Architectural Accolades
Trahan Architects — the renowned architectural firm behind the Mercedes-Benz Superdome redevelopment and the revamped Coca-Cola Stage at Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia — earned the 2019 International Architecture Award for a newly designed home on Magazine Street. The site, currently occupied only by the 1854 façade of a home lost to fire, is located in the Picayune Place historic neighborhood in the Central Business District. The award, presented by Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies, recognizes the world’s best international architecture practices and examples of global architecture. The home design consists of museum-quality concrete, glass and a weathered steel-sculpture wall. The steel panels form the backdrop for the interior of the house, delineating the juxtaposition of natural light and shadow. A quiet respite in the heart of the city, the home invokes a subtle atmosphere void of internal visual and acoustical distractions. trahanarchitects.com
Weird and Wacky
Returning to New Orleans for the third year, the Weird Homes Tour (tickets from $30) celebrates all that’s out of the norm in home design — a unique specialty here in the Crescent City. During the self-paced tour, visitors can discover eight to 10 of the most charming and unconventional homes whose owners include rare art collectors, designers and architects. Notable homes include the Inn at the Old Jail (a jail-turned-inn), the Magazine Street Remaker Home (filled with found and recycled art) and the KAN House (made from seven converted shipping containers). Ten percent of all proceeds benefit HousingNOLA, a local housing nonprofit working to solve New Orleans’ affordable housing crisis. weirdhomestour.com
HOME LIBRARY
Origin stories
Architect, author and professor emeritus at Tulane University, Geoffrey H. Baker, recently published a coffee-table book entitled “New Orleans: An Intimate Journey Through A City with Soul” (Images Publishing, $32), with photography by Timothy Dunford. “New Orleans and Hove [a 19th-century seaside community in Southern England] each tell a very human story to which we can all relate,” Baker says. “Each time, in either place, I marvel at the ‘stage’ that is all around me. This goes so deep that it is hard to explain in words.” The hardcover tome follows architectural origins across the city’s distinctive neighborhoods — from coffee shops and museums to preserved buildings and stately homes.
Wine Down
We are all lamenting the end of rosé season, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the spirit of wine. Thankfully, luxury glassware maker Riedel has launched a new line of tabletop accoutrements that should be on everyone’s wish list this winter. The curly pink decanter ($350) makes a subtle and sweet statement, while the horn decanter ($599) takes a stand during any gathering. Pair either one with the handmade Fatto A Mano Old World Pinot Noir glassware ($540 for a set of 6) for a colorful affair. riedel.com
