Houzz Tour: 1830s New Orleans Cottage Is Brought Back to Life
A designer revitalizes his Creole cottage and uncovers its original bargeboard walls made from the hull of a boat
Bryan Anthony
October 30, 2018
Photos by Joshua Cain
House at a Glance
Who lives here: Designer Joshua Cain and his partner, Andre Reyes
Location: New Orleans
Size: About 1,600 square feet (149 square meters)
Designer Joshua Cain grew up in the South (in Mississippi as a child and New Orleans as a young adult) and had always dreamed of buying a second home with his partner, Andre Reyes; then the opportunity arose. “I moved to Los Angeles for better work opportunities, but my heart has never left the South,” Cain says. Therefore, when he discovered a run-down 1830s Creole cottage in the historic Faubourg Marigny neighborhood of New Orleans, he pounced on the chance to bring it back to life.
The double-shotgun-style house was being sold “as is,” and Cain says it was likely going to be torn down by whoever bought it. “It was in really bad shape and, unlike most of the houses in the area, it hadn’t been raised off the ground, so it wasn’t protected against floods,” he says. As a lover of history, antiques and the South, Cain felt compelled to save the house from the wrecking ball and bring it back to a charming state of faded glory.
The first thing he did was have the house lifted so a series of 4-foot-high brick piers could be laid underneath to protect it from future floods. The house then received new exterior paint in a vivid shade of lavender, with mint green for the shutters. “This area was originally settled by Afro-Caribbeans, and it features lots of houses painted in fun, bold colors,” the designer says.
House at a Glance
Who lives here: Designer Joshua Cain and his partner, Andre Reyes
Location: New Orleans
Size: About 1,600 square feet (149 square meters)
Designer Joshua Cain grew up in the South (in Mississippi as a child and New Orleans as a young adult) and had always dreamed of buying a second home with his partner, Andre Reyes; then the opportunity arose. “I moved to Los Angeles for better work opportunities, but my heart has never left the South,” Cain says. Therefore, when he discovered a run-down 1830s Creole cottage in the historic Faubourg Marigny neighborhood of New Orleans, he pounced on the chance to bring it back to life.
The double-shotgun-style house was being sold “as is,” and Cain says it was likely going to be torn down by whoever bought it. “It was in really bad shape and, unlike most of the houses in the area, it hadn’t been raised off the ground, so it wasn’t protected against floods,” he says. As a lover of history, antiques and the South, Cain felt compelled to save the house from the wrecking ball and bring it back to a charming state of faded glory.
The first thing he did was have the house lifted so a series of 4-foot-high brick piers could be laid underneath to protect it from future floods. The house then received new exterior paint in a vivid shade of lavender, with mint green for the shutters. “This area was originally settled by Afro-Caribbeans, and it features lots of houses painted in fun, bold colors,” the designer says.
The living room was originally set up as a double parlor with a wall and sliding doors in the middle. Cain removed the wall and sliding doors to make one large, open space. He also removed the beadboard that used to cover the walls and ceiling, to reveal the original bargeboard. Bargeboard is wood that’s salvaged from the hulls of old boats. It was a popular material used to build houses in early-19th-century New Orleans.
Cain says that the original bargeboard walls and ceiling were most likely covered up with beadboard in the 1850s, and while the beadboard suffered extensive termite damage and was in disrepair, it helped to preserve the original bargeboard underneath. Once the bargeboard was exposed, Cain scraped off any loose paint, leaving behind a mottled patina of wood and leftover green paint pigment.
The living room features a collection of antique furniture, paintings and knickknacks. The designer has owned some of the pieces for years, while other pieces, such as the two brass French chandeliers, were purchased specifically for the house. The one new piece of furniture is the custom 9-foot-long sofa covered in a sorbet-hued linen.
Cain says that the original bargeboard walls and ceiling were most likely covered up with beadboard in the 1850s, and while the beadboard suffered extensive termite damage and was in disrepair, it helped to preserve the original bargeboard underneath. Once the bargeboard was exposed, Cain scraped off any loose paint, leaving behind a mottled patina of wood and leftover green paint pigment.
