Later this year, on the former site of the Trolley Stop Café, St. Charles Avenue will get a new boutique hotel. The six-story, 42,000-square-foot Warbler Hotel’s design is inspired by the Streamline Moderne architecture of the Jazz Age. The project’s lineup of partners includes EskewDumezRipple architectural firm, Jamie Bush & Co. interior design (Los Angeles-based, Tulane grad-led), Verdad Real Estate, Sweet Olive real estate development, Martin Steib as the project manager and Lark Hospitality, which manages hotels throughout the United States. The hotel’s bar and restaurant, Mildred’s, and poolside lounge, Upstairs, will have a food and beverage program developed with James Beard Award-winning Neal Bodenheimer and Kirk Estopinal of the New Orleans-based hospitality group CureCo., and Executive Chef Andrew Zimmerman of the Chicago’s Michelin-starred Sepia. thewarblerhotel.com
The Beat Goes On
Throughout his life and career, legendary photographer Herman Leonard followed his muse to iconic cities including New York, Paris, Ibiza, London and San Francisco. Another beloved city for the late photographer, who was known for his images of jazz icons, was New Orleans. From the early ‘90s until 2005, when Hurricane Katrina destroyed his house and studio, Leonard called New Orleans home. While his photography archive was destroyed when the levees failed, Leonard’s negative archive was spared, having been moved to the Ogden Museum of Southern Art’s vault prior to the storm. In January, the Ogden opened an exhibition of the Allentown, Pennsylvania-native’s work, “Herman Leonard: Images of Jazz,” featuring 30, selenium-toned silver gelatin photographic prints of jazz musicians, including Louis Armstrong, of the 1940s and ‘50s. The exhibition runs through July 12. ogdenmuseum.org
Design Rebel
In “Free Style: Unlock Creative Home Designs: An Interior Design Book,” New Orleans-based designer and artist Liz Kamarul encourages us to toss aside the rules and trust our innate creativity. If you aren’t sure how to go about doing that, Kamarul — along with New Orleans-based ApartmentTherapy.com House Tour Director Adrienne Breaux — is sharing her methods for crafting wild and free interiors. The vibrant, 240-page tome is overflowing with gorgeous inspo images shot by Kamarul and structured to walk readers through the process of defining their personal style, transforming unsightly items (think electronics cords) into design features and repurposing what you already have on hand. Available from your favorite bookseller starting April 21.
Night Life Chic
At the beginning of the year, just in time for Mardi Gras, the Omni Royal Orleans hotel in the French Quarter announced the opening of its new design-forward live-music lounge and lobby bar. Design of the hotel’s two new public spaces was led by New Orleans architecture firm Farouki Farouki and Metairie-based Ryan Gootee General Contractors. The Three Maries Jazz Club has all the dark, sultry vibes indicative of an urban music hotspot. Expect live music from local artists in this charcoal and green, 68-seat jewel box. The lobby’s makeover includes the 84-seat Royal Bar, which flips the script on its moody jazz club counterpart with an equally sophisticated, yet light and airy space. Cream and gold are accented with black and sage, wrapping the horseshoe-shaped brass bar in chic and cozy warmth like a luxe cashmere sweater. Sip cocktails and nosh on a curated selection of gourmet bites from the Rib Room. omnihotels.com/hotels/new-orleans-royal-orleans
Throwing No Shade
The Shade Store opened later in 2025 on Magazine Street to much excited chatter from designers and laypeople alike. Known for sophisticated style made simple, the national retailer took over part of the building that formerly housed Ace Hardware at 3523 Magazine St. While window treatments don’t sound very sexy at the outset, getting them right (or wrong) can make (or break) the look of a room. Specializing in blinds, drapery and, of course, shades, visit the store with your interior designer or let the pros on staff help keep you from flying blind when choosing new, well, blinds. theshadestore.com
