Houzz Tours
7 New Orleans Homes to Get You in the Mardi Gras Spirit
Check out these colorful and eclectic homes straight from the Big Easy
You might not be able to take in all the sights and sounds of Bourbon Street this Mardi Gras, but you can take in design inspiration from some of our favorite New Orleans homes featured on Houzz. Whether it’s a vibrant Victorian that exudes color and charm or a remodeled condo in a former Creole mansion that honors the past, the spirit of the Big Easy is alive and well in these stylish homes.
1. A Vivacious Victorian
Vibrant color and playful personality shine throughout this 1800s New Orleans Victorian. Kim and Ray Martin have filled their gorgeous three-story home with colorful local artwork, eclectic furniture and timeless heirlooms to suit their family of five. With help from architect and designer Marie Palumbo, the couple renovated the kitchen, repurposed some rooms and revamped their backyard into an outdoor retreat, all without losing the home’s original charm.
The previous owners left the spacious kitchen in good shape, but the Martins wanted to add their own custom touches. A whitewash was added to the original brick fireplace wall to make it blend with new white cabinetry. “I just wanted something real clean and white,” Kim says. “I thought the art would pop a little more.”
Vibrant color and playful personality shine throughout this 1800s New Orleans Victorian. Kim and Ray Martin have filled their gorgeous three-story home with colorful local artwork, eclectic furniture and timeless heirlooms to suit their family of five. With help from architect and designer Marie Palumbo, the couple renovated the kitchen, repurposed some rooms and revamped their backyard into an outdoor retreat, all without losing the home’s original charm.
The previous owners left the spacious kitchen in good shape, but the Martins wanted to add their own custom touches. A whitewash was added to the original brick fireplace wall to make it blend with new white cabinetry. “I just wanted something real clean and white,” Kim says. “I thought the art would pop a little more.”
The kitchen leads into a colorful living room, connected to a sunroom through original French doors. The family considers their sunroom a bonus room, and built-ins and a plush sofa allow for reading and relaxing. Kim commissioned the playful children’s portraits from local artist Ashley Longshore.
Tour the house: Eye Candy Colors Fill an 1800s New Orleans Victorian
Find an interior designer near you
Tour the house: Eye Candy Colors Fill an 1800s New Orleans Victorian
Find an interior designer near you
2. Shotgun Style
This shotgun home in the Uptown section of New Orleans is the ultimate live-work-play environment. Artist Wayne Amedee and his late wife, Barbara, acquired their fixer-upper home in the ’90s from Wayne’s brother, Kim Amedee, and finished the renovation process that Kim had started. They reconfigured the traditional but quirky floor plan to make it suitable for a modern lifestyle, adding a master suite, transforming a barren yard into a hydrangea-lined oasis and creating a neighboring studio space.
Barbara and Wayne repainted the house and gave the front yard a much-needed face-lift. To add some privacy, the couple built a fence around their garden. The door to enter the property is now located on the right side of the home. Behind the fence is a beautiful brick entry courtyard, where visitors can then gain access to the main entrance of the home.
This shotgun home in the Uptown section of New Orleans is the ultimate live-work-play environment. Artist Wayne Amedee and his late wife, Barbara, acquired their fixer-upper home in the ’90s from Wayne’s brother, Kim Amedee, and finished the renovation process that Kim had started. They reconfigured the traditional but quirky floor plan to make it suitable for a modern lifestyle, adding a master suite, transforming a barren yard into a hydrangea-lined oasis and creating a neighboring studio space.
Barbara and Wayne repainted the house and gave the front yard a much-needed face-lift. To add some privacy, the couple built a fence around their garden. The door to enter the property is now located on the right side of the home. Behind the fence is a beautiful brick entry courtyard, where visitors can then gain access to the main entrance of the home.
Barbara and Wayne worked with designer John Chrestia of Chrestia Staub Pierce to create this custom limestone dining table with French-inspired Art Deco chairs. After seeing a set of similar Art Deco chairs in a Paris antiques shop and being flabbergasted by the exorbitant price, the couple commissioned a set that would evoke the same look and feel.
Tour the house: Peek Inside an Artist’s Updated Shotgun Home and Studio
Tour the house: Peek Inside an Artist’s Updated Shotgun Home and Studio
3. Eclectic Charm
Homeowner Keristien Rackham has a knack for mixing. She combined elegant rustic pieces with tongue-in-cheek finds to give her place a youthful vibe that’s wise beyond its years. The style echoes that of the building itself, a beautiful former rice mill from the 1890s with an industrial brick exterior that’s been jazzed up with vibrant graffiti art pieces. It’s the kind of place that’s perfect for curling up with a good book — on a lounge chair made from a midcentury medical exam table, of course.
Original brick walls in each unit of the 1892 building have a unique patina. Rackham spray-painted secondhand frames to create a gallery wall on the left. The Abraham Lincoln portrait is by local artist Aaron Reichert.
