The home isn’t hard to find in the walled neighborhood of Stonebridge on the West Bank – just look for the brightly painted art on the front door. The unique door is a pleasant welcome to the home of Terrance Osborne, a well-known artist, and Stephanie, his charming wife who manages his career. “The door is my introduction to the center of my art world,” he says. It is here that he creates his paintings and enjoys living comfortably. Having my studio here means I’m always close to my family and I enjoy having them around while I’m working.” (The Osborne family includes: Seth, 12 and Sydni (“Syd”), 9. Terrance also has an older son, also named Terrance but called “LT, for little Terrance, who’s 18 and has his own apartment.)
Step inside the front door, and you’ll find Terrance’s studio in a room you would normally expect to be the living or dining room. “It was actually a formal dining room before we purchased the house five years ago,” he says. “It didn’t seem strange for me to make it my studio and hub of my work, and it’s also like a gallery where our guests can enjoy my latest work when they visit us.”
The core of the house is a large den that occupies most of the back of house. It is definitely a perfect showplace for Terrance’s work. Divided into four spaces – a seating area in front of the fireplace, a television nook, a bar and a dramatic corner for the couple’s opium bed – there isn’t a dull corner in the colorful room. The fireplace is the focal point for the main seating area and you’ll quickly notice that here Terrance’s art takes center stage. His relief of the skyline of New Orleans fills the wall above the mantel and it’s flanked by one of his prints and an oil painting, while his large painting of a streetcar hangs over the couch.
Stephanie gets the credit for serving as the interior designer for the home. She added charm to the den by placing colorful pillows and two unique floor lamps on either side of the leather sofa. A matching leather daybed and the bright blue velvet chair complete the seating for the space.
“We enjoy having a large open area in the back of the house that overlooks the pool,” she says. “The pool and patio are ideal for gatherings of our family and friends.” The second dramatic space is anchored by a handsome round couch from Scandinavia, Inc. in Metairie that’s placed strategically to take advantage of the television and provide a panoramic view of the backyard, swimming pool and Stonebridge Country Club beyond.
“From Nothing” is the title of Terrance’s 4-by-8-foot painting that dominates a third corner of the large space. “The tree begins with cool colors and then ends with reds and oranges at the top,” he says. “It seems like such an appropriate painting to be used in the space that features an opium bed we discovered in a shop on North Rampart Street. We fell in love with its beauty and uniqueness.” It is Stephanie who waved her magic design wand and added colorful cushions to dress out the bed. The fourth space is a bar that’s perfect for entertaining.
Art definitely makes a statement in the Osbornes’ home, and it’s always exciting because it’s an ever changing scene as works are sold and moved to new homes and businesses around the country. For example, the 4-by-8-foot original painting of Trombone Shorty that Terrance created for the 2012 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival poster has now moved on to an art lover’s mansion in the Garden District. “Yes, I do get attached to my work,” he says. “But there’s no greater thrill than knowing something I’ve done has a new home with an art lover elsewhere.”
