexander, theogorealexander.com

Diggin Deep Mullin Landscape Associates LLC, 621 Distributors Row, Ste. F,

by design PG. 64

Harahan, 275-6617, mullinlandscape.com; Sugar Roots Farms,

Abode, 2114 Veterans Memorial Blvd, 266-2135, shopatabode.

10701 Willow Drive, 296-0435 sugarrootsfarm.org

com; Felicity Property, Felicity Design, 1470 Urania St., 586-8305, felicitypropertyco.com; Scalamandré,

LIVING WITH ANTIQUES PG. 30

scalamandre.com

Antiquing H and H Estate Sales, 861-2090, @HandHEstateSales

DESIGN MASTERS PG. 72 Beverly Katz, Exterior Designs by Beverly Katz, 2903 Octavia

MASTERS OF THEIR CRAFT PG. 32

St., 866-0276, exteriordesignsbev.com; Shaun Smith, Shaun

Feel the Bern

Smith Home, 896-1020, shaunsmithhome.com; Chris Licciardi,

Bern Ceramics, instagram-@bern.ceramics, mk@bernceramics.

Marchand Creative Kitchens, 3517 Division St., 888-0695,

com, bernceramics.com; Little Flea Market, 1933 Sophie B.

mckitchens.com; Dianna Knost, A.K.A Stella Gray, 4422 Magazine

Wright Place (Summer location), littlefleanola@gmail.com,

St., 208-2300, akastellagray.com; Diane Killeen, Diane Killeen

littlefleanola.com

Painting Studios, 400-6994, dianekilleen.com; Michael Ber and Otis Alexander, Lighting Inc., 8180 Earhart Blvd, 486-5761,

TRENDWATCH PG. 37

lightinginconline.com; Julie Babin, AIA, studioWTA, 1119

Lighten Up

Tchoupitoulas St., 593-9074, studiowta.com; Neil Peyroux,

Sotre, 3933 Magazine St., 304-9475, sotrenola.com; Katie Koch

Peyroux’s Custom Curtains, 2929 Jefferson Highway,

Home, 3905 Magazine St., 410-1450, katiekochhome.com;

234-9668; Greg Cummings, Cummings Development

Eclectic Home, 8211 Oak St., 866-6654, eclectichome.net;

and Design, 4941 St. Charles Ave., 427-5300, cummingsdevelopmentanddesign.com

NEW BUILD OF THE YEAR PG. 44 Donna Russell, C. Spencer Smith Architects, 1018 Bienville St.,

Expert Advice pg. 112

566 - 0585; Fabrics Second to None, 2320 N Causeway Blvd,

New, Old World Charm

Mandeville, (985) 674-2600, fabricssecondtonone.com; Lisa

M.S. Rau Antiques, 630 Royal St., 523-5660, rauantiques.com;

Conrad Photo, 913-197; Smink Inc., 1019 Dragon St., Dallas,

Kathy Slater Design Collection, 400-9032, 3901 Magazine

TX, (214) 350-0542, sminkinc.com; Restoration Hardware, 3301

St., kathyslater.com; Fireside Antiques, 14007 Perkins Rd, Baton

Veterans Memorial Blvd, 828-0203, restorationhardware.com;

Rouge, (225) 752-9565, firesideantiques.com; Rivers Spencer

Adda Carpet & Flooring, 5480 Mounes St, 736-9001, adda-

Collection, 3409 Magazine St., 609-2436, riversspencer.com;

carpetsandflooring.com; California Closets, 3211 N Causeway

Kevin Gillentine Gallery, 3917 Magazine St., 891-0509,

Blvd, 828-5705, californiaclosets.com; The Stairway Shop, 5717

kevingillentine.com n

Salmen St, 734-1315, stairwayshop.com; C Glass, 2301 Helena

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LAST INDULGENCE

Seasonal Sips Consider the sweet ritual of bourbon and storytelling on the porch this fall

By Melanie Warner Spencer

I

n my home state of Kentucky, we take our bourbon seriously. After all, we invented it. New Orleanians have appreciated Kentucky’s native spirit since the 1800s, when it was shipped down downriver on flatboats. Growing up, many nights were spent watching my dad sipping the smooth, sweet spirit, while — more often than not — spinning spirited tales. The ritual was passed down generationto-generation. My husband and I have carried on

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that tradition here at our home in Uptown where, especially in the fall, we retire to the porch after work and enjoy a pull of bourbon as we review the activities of our day, and yes, tell stories. We frequently reach for the bottle of Elijah Craig. Craig is said to have been one of those distillers sending his whiskey down the river from Kentucky to New Orleans in the late 1800s.

While I’m quick to embrace new things, it’s good to know some things don’t change. Cheers! n