Saturday, June 20, 2009

Shop Keepers Homes 4 - Caroline Robert Owner of Perch New Orleans

This edition of Shopkeepers Homes is my favorite, because it is the home of Caroline Robert the owner of Perch in New Orleans, the shop in which I lovingly work.


Her home is a grand old dame, a classic Uptown New Orleans beauty.
The house is filled with old and new things, very much in the way Caroline stocks the shop with beautiful wares. It is a family home, for the Roberts, with three children, and three dogs. It is home well lived in.


The hall table is antique, the painting vintage, the accessories of an ancient angel wing and a bowl of fresh picked apples is lovely.


To one side of the front door is the study. The house is well over 100 years old, and has some of the most beautiful original plaster work, which is offset by Caroline's signature color: Blue.


There ae a couple of grand old gilded mirrors around the house.


Off to one side in the study is this little antique settee under the striking portrait, flanked by the sumptuous blue silk drapes made in the workroom of Perch. And look at that plaster work! It looks like a wedding cake!


There's a handsome white ceramic dog too, unlike any I've ever seen.


Across the hall is the living room. Don't you love the ceiling! I spy a pair of vintage Murano lamps that Ed from Swank Lighting would die for!


Here's another view of the living room. The juxtaposition of the transitional sofa with the antique settee, and modern coffee table with a very cool vase holding yellow tulips, is so typical of the way Caroline designs interiors.


Nestled in a corner is a sophisticated contemporay chair, and in the background you can see a classic French antique table. And the bouquet of coral roses is just the perfect grace note. Do you notice the very pale antique Oriental carpet? As much as I love sea grass, it just wouldn't work in this room.


The original marble mantle looks great with a piece of modern art flanked by antique torcheres.


To one side of the mantle is an antique English campaign chest, and the dark wood tone is a great contrast to the lighter pieces in the room. The painting is done by the head designer and manager of Perch, Jack Mayberry.


I love the stack of books with the ancient Roman foot resting on them. And check out the detail of the frame of the painting, how Jack incorporates the frame making it an important element of the painting.


Now we're moving into the expansive dining room, a place the Roberts gather in regularly for huge dinner parties with friends and family. The breakfront looks original to the house, but it's really a more recent piece Caroline acquired from Tara Shaw. And note the uber dental molding!


The French antique chandelier spoils you - no reproduction can truly capture this kind of beauty!


Across the hall is a room for the man of the house, a classic billiards room, done in a dark and sexy palette reminiscent of an English gentleman's club.


Moving down the hall is the kitchen. Painted cabinets, soapstone counters, and brick floors are a nice departure from the cookie cutter SGG kitchen. I spy some nice oyster plates hanging on the wall.



The modern paper mache artichoke lamp looks great in the kitchen.


Old kitchen windows, overlooking the garden.


Across the kitchen is the breakfast room. More drop dead gorgeous drapes, a French wood turned chandelier, and a zinc clad dining table all add up to a welcoming spot. I love baby Eli's little cradle in this room!


Here's a better look at the precious cradle, and you can also see the fantastic brick floor that runs throughout the kitchen, breakfast room, and family room.


And here's a little peek of the family room: White slips on the sofa, great art work including a lamp by the artist Viorel.


Off the kitchen are doors leading to the garden. Of course there's a classic New Orleans courtyard with a beautiful fountain!


The patio is set up for lounging. I love this tropical print on the furniture.


And this super rustic table is the spot to be for alfresco dining.


There's a yard big enough for the dogs and kids.


And a guest house over the garage too.


And a lovely swimming pool that is well used by this family during the long months of hot weather in New Orleans.


We've seen most of the first floor. There are three floors of the house. I did not photograph the guest room (it was occupied) or the older kids rooms.
We're moving to the second floor. Don't you love the old leaded glass windows and this window seat on the stair landing! Caroline likes to read here.


The master bedroom has a magical and romantic bed. Simple elegant bed coverings with luxe monogrammed pillows are so pretty.


But the real star of the second floor is baby Eli's new nursery. The painting above the crib was done by Caroline for her new son.


The room is very large, and there's a queen size bed in there, ready for Eli to grow into. The canopy above was suggested to Caroline by Jack. It's an antique piece from an old church. I spy some very cute owl lamps. Doesn't baby Eli look darling on his big boy bed!


The linen drapes are from Perch, as are the zinc clad dresser (used as a changing table) and the zinc clad frame. The soft gray tones of the weathered zinc work so well with Caroline's signature palette of blue. And the grasshopper rocking toy is a fabulous folk art accent.


The vignette with white peonies is understated and so pretty.


There's a little round turret off the main room of the nursery, just large enough for mommy's chair to rock baby in. The lamp is Kartell. The Roman shades are made from the same linen as the draperies.


There's a great bookcase in the nursery, filled with more animals. The animal theme sort of evolved with a collection of things Caroline had: an antique carousel horse, a paper mache snail, butterfly prints, and one special yellow toy on the left side of the shelf which was a gift to Eli from Jack. It was Jack's baby toy! And I spy the baby Philippe Starck Lou Lou Ghost Chair!


There are many wonderful paintings in the house, and I love this portrait of Caroline. She had it done as wedding present for her husband Andre, telling him "what you see is what you get."


And here's Caroline! She arranged the luscious bouquet of peonies in the breakfast room.


And here's her mom Mrs. Elaine Smith, or Miss Lainie as we call her, with baby Eli in the living room.


Here's handsome Mike, Caroline's dad in the kitchen. Happy Fathers Day to Mike and all the dads out there!


And here I am with Caroline, my boss, my mentor, and my friend.
I was at her house taking snap shots while her home was being photographed for CUE Magazine coming out on the newsstands, Sunday June 21. I will be posting this editorial next week on the Perch blog, and I'm sure you'll see better pictures, and read a wonderful story too.

16 comments:

Karen said...

I love everything about this house. Fabulous art. Do you know who the artist is who painted the portrait in the first photograph?

Linda in AZ * said...

* That was FABULOUS, Val~~~ absolutely DEEELIGHTFUL!!!! What a luscious sense of style and personal flair the lady has!!!

Thank you for a "Super Saturday Evening Feast"~~~ UNFORTUNATELY, it's now 6:00, and I must go "help" my husband prepare "ours" out at the grill!

"CHOW for now!" (literally!), and MANY, MANY THANKS to you B*O*T*H!!! I LOVED every second of my tour!!!

Hugs,
Linda in AZ *

GinaLamour said...

Absolutely beautiful. Her house is stunning . I would love to live in such a way but can only dream. I'm quite modern in my tastes so will probably never have that kind of house but I'm in awe of people who have and how they manage to keep them looking so amazing. Maids I suppose...lol

h. m. settoon said...

beautiful house. It definitely reminds me of the best of Domino.

Velvet and Linen said...

I had the same reaction to Caroline's home as I did when I first walked into Perch: "Wow"!
She really has fantastic style.
Thank you so much for the wonderful tour, Valorie.

xo
Broke

Anonymous said...

I love everything!!!! I want to move on in! Most of all I love that the baby and I share the same monogram
EJR
xoxo
Eddie

Laura Casey Interiors said...

Gorgeous. Thanks for the peek inside.

alice said...

I love the rich color and the fullness of all the fabrics used her! So pretty!

cotedetexas said...

V: I absolutely love this! the breakfast esp. moves me. so gorgeous. love this and you look adorable!

vicki archer said