In 2023, hôtelier and restaurateur Robért LeBlanc of LeBlanc + Smith collaborated with CureCo founder Neal Bodenheimer, and development partners Talbott Ottinger and Chris Dawson to renovate the Maison De Ville, an 18th century Creole townhouse-turned boutique hotel on Toulouse Street. “It just felt like the right time to reinvest […]
The Porch: U.S. Representing at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale
Every day (dare I say every hour?) my inbox is flooded with press releases, mostly from local firms touting their clients restaurants proclaiming new menus, wine dinners, summer dishes et al. I also receive PR from national and international companies, again, mostly talking about food or dining trends or, most […]
Lunch in the Golden Courtyard: The Café at the Collection
A revamped café at the Historic New Orleans Collection offers light fare by favorite local bakeries and eateries – in one of New Orleans’ most beloved courtyards. For those who find themselves unabashedly peering through iron fences to get a glimpse of a private, French Quarter courtyard, several historic buildings […]
House of the Week: 1632 Constantinople Street
In case it isn’t already obvious, I really love old homes. Though I prefer the Victorian era, if a home was built before the mid 60s, it tends to be more than all-right with me. While I know change is life’s one true constant, I can’t help feeling a little […]
Single Shotguns: NOLA’s Original Tiny House
You only have to search “dream house” in Google images to be bombarded by colorful photos of sprawling mansions surrounded by Olympic-sized swimming pools, lush, green lawns and seemingly endless gardens. Regardless of architectural styles, these homes almost always include numerous bedrooms and bathrooms; great rooms and kitchens large enough […]
House of the Week: Greek Revival on Delaronde Street
I’ve been busy surviving this thing called life lately, and avoiding the Realtor browse, neglecting my ritual self flagellation in the interest of sanity. Not only will I never be able to buy a house, I am no longer 100% positive I’d want to buy one in New Orleans, even […]
Embracing the Surreal at The Frenchmen Hotel
Denver design firm FAM Design creates a female-forward, dreamlike atmosphere at the The Frenchmen Hotel with Italian surrealist Leonor Fini as their muse. On any given day New Orleans can elicit the surreal. Just watch a cruise liner float by on the Mississippi from street level, the massive hull at […]
The Big Sit: Porch Life in New Orleans
One morning I woke earlier than usual and couldn’t go back to sleep. I crept out of bed, got dressed and made coffee without waking my boyfriend John, though our new puppy was alert as soon as I pushed back the covers. Her eyes followed me as I left the […]
Developing a Sweet Spot: ONE11 Hotel
In the midst of shutdowns, Hotel One11 emerges as the French Quarter’s newest hotels in over 50 years. One of the last architectural remnants of the Louisiana Sugar and Rice Exchange, the building on the French Quarter’s riverfront stood derelict for over 30 years. The almost 150-year-old structure began life […]
Hauntingly Beautiful: Victorian Homes in New Orleans
What is it about a Victorian home which makes it the perfect setting for ghost stories and horror films? They’re used prolifically across the spookiest of genres, in everything from Scooby Doo and House to The Addams Family and Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. Some might proclaim it’s peculiar features including fairy […]
House of the Week: Raised Center Hall on Camp Street
If you’ve ever seen the movie Wayne’s World (and honestly, I’d be surprised if you haven’t), you’re familiar with the method in which Wayne and Garth perform a screen dissolve. Imagine if you will, I am wiggling my hands, adding waves to your vision and repeating “doodle-oo doodle-oo doodle-oo!” Suddenly, […]
House of the Week: Comparison Shopping
While undergoing my weekly self-flagellation, I was narrowing down which listing I wanted to share with you and inadvertently wound up with two options in roughly the same price bracket. Both locations are attractive in their own way, and I know which I would choose, but I am curious about […]