Homeowner Keristien Rackham has a knack for mixing. She combined elegant rustic pieces with tongue-in-cheek finds to give her place a youthful vibe that’s wise beyond its years. The style echoes that of the building itself, a beautiful former rice mill from the 1890s with an industrial brick exterior that’s been jazzed up with vibrant graffiti art pieces. It’s the kind of place that’s perfect for curling up with a good book — on a lounge chair made from a midcentury medical exam table, of course.
Original brick walls in each unit of the 1892 building have a unique patina. Rackham spray-painted secondhand frames to create a gallery wall on the left. The Abraham Lincoln portrait is by local artist Aaron Reichert.
Rackham snagged the midcentury medical exam table from her father’s store. It makes for a great reading place underneath the large window, and the adjustable back is convenient for lounging while watching TV. It also doubles as a bed for visiting friends, who swear by its comfort.
Tour the house: Letting Eclectic Style Roll in New Orleans
Tour the house: Letting Eclectic Style Roll in New Orleans
4. A Nod to the Past
“Laid back” is exactly what New York TV producer-director Chris Fisher thought of New Orleans after he spent time there visiting his goddaughter. And he liked it. Looking for a respite from his hectic New York life, he purchased a unit in an 1820s-era three-story Creole mansion on St. Philip Street in the French Quarter. The property had been split up in the 1950s, and Fisher’s two-story unit has a balcony over an interior courtyard and a semiprivate rooftop deck. However, the sleek new kitchen and overdoneness of the space didn’t fit with its historic vein. So Fisher hired Katie Logan LeBlanc and Jensen Killen of local Logan Killen Interiors to bring the magic back.
In the kitchen, the original 3-inch-wide antique heart pine floors were salvaged by filling holes and working with the floor’s history instead of replacing it. To honor the homeowner’s quest for simplicity and genuineness, the designers also hung pendant lights from a kitchen shelf rather than from the ceiling.
“Laid back” is exactly what New York TV producer-director Chris Fisher thought of New Orleans after he spent time there visiting his goddaughter. And he liked it. Looking for a respite from his hectic New York life, he purchased a unit in an 1820s-era three-story Creole mansion on St. Philip Street in the French Quarter. The property had been split up in the 1950s, and Fisher’s two-story unit has a balcony over an interior courtyard and a semiprivate rooftop deck. However, the sleek new kitchen and overdoneness of the space didn’t fit with its historic vein. So Fisher hired Katie Logan LeBlanc and Jensen Killen of local Logan Killen Interiors to bring the magic back.
In the kitchen, the original 3-inch-wide antique heart pine floors were salvaged by filling holes and working with the floor’s history instead of replacing it. To honor the homeowner’s quest for simplicity and genuineness, the designers also hung pendant lights from a kitchen shelf rather than from the ceiling.
The small wall-mounted garden sink in the guest bathroom is one of the first items the designers bought for the house. They picked it up at a store next door to the home called Out of the Closet.
They found the faucet at a local hardware store and had the sink retrofitted to accept the plumbing.
Tour the house: Undone in the French Quarter
They found the faucet at a local hardware store and had the sink retrofitted to accept the plumbing.
Tour the house: Undone in the French Quarter
5. Relaxed Retreat
Updating Camille Coniglio and Tim Dybvig’s home in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans has been an exercise in blending old with new. “I think the main style we were going for was a harmonious contrast,” Dybvig says. “The house has such beautiful old bones and original elements, so we wanted to complement that with modern designs and clean lines.”
In the kitchen, they replaced the existing upper cabinets with floating shelves and painted them white. The shelves were made by local carpenter Andrew Goodrow of Guild Carpentry and were painted with a high-performance, high-gloss enamel paint. The countertops are an engineered quartz. Above the refrigerator the couple had custom cabinets built, and the fronts were painted by local muralist Cindy Mathis. “We wanted the piece to look like furniture and an armoire versus an overhead cabinet,” Coniglio says.
Updating Camille Coniglio and Tim Dybvig’s home in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans has been an exercise in blending old with new. “I think the main style we were going for was a harmonious contrast,” Dybvig says. “The house has such beautiful old bones and original elements, so we wanted to complement that with modern designs and clean lines.”
In the kitchen, they replaced the existing upper cabinets with floating shelves and painted them white. The shelves were made by local carpenter Andrew Goodrow of Guild Carpentry and were painted with a high-performance, high-gloss enamel paint. The countertops are an engineered quartz. Above the refrigerator the couple had custom cabinets built, and the fronts were painted by local muralist Cindy Mathis. “We wanted the piece to look like furniture and an armoire versus an overhead cabinet,” Coniglio says.
The backyard includes a brick patio and a covered area with seating ideal for entertaining. The patio area has doubled as a dance floor. The couple installed encaustic cement tile for the floor of the covered area.
“We stayed mostly within our budget, but there were a few must-have items we splurged on but felt great about it!” Dybvig says. “One example is the vintage tuk-tuk bar. I can’t say we had a line item for ‘reclaimed Thai rickshaw bar,’ but when we saw it, we knew we had to have it.”