The living room features a collection of antique furniture, paintings and knickknacks. The designer has owned some of the pieces for years, while other pieces, such as the two brass French chandeliers, were purchased specifically for the house. The one new piece of furniture is the custom 9-foot-long sofa covered in a sorbet-hued linen.
The living room wall behind the antique writing desk had suffered extensive termite damage that reached the original bargeboard, so Cain replaced the wall with new planks of wood that he painted white. An antique French bergère covered in bright pink velvet and a vintage portrait above the desk complete the scene.
Cain also removed the beadboard walls and ceiling in the dining room to reveal the original bargeboard, which has red pigment left over from when the walls and ceiling were covered in a dark red paint.
The antique black iron rod chandelier is from Spain, which Cain says is historically appropriate, as New Orleans was once a Spanish territory. The antique French dining table has two additional leaves, allowing the table to seat up to 10 guests.
The antique black iron rod chandelier is from Spain, which Cain says is historically appropriate, as New Orleans was once a Spanish territory. The antique French dining table has two additional leaves, allowing the table to seat up to 10 guests.
Cain says he wanted the kitchen to look as if it had evolved over a long period of time. “The last thing I wanted was a bunch of new built-ins, shiny countertops and rows of cabinets,” he says.
Instead, the space features a collection of old and new pieces. A new Italian-made Verona gas range in bold blue is stationed next to an antique hutch. Cain separated the top part of the hutch from the base and mounted it to the wall like a built-in cabinet. The top of the hutch base now serves as a countertop for prep work.
The wall behind the gas range and the one behind the refrigerator also suffered severe termite damage, so Cain replaced the original bargeboard with new drywall and covered it in antique-reproduction wallpaper.
Browse blue gas ranges on Houzz
Instead, the space features a collection of old and new pieces. A new Italian-made Verona gas range in bold blue is stationed next to an antique hutch. Cain separated the top part of the hutch from the base and mounted it to the wall like a built-in cabinet. The top of the hutch base now serves as a countertop for prep work.
The wall behind the gas range and the one behind the refrigerator also suffered severe termite damage, so Cain replaced the original bargeboard with new drywall and covered it in antique-reproduction wallpaper.
Browse blue gas ranges on Houzz
The home’s largest guest bedroom has two queen beds with antique metal headboards. The wall behind the beds is covered in a colorful floral-patterned reproduction wallpaper. The ceiling is covered in beadboard that Cain estimates was added in the 1850s. It is clad in its original pink paint.
Cain says that since the house would originally have had no bathrooms inside, only an outhouse in the backyard, he wanted to make the bathroom feel like an upscale privy.
Therefore, he covered the walls in exterior siding that he painted bright lime green. The shower has a cast iron claw-foot shower tray. “I didn’t want a built-in shower, because it would seem out of place,” he says.
Therefore, he covered the walls in exterior siding that he painted bright lime green. The shower has a cast iron claw-foot shower tray. “I didn’t want a built-in shower, because it would seem out of place,” he says.
One of the few new pieces of furniture in the house is the four-poster bed in the master bedroom. “I really wanted a king bed, but it’s hard to find an antique four-poster bed in a king,” Cain says. “I’d have to retrofit a queen bed frame, and it’s never quite as strong after you do that.”
Find four-poster bed frames
Find four-poster bed frames
The screened-in porch is a new addition. The porch ceiling is painted Haint Blue, a traditional color for porch ceilings in the South. “As the tradition goes, painting your porch ceiling light blue will keep insects away, because they confuse it for the sky,” Cain says.
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Thank you so much! The shower pan, system, and ring are all from Signature Hardware
AMAZING!
That shower is completely charming. And I love the green walls, the old French table, the Spanish chandelier, the kitchen ! How clever to divide the hutch. I wonder if this can often be done?