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Renowned for its easy charm and exotic, nostalgic atmosphere, New
Orleans is home to a piquant mix of cultures -- French, Spanish, African, and
Deep Southern. This historic city blends the antique with the funky
and the old with the odd. The architectural heritage here is the richest
in America. All over the city, European elegance is jazzed up
with Caribbean and African vibrancy and a dash of Carnival. |
Picture these inviting scenes. Above a cobbled street in the Vieux
Carre, potted ferns cast shade over a wrought-iron balcony.
Just uptown, a
ceiling fan stirs the lazy air in the upper gallery of a Garden District
mansion. A simple Acadian rocking chair waits on the ginger breaded porch of a
Victorian cottage. Live oaks shelter wide boulevards lined with grand Greek
Revival and Italianate mansions. Lush banana trees shade Creole cottages
painted in tropical shades of mango and lime. Gardenia and night-blooming
jasmine scent the air.
Painted accents in porch ceilings create
personality and charm. |
New Orleans style combines classic structures with bold color and
accents inspired by the city's festive, eccentric traditions. Crown
moldings, floor-to-ceiling sash windows, and pocket doors mix it up with
oyster-bar octagonal tile, wooden ceiling fans, Mardi Gras masks and beads. A
touch of bordello style in the form of velvet swags or gas lights lends a
true Vieux-Carre feeling to a room. Tropical plants such as potted banana
trees, an palms, orchids and fichus evoke the intimate jungle of the French
Quarter courtyard. Laissez les bon temps rouler! |
Walls: Bold
color with ornate or substantial crown molding and picture
hangers are a mainstay. The French influence is present
all around, exemplified by pocket doors, and the multiple
paned French door. Mantels frame fire places and create a
focal point for design of the New Orleans room, as well as
being the traditional gathering place for families to pass
down tales and traditions, the lore of generation to
generation.
Ceilings: Tall
ceilings mark this style, often 12-14' high. Many are
capped with stamped tin with antique wood ceiling fan to
cool the whole room down.
Floors: You'll
commonly find "barge board" or antique heart of pine
floors. Wide planked and firm under the feet.
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A local restaurant is the perfect
place to relax around a cafe table, eat some
craw-dads and hush puppies, while the sound of
jazz plays in the back ground. |
Furniture: You
might find a Cypress plank table, perfect for layering
with newspaper and piling up the crab legs. Or the rich
colonial feel of mahogany, used to create side boards to
house quirky collections. And the easy going, casualness
of wicker line porches, as if in anticipation for the
afternoon nap of it's owner.
Windows: Floor to ceiling
windows, often beveled glass provide an airiness that lights
the New Orleans room. Louvered or
solid wood exterior shutters, help protect from the occasional
downpour. While rich velvet or brocade curtains imply a coziness
and comfort.
Accessories: Brass or copper light
fixtures complement wrought iron balconies and entrances. Mardi Gras masks,
beads, hot sauce bottles add color and character to local
interiors. And, or course, tropical foliage reminds us of
just where we are.
| Walking down the main boulevards
offer unique and sometimes unexpected wares, appealing
to even the least curious passer-by. |
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