Tour the house: My Houzz: Relaxed Style in an Updated New Orleans Home
“We stayed mostly within our budget, but there were a few must-have items we splurged on but felt great about it!” Dybvig says. “One example is the vintage tuk-tuk bar. I can’t say we had a line item for ‘reclaimed Thai rickshaw bar,’ but when we saw it, we knew we had to have it.”
Tour the house: My Houzz: Relaxed Style in an Updated New Orleans Home
6. Textures and Textiles
After living and working in Portland, Oregon, for many years, Liz and Tim Kamarul decided they were ready for an adventure. They bought a 1980s Winnebago motor home and traveled around the country, eventually landing in New Orleans, where they rented a house in the city’s famed Garden District.
When it comes to the living room, Liz says that the sofa is definitely their most prized possession. “I reupholstered the cushions, but the orange fabric is original. This is a piece we will keep forever and will continually influence my love of mixing colors and patterns.” Liz added wood paneling on the side of the sofa. “The accent pillow is a rug that I had sewn into a pillow,” she says.
Liz and Tim use the couch as a place to relax and the chairs by the window as a formal sitting area. “We spend the most time in our living room. It’s so comfortable, and the couch is so enormous,” Liz says. “We usually all pile on there together.”
After living and working in Portland, Oregon, for many years, Liz and Tim Kamarul decided they were ready for an adventure. They bought a 1980s Winnebago motor home and traveled around the country, eventually landing in New Orleans, where they rented a house in the city’s famed Garden District.
When it comes to the living room, Liz says that the sofa is definitely their most prized possession. “I reupholstered the cushions, but the orange fabric is original. This is a piece we will keep forever and will continually influence my love of mixing colors and patterns.” Liz added wood paneling on the side of the sofa. “The accent pillow is a rug that I had sewn into a pillow,” she says.
Liz and Tim use the couch as a place to relax and the chairs by the window as a formal sitting area. “We spend the most time in our living room. It’s so comfortable, and the couch is so enormous,” Liz says. “We usually all pile on there together.”
The exposed brick fireplace in the kitchen is original and introduces warm, earthy tones to this space.
Liz personalized the rental kitchen with items that reflect her style. For example, she attached Oriental rugs beneath the bar counter to resemble wallpaper.
Three wooden shelves display a collection of vintage glasses, vases, artwork, dishware and a metal straw dispenser. Clippings from a split-leaf philodendron (Monstera deliciosa) are also on the shelves, along with a potted plant in a woven basket.
Tour the house: My Houzz: Textures, Textiles, Patterns and Plants in New Orleans
Liz personalized the rental kitchen with items that reflect her style. For example, she attached Oriental rugs beneath the bar counter to resemble wallpaper.
Three wooden shelves display a collection of vintage glasses, vases, artwork, dishware and a metal straw dispenser. Clippings from a split-leaf philodendron (Monstera deliciosa) are also on the shelves, along with a potted plant in a woven basket.
Tour the house: My Houzz: Textures, Textiles, Patterns and Plants in New Orleans
7. Southern Meets Scandinavian
After living in the small coastal town of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, for nearly 14 years, New Orleans native Sandra Russell Clark and her husband, Evert Witte, missed the perks of city life and their friends in the Big Easy. They packed up their home and studios, and moved into a rental while looking for a house to buy. At the top of their wish list was enough space to both live and produce their art. They found a solution in a raised 1800s double shotgun, a traditional style of residential architecture in New Orleans.
The dining table was salvaged from the couple’s previous home, which was destroyed during Hurricane Katrina. Witte’s brother Bernard came from the Netherlands to help the couple rebuild, including restoring the table. Although the table has some water damage, such as discoloration and black marks, those imperfections serve as a reminder of its history in their previous home.
After living in the small coastal town of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, for nearly 14 years, New Orleans native Sandra Russell Clark and her husband, Evert Witte, missed the perks of city life and their friends in the Big Easy. They packed up their home and studios, and moved into a rental while looking for a house to buy. At the top of their wish list was enough space to both live and produce their art. They found a solution in a raised 1800s double shotgun, a traditional style of residential architecture in New Orleans.
The dining table was salvaged from the couple’s previous home, which was destroyed during Hurricane Katrina. Witte’s brother Bernard came from the Netherlands to help the couple rebuild, including restoring the table. Although the table has some water damage, such as discoloration and black marks, those imperfections serve as a reminder of its history in their previous home.
The dining room also includes a sitting area with two comfortable armchairs. On the wall hang some works from Clark’s Traces series. Witte traded a drawing for an original Knoll Butterfly chair, pictured on the left, which he notes is quite comfortable and great for reading the morning paper. It’s paired with a black wool Kanto Debaunaire chair.
Tour the house: Southern Warmth Meets Dutch Minimalism in a Live-Work Cottage
More on Houzz
Get in the Mardi Gras Spirit With This New Orleans Neighborhood Tour
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Tour the house: Southern Warmth Meets Dutch Minimalism in a Live-Work Cottage
More on Houzz
Get in the Mardi Gras Spirit With This New Orleans Neighborhood Tour
Look for an interior designer near you
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