When a West Coast family, who has roots in the Crescent City, purchased a vacation condo at the Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans, they wanted the interior design to reflect their love of the city, its cultural diversity and its energy. Their real estate agent recommended Penny D. Francis, principal designer and owner at Eclectic Home, to create the home of their dreams. “A real departure from their more traditional primary residence, this home-away-from-home evokes an energy fueled by pattern, color, texture and a mix of vintage, custom and antique furnishings,” Francis says.
Woodward Construction handled the build-out of the 2,800-square-foot condo, while Francis and her team worked with trade suppliers to execute the design for the three bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom project. “We first and foremost understood how they wanted to live in the home and developed a design direction that satisfied their desire for color, pattern and comfort,” Francis says.
The homeowners also expressed their interest in showcasing local talent and sourcing works through local galleries. Francis presented several gallery offerings to get an understanding of the aesthetic and medium that spoke to her clients. After receiving their input, she made studio and gallery visits, and presented them with options for consideration. The home now features work from local artists (such as photography by Wallace Merritt, sourced through Cole Pratt Gallery) plus vintage pottery and decorative objects.
“Approachable, impactful, layered and curated design was the goal,” Francis says. “With a young family, finishes and fabrics that were high-performance were strongly considered for durability. You don’t have to sacrifice good design if you have a young family – you have to make good choices.”
As such, Francis custom-designed and fabricated all of the beds with high-performance fabrics that look luxurious and have tremendous staying power. Other custom pieces include the sofa in the living room, the Milo Baughman midcentury swivel chairs with red veneer base, the gold ottomans in the dining space and the bedroom ottomans. Other special touches include the light fixtures, with the living, dining and kitchen areas all having statement fixtures to define and balance the space. Francis and her team infused pops of color through accent fabrics, textiles and wall coverings.
“They also have a love of modern furnishings,” Francis says. “We incorporated two [family heirloom] Platner chairs into the design as well as an Eames lounge chair in the guest bedroom. The mix of periods is apparent in the home from the Knoll dining chairs in a rich forest green to the 1920s Art Deco bar/hutch and Directoire style-inspired dining table. The mix is what brings interest and character to the space.”
According to Francis, her clients allowed her to explore and push the envelope, while also allowing her to strike a balance throughout the design process. Because the condo is perched atop the winding Mississippi River, Francis felt it was important for her design to pay homage to it. “Phillip Jeffries introduced a wood veneer wall covering [in the dining area] – Adorn – featuring a winding pattern that, to me, looked like the river below,” Francis says. “The muted blue sky color was the perfect hue to reflect the outdoors and the silver leaf of the river.”
Meanwhile, in the girls’ room, Francis created a bright and cheerful color palette that could evolve as the children grew. Because the trapezoidal shape of the room and plentiful windows created a challenge, Francis and her team decided to play with shapes.
“The custom headboards with their Art Deco rounded [shape] in a subtle blush velvet, the storage ottomans with their rounded edges and the round accent game table allow the eye to pay less attention to the shape of the room and more to the overall calming effect of the space,” Francis says. “The scale of the Schumacher wall covering in its Champagne color was a perfect complement to the feminine blush hue of the beds and bedding.”
In the primary bedroom, Francis juxtaposed a hand-painted, abstract-patterned grasscloth wall covering in blue and white with a custom blue headboard in a wave pattern as another subtle nod to the Mississippi River. Francis then introduced contrasting colors with a clay-colored accent chair and a cashmere throw with an equestrian motif.
While wood flooring grounds each of the spaces throughout the condo, the wall coverings and textiles give each room its own design identity. “Although different in each room, there is cohesion in the tone of color and the anchor of neutrality of color in the living spaces,” Francis says.
In the kitchen, which has stainless steel appliances, Francis introduced a mix of metals through the brass and glass Ralph Lauren light fixture over the island. She also added local black and white photography, and durable woven-rope stools, to create contrast to the custom high-gloss-white cabinets.
Overall, Francis describes this home as chic, curated, balanced and engaging. “Design is so much more than selecting pretty things,” she says. “It is a craft and about the people that will live there, about the execution of the design and the sheer joy when you can impact the lives of your clients and be part of the memories that will be made.”
