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History, art, elegance: Here are the unique New Orleans homes we toured in 2020 | Home/Garden

2020 was the year of staying at home. 

Some New Orleans-area residents took advantage of the extra time indoors to buy or renovate unique properties. From urban color schemes to vintage Paris-inspired decor, take a look at a few of the Crescent City’s most unique living spaces. 

Whitener residence

Whitener Residence 4 December 5,2020

Whitener Residence- A home with some interesting pedigree, the Whitener residence is part of New Orleans history. The foyer has a beautiful staircase winding to the upstairs and are lined with three of their Tony Mose Collection of art. ORG XMIT: NO.oldmet.io.121920




Marc and Peggy Whitener combed through at least 100 online listings before finding the perfect home on Woodvine Avenue in Old Metairie. 

The 5,600-square-foot residence is a part of New Orleans history. Mickey Loomis, executive vice president and general manager of the New Orleans Saints, and mob boss Carlos Marcello also resided there at different points.

Furnishing such a large home presented challenges, but the Whiteners were up to the task. 

Read more about the Whitener’s new home.

It took combing through at least 100 listings online and visiting 40-plus prospects in person before Marc and Peggy Whitener found “the one” —…

1890s Bywater home

Toups House 16 December 4,2020

The formal dining room contains the original mantle and fire place from the 1892-era home.




Lauren and David Toups practiced as doctors in Covington for almost 20 years before opting to return to New Orleans and adopt an 1892-era house smack-dab in the middle of bustling Bywater. 

The double gallery house was initially uninhabitable due to roof issues and failed attempts to keep the elements out.

“The rear of the house was in such bad shape that we got permission from the HDLC (Historic District Landmarks Commission) to remove part of it so that we could build a family room and kitchen downstairs and add a master suite upstairs,” David Toups said. “The house didn’t even have a kitchen when we bought it at the end of 2016, so this is a vast improvement.”

Read more about the Toups’ restoration project.

When a pair of doctors who have lived in Covington for almost two decades start looking down the road to retirement, you might expect they wou…

Winter and Shlosman residence

Katie Winters 7 November 6, 2020

The open living and dining space is connected to the kitchen, making the home feel larger.




Katie Winters and Tom Shlosman have three children under the age of 5 — and all-white furniture for their 3,100-square-foot home. 

While that may seem like a risky combination, Winters said slipcovers are the answer. They protect the minimalist furniture from everything from crayon marks to drink stains, and also make their house the perfect place for hosting social gatherings. 

Guests also enjoy the couple’s extensive art collection, which hangs on the walls at heights safe from little hands. 

Read more about how Winters and Shlosman’s child-proofed their elegant home.

Katie Winters and Tom Shlosman’s home isn’t what you’d expect for a family with three children under the age of 5.

Bryan Batt’s Uptown, tinsel-filled house

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The huge faux fir was chosen because if was big enough to hold all the couple’s ornaments.




Ever wonder what it looks like inside a TV star’s house? In “Mad Men” actor Bryan Batt’s case, it’s very festive. 

He and Tom Cianfichi’s Uptown residence features natural fir garland, a 12-foot-tall tree and a sleek credenza in the dining room. 

The house, which was part of the Preservation Resource Center’s virtual 2020 Holiday Tour, was also renovated in the 1980s by the late, celebrated interior designer Tom Collum.

See more of Batt and Chiafichi’s winter wonderland home.

Garden District double-turned-single

Buras Home 15 November 3, 2020

The den and kitchen are the two focal points of the house for Buras’ and Lonergan’s daily living.




Fred Buras and his spouse, Tom Lonergan, love entertaining guests with their glossy black piano and their impressive art collection. The inside of this double-turned-single is just the beginning. 

There are three fountains in the backyard complete with immense goldfish, plus a robust array of greenery including red and yellow shrimp plants, colorful tropicals, a Meyer lemon tree and a staghorn fern tucked into a corner.  

Read more about Buras and Lonergan’s home renovations, which they completed without the help of an architect or designer.

