Spring Home Tour Preview: Seven Distinctive Homes

Built in 1838, by Nelson Fouche’, a Jamaican born, free person of color, this Creole masonry building speaks in layers. Its original design - commerce below, residence above reflects the rhythm of an earlier time. The patterned terrazzo anchors the ground floor and a sweeping staircase draws you upward into the living quarters. Beyond, a rear gallery opens to a lush garden and pool.

Behind this 19th-century, Creole cottage facade, lies a strikingly modern intervention. With approval from the New Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission, the structure beyond the facade was reimagined entirely. The result is an open, light-filled interior where contemporary design meets historic materiality, including salvaged bargeboard repurposed as architectural detailing. Garden views are integrated throughout, dissolving boundaries between inside and out.

Announced by a whimsical mural by Mark Bercier, this 1870’s Italianate, three-bay shotgun is a study in collected expression. Interiors are layered with mid-century modern furnishings and an evolving art collection. The sensibility extends outdoors where front and rear gardens host over fifty native Louisiana plants.

Once a severely blighted property, this structure has been transformed into a stately raised, center-hall residence. The renovation emphasizes proportion and symmetry with double parlors, a European- inspired kitchen and a palette of deep saturated tones balanced by contemporary lighting. The home stands as a compelling example of adaptive restoration within the neighborhood.

At first glance, this shotgun single appears independent, yet subtle clues - most notable the unified paint scheme - his at its connection to the adjacent shotgun double. A glass-walled corridor links the two structure, functioning as a contemporary gallery space. The interiors feature bespoke detailing throughout, leading to a lush and carefully composed rear garden with pool.

Not long ago, this landscape was entombed in concrete - front and back. By carving away the hardscape, the owners have cultivated a gold-certified, native plant oasis. It is an evolving ecosystem, rooted in Louisiana soil and sensibility. Visitors will have the opportunity to learn directly from the owners about the design and implementation process.

Deceptive in scale from the street, this 1840’s shotgun single, unfolds sequentially culminating in a camelback addition. The original, one-room cottage, is now a transformed bespoke cabinetry studio. The linear progression of space ultimately reveals a secluded garden tucked beyond a rear shed on this desirable key lot.