New Orleans Inspired Design
New Orleans Inspired Design
When traveling to New Orleans, you instantly feel transported to a different place and time. It is rich with history and culture, which translates into some of the most classic design elements. In my opinion, anything that stands the test of a time is a sure thing in the design world. Read on to explore some of these elements, to learn which color wards off evil spirits, and to determine the difference between wrought iron and cast iron.
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NEW ORLEANS INSPIRED DESIGN: HOTEL PROVINCIAL
Let’s start with our most recent hotel stay at the Hotel Provincial. The Hotel Provincial is on the National Register of Historic Places and has been locally owned by the same family since 1961. There were three elements that stood out to me. The first is the front exterior. I love the warm white with the red and blue accents. It feels welcoming, classy, and coastal.
The second is the quaint courtyard. The easy set up with multiple seating areas and greenery feels incredibly special and serene.
The third was noticed immediately. Checkered floors are having a moment in design but really they have been here all along. And will be here well into the future. I would love to have been able to do a checkered floor in our colonial home kitchen. If our kitchen was larger, this gray honed porcelain with this luxe white porcelain would be such a beautiful look. I also love this 12×12 white ceramic tile with this 12×12 black tile for a deeper contrast look. The arches, colored trim, and tall wooden doors are also features I am loving lately.
FRENCH TRUCK COFFEE
We stopped by French Truck Coffee one morning to grab a cup for our walk. It was delicious! What I loved even more than the coffee was the exterior. The color combination is at once vibrant and calming. The colors remind me of Farrow & Ball Stone Blue and Farrow & Ball Ammonite.
CAROUSEL BAR
The Carousel Bar is located in Hotel Monteleone (est. 1886). (You can read about the hotel in this post.) It has an ever so slowly moving carousel with the bar in the middle. We have found it next to impossible to ever get a seat at the carousel. Fortunately, there is another bar located in an adjacent room and lounge seating throughout the bar area. The chandeliers throughout the space are beautiful and reminded me of the chandelier in the ELEGANT DINING ROOM refresh we did a few years ago.
NEW ORLEANS INSPIRED DESIGN: WINDOW BOXES
Even in mid-September, the window boxes at Faulkner House Books were beautiful and lush green. Window boxes and hanging ferns, always remind me of NOLA.
BEVOLO
When strolling through the French Quarter, you cannot help but notice BEVOLO Gas & Electric Lights, which opened in 1945. The lights are made locally by hand. The business is still owned by the Bevolo family. (Side Note: You can see Bevolo lighting featured in Architectural Digest’s OPEN DOOR via You Tube on a tour of Vanessa Hudgen’s L.A. home.)
NEW ORLEANS INSPIRED DESIGN: JOSEPHINE ESTELLE
This is one of our favorite restaurants in New Orleans. (You can read about the others here.) Joesphine Estelle is located in the ever hip, boutique Ace Hotel. The green booths, black windows, and lighting are all design elements that would be fun to incorporate into home design.
HAINT PORCH CEILINGS
On a tour of The Garden District, our tour guide pointed out all of the blue-green front porch ceilings. I have noticed one or two blue porch ceilings in Michigan and simply thought they were a calming, beach color. Perhaps, this is the reason up here. But, the blue-green ceilings are very prevalent across the south and were notable on the garden tour in New Orleans. It was thought that ghosts, or haints, could not cross water, and that painting the ceilings in the color of water would repel evil spirits. The blue-green color is often referred to as Haint Blue. If you want to paint your porch ceiling blue for whatever reason, some options could include Benjamin Moore Palladian Blue or Farrow & Ball Borrowed Light.
NEW ORLEANS INSPIRED DESIGN: CAST IRON versus WROUGHT IRON
Do you know the difference between Cast Iron and Wrought Iron? I was oblivious until our Garden Tour. Cast Iron is melted iron that is poured into a mold while Wrought Iron is heated iron that is then molded with tools. Generally, Wrought Iron is more expensive because of this technique and is also stronger. I’m still not sure I would be able to identify which is which but am happy to know the difference.
NEW ORLEANS DESIGN INSPIRATION
These are just some of the many design elements that can be found in beautiful New Orleans. I always learn something new when visiting. It is so much more that just Bourbon Street!