The Queen Anne house

Harris Home October 26, 2020

Michelle Harris says her 1895 Queen Anne house is  inhabited by ghosts.




The historic Queen Anne house was built in 1895 and designed by architects Toledano and Reusch. But behind the garlands of carved flowers and leaves, strange things occur on the inside. 

The Harris family claims the first sign was bells spontaneously ringing on the Christmas tree. Not long after, the figure of a mysterious man was spotted near the foot of the stairs in the grand reception hall. 

The family now believes it is the spirit of Rabbi Max Heller, who was a civic leader and a former resident of the home, who appears to them. 

Read more about the real-life ghost story here. 

The Harris family had been in their new home on Marengo Street for only a few months when mysterious things began to happen. That was back in …

Tonya Gatt’s ‘doll house’

Gatt Home 12 October 12, 2020

Use of color and wooden detailing makes Tonya Gatt and Benjamin Farrar’s home seem like a dollhouse.




Tonya Gatt’s tiny home is reminiscent of a doll house with its bright colors, glow-in-the-dark shutters and scalloped edging, but the most impressive part of it is that she designed it all herself. 

“The colors and other things just sort of evolved and keep developing,” she said. “I am pretty good with a jigsaw because my late father taught me carpentry, and before Hurricane Katrina, I led an all-female carpentry crew,” Gatt said.

Read more about the fantasy world Gatt created in the middle of New Orleans here.

There are 18 colors on the façade of Tonya Gatt’s tiny house, and she can recite the names of all of them — as well she should, because she ch…

Marigny cottage

Alexander Home 18 October 7, 2020

In the living area, the table and cabinets were made by Nick Perrin.




Architects Maya Alexander and Nick Perrin live in a 1,500-square-foot cottage with their 1-year-old son, but the Faubourg Marigny house never feels cluttered. The secret is Perrin’s custom cabinets. 

Low, wall-mounted cabinets in the office and living room conceal everything from business files to Alex’s toys to Nick’s vinyl collection, while the tall and wide cabinets in the master bedroom provide maximum storage. The flat doors, honey-colored wood and holes for openings create a cohesive presentation. 

“I started fooling around with making furniture when I still lived in New York and have continued since we moved back home,” said Perrin. 

Read more about the Perrin’s and their custom cabinets here. 

Architects Maya Alexander and Nick Perrin and their 1-year-old son Alex live in a raised side hall cottage with about 1,500 square feet of spa…

A taste of Paris in the ’20s

Gupta Home 6 September 24, 2020

One side of the double parlors includes a fireplace that uses ethanol. The parlors are the main rooms for entertaining.




Nomita Joshi-Gupta and Shami Gupta’s home transports guests from Napoleon Avenue to 20th century Paris with its rich colors and geometric accessories. 

Joshi-Gupta, an architect, saw the house’s potential despite its need for renovations. 

“I knew this house would be great,” said Joshi-Gupta. “It was built in the 1920s and has lots of authentic details, like the mosaic tile floor on the front porch.”

Take a look at the vintage decor here.

If the Napoleon Avenue home of Nomita Joshi-Gupta and her husband, Shami Gupta, feels a bit like Paris in the ’20s and ’30s, it’s not an accident. 

1880s carriage house

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The home originally was a carriage house to a St. Charles Avenue home designed by famed architect Thomas Sully.




What was once a carriage house designed by famous 19th-century architect Thomas Sully is now home to Sally and Tom Connolly. 

The building was converted to a home in 1944 but retains the brick floors and the exposed-brick ceilings from its time as the carriage house of the John Wallis Mansion, a local landmark. 

The Connollys hired local architect Corbett Scott for their 2019 renovation. Scott designed a new wing for a dining room, an expanded kitchen and a master suite upstairs. 

The couple strived to maintain the house’s authenticity throughout the design process, so guests can still envision carriages where there is now a fireplace. 

See more of this Uptown building’s renovations here. 

