Regina Correa

Master of Residential Design

Studio Riche Designs

Growing up in São Paulo, Brazil, Regina Correa loved poring over apartment floor plans pictured in magazine advertisements. Little did she imagine while flipping those pages that she would one day design interiors for spaces like that over 4,500 miles away in New Orleans.

Correa’s journey was unexpected. She was happily teaching English in São Paulo when an outing to a nightspot called Bourbon Street Music Club introduced her to a band from New Orleans. The connection eventually led her to visit New Orleans in 1999 and the city cast a surprising spell. “I really was infatuated,” said Correa. “I stayed in a place outside Louis Armstrong Park and would walk into the French Quarter every day… I was like, oh my god, this is so enchanting.”

An immigration attorney recommended school as the best path to stay in the U.S. legally. Correa discovered Delgado Community College’s interior design program, harkening back to her lifelong affinity for planning spaces, arranging furniture, and making curtains for her mother’s kitchen. With the support of local friends, she enrolled and stayed put in New Orleans. “It turned out to be the best decision I’ve made, to do something I was so passionate about,” said Correa. “And here I am almost 25 years later. It’s still a joy to me to start a floor plan and furniture layouts and to select the fabrics and color palette… and in the end, seeing a client’s satisfaction.”

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She recalls one happy example. A client wanted a tranquil space for reading and Correa delivered a library, replete with wraparound bookcases, rich burgundy tones, and a chaise lounge for enjoying the collection of books amassed over a lifetime. “Once I styled everything, and she came in and saw it, she started crying,” recalled Correa. “That specific moment when the client [sees] everything, that beautiful transformation… makes it so worth it.”

Correa also created “Riche the Mag,” a digital publication she releases every other month to share inspirations on home décor and more. Correa initially sought to boost her business’s SEO through blogging but found the idea of a newsletter uninspiring: “It’s just an article, and then what?” The pandemic provided the push to create Riche, allowing Correa an outlet for positivity and creativity and to engage with readers (and potential clients). “I want people to look forward to it and flood it with imagery and some information so they get inspired to either do something themselves or call me to do something for them.”

Art and travel feature prominently in Riche because both are dear to Correa’s heart. Through features like “No Blank Walls,” she encouraged readers to enhance their space through artwork, and she frequently profiles local artists. Her yen for travel also seems suited to a person who uprooted her life to replant in a new country. A recent South African safari left her with visions for a dream project: designing a “top-to-bottom” house in South Africa. When that call comes, Correa will be ready: “Let’s do it! When do I leave?”

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