Local interior designer Jennifer Kelly shares insight into her latest labor of love, Dickie Brennan’s Tableau.
“I can’t wait for you to see it!” she exclaimed. Anxious devotees have been patiently awaiting the opening of Le Petite Theatre and Dickie Brennan’s Tableau, but perhaps none so more than interior designer Jennifer Kelly who has been creating (and recreating) the space for the new restaurant over the past two years.
Born in Destin, Florida, Kelly always dreamed of renovating her childhood home, a rambling Tudor she shared with five other siblings. Pursuing this dream, she came to Louisiana attended Louisiana State University and earned a degree in Interior Design. Fresh out of college, she found herself working for Wolfgang Puck with design firm Cooper Carry in Atlanta. Although Kelly’s work has taken her all over the country from Los Angeles, California to Mirimar, Florida, she always found herself drawn back to the city of New Orleans and claims that now “I’m here to stay.”
Both locals and tourists in New Orleans should be familiar with some of Kelly’s past designs in the city in spaces like The Crescent City Brewhouse on Decatur Street, Atchafalaya Cafe on Louisiana, The Maritime Building’s recent renovation, the Rice Mill Lofts and most recently Cafe Soule on St. Louis Street. Though most of Kelley’s work focuses on restaurants, she has worked on private residences as well, including the major renovation of a 5,000 square foot Creole townhouse on Esplanade Avenue.
It is precisely her respect for culture and classic architecture that landed her the job of creating the look and feel of Tableau at the Le Petite Theatre. “I’m very eclectic, but I also appreciate and respect tradition,” she explains. Although while designing the interior of Tableau, she did include modern fixtures like lighting from Bevolo, but also added other lamps acquired after scouring antique shops all over the city. Kelly employed influences from Spanish Colonial architecture, like details from the Presbytere that lies only steps away, and went all the way overseas to find the perfect tile from an old Spanish monastery.
To learn more about Jennifer Kelly or to contact her, feel free to visit www.designlabnola.com or email her at geauxjenny@designlabnola.com.
*Article originally published in the May 2013 issue of New Orleans Living Magazine