Sally and Tom Connolly weren’t seeking a house by a famous 19th-century New Orleans architect when they bought their place Uptown in 2004. But…

St. Roch firehouse 

1421 St. Roch 1 June 23, 2020

1421 St. Roch- Firehouse house, The Cruthirds turned a former firehouse into their domicile.




This building on St. Roch was once a firehouse, but is now home to the Cruthirds family. 

Allen Cruthirds, a talented craftsman, worked on the renovations alongside his brother and father for almost 10 years. 

“There is almost nothing you see that we did not do ourselves,” Allen Cruthirds said.

As if living in a converted firehouse wasn’t unique enough, the Cruthirds’ house features a car restoration studio and the original Imagination Movers’ “Fun-0-Meter.” 

Read more about the remodel here.

Look closely at the floor of the upstairs great room in the Cruthirds’ home and you’ll see the outlines of two circles: one in a corner and a …

The Keckler residence

Sara Essex Bradley

This modern, bright kitchen is a new feature in a renovated Uptown home, part of the PRC’s virtual tour.  




When Elizabeth and Adam Keckler learned they were expecting, they knew they need a bigger house to fit their growing family – but they didn’t want to move

Instead, they employed the design talents of Mississippi architect John Weaver to double the size of their Foucher Street home. 

The two-story addition included a nursery and master suite upstairs and a playroom and family room downstairs. 

Take a peek at the award-winning home here. 

Irish Channel home

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Bill “Bobo” Pittman stands between Paul Babineaux as he holds Shreve, 3, and Molly Babineaux holds Max, 3, at their home in New Orleans, Tuesday, March 3, 2020.




Paul and Molly Babineaux were another New Orleans couple facing a space dilemma. Their three-generation household included their twin sons and Molly’s father. 

They wanted to stay in the Channel, but were reluctant to embark on an extensive renovation project. 

A three-story, three-bedroom condominium satisfied their aesthetic and practical needs. 

The development at the corner of Ninth and St. Thomas streets comprises 12 multistory condos designed by the office of Jonathan Tate. Asymmetrical roof lines, as well as the varying sizes of fenestrations, add to the structure’s unique character. 

“Even though the Philip Street house is much more traditional and historic, the contemporary look of this place really appealed to us,” Babineaux said.

Read more about the Babineaux’s condo-living experience here. 

Paul and Molly Babineaux were facing a space dilemma.

1830s stable home

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French Quarter home of Michie and Tom Bissell on Monday, February 3, 2020.




Behind a pink Creole cottage in the French Quarter stands an 1830s-era stable. Now converted to a two-story masonry structure, the stable is separated from the cottage at the front of the property by a courtyard. 

Tom and Michie Bissell have owned both structures since they married in the mid-1990s. 

“I walked into this place and thought, ‘This is it.’ I don’t think I even went inside the cottage,” Michie Bissell said. “I just loved the open floor plan here in the old stable.”

The stable maintains much of its original structure, but the decor has been updated to reflect the sophisticated taste of its owners. 

Read more about the French Quarter stable-turned-home here. 

When you first visit the home of Tom and Michie Bissell in the French Quarter, you might expect them to welcome you into the handsome pink Cre…

Contemporary farm house 

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The living room, breakfast area and kitchen flow together seamlessly in Ann Ramsey’s contemporary farmhouse.




Ann Ramsey is a Texas girl, and that’s displayed in the design of her Gentilly Terrace home. 

The contemporary farmhouse features a wide front porch, rustic beams and board-and-batten siding. It’s also filled with art and antiques from Ramsey’s frequent trips to Europe. 

Unlike the mid-19th century farmhouse she owns in East Texas, Ramsey said her New Orleans home didn’t need any repairs. 

“Everything works. I don’t have to fix a thing … yet, anyway. You know how people like to ask contractors to make changes? Well, I didn’t ask for anything. I bought this house exactly as it was. When they said they still needed to install the towel bars, I told them I’d do it myself. That’s how perfect the house is for me,” Ramsey said.

Read more about Ramsey’s modern farmhouse here. 

New Orleans has always appealed to Ann Ramsey, a Texas gal who usually knows what she wants and how to get it. That said, she hadn’t a clue wh…