Bon Vivant

  Aficionados and connoisseurs of shotgun houses rejoice, because you are being treated to a month-long fix of tours and programming surrounding your favorite local architectural style. The Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans’ Shotgun House Month presented by Entablature…

  In April, my husband and I — fully vaccinated and ready to (safely) mingle — attended our first gathering (of more than six, socially-distanced people) since “The Before.” (That’s our phrase for anything that happened prior to the pandemic.) To…

  This week, I entertained inside my home for the first time since the pandemic. We’ve hosted a few casual, four-to-six person, socially-distanced, outdoor gatherings, but in keeping with the CDC guidelines, nothing indoors. Since I’m so out of practice,…

  At the beginning of this week, I was saddened and shocked to receive the news about the unexpected death of one of our talented and vibrant New Orleans Homes magazine contributing writers, Pamela Marquis. Her articles about organizing, profiles…

  This year, I entered into the “excited about small appliances” phase of adult development. It started when I realized that what I really wanted for my birthday was a new blender. The one we got for our wedding in…

  Let’s face it, you ­— and your dog — adore the pet groomer you’ve been seeing for Fluffer’s weekly blowouts for years. The thought of even looking at new toss pillows without consulting your designer (who is practically a…

  Bon Vivant is on a break this week to celebrate Easter. Whether you are celebrating one of the various religious holidays this week or simply reveling in the coming of Spring, enjoy. If you’d like something to read, catch…

  What a difference a year and a new season makes. Last year, we were entering into the first stages of pandemic lockdown and now, we’re getting vaccinated and emerging back into some sense of normalcy. With that comes in-person…

  This month, designer Whitney Jones of Whitney J Décor opened her Gretna-based brick and mortar design studio to the public. The boutique features Jones’ finds from all over the globe and skews heavily toward natural materials and vibrant colors,…

  On Monday, my husband I got a potentially life-changing text. Extra doses of the Moderna vaccine were set to expire in one hour and if we could get from our home Uptown to the clinic in Mid-City in time,…

  It’s time for another Design Diary roundup! Events and workshops are a bit quiet lately, likely due to Zoom fatigue, but there are still a few fun and interesting announcements and happenings to enjoy in the home realm. Custom…

  Sleep is eluding a lot of people. Even this writer, who has historically clocked 8 to 9 hours a night. Lately, I’m eking out about 6 or 7 on a good night, and I’m not alone. The Lancet reports…

  A few weeks ago, I grabbed a bag of matcha at Whole Foods on Magazine Street, so I could craft my own matcha lattes, rather than picking it up at the coffee shops so many times throughout the week.…

  Back in 2011, Pinterest was still in the beta stage and the visually driven social media platform was available to new users by invitation only. I was invited by a friend, instantaneously became addicted, lured other friends down the…

  Raise your hand if you are finishing up Dry January this week. Chances are hardly any of you raised your hand as you read this, not because you think it’s weird to put your hand in the air for…

  For years, my “things to try” list has included attending a yoga and meditation retreat. Countless times I’ve found myself perusing the retreat schedule at Flowering Lotus Meditation Center in Magnolia, Mississippi, ultimately unable to make it work with…

  Bon Vivant is on a break for the holidays and will return on Jan. 8. If you are on the hunt for something to read, catch up on missed posts or revisit favorites in the archives. Meanwhile, from my…

  This year, more than any other year in my lifetime, my mind is on giving to those in need and gifting to or tipping the people who have kept us in touch with the rest of the world and…

  Happy Day After Thanksgiving. I’m off today, but wanted to post at least a little something, in case you dropped by the blog, to tell you how grateful I am to each of you who follows Bon Vivant. Thank…

  There are certain made-up holidays I can get behind, including but not limited to National Taco Day, National Cat Day, International Yoga Day and, most recently, World Kindness Day. The latter didn’t even come on my radar until yesterday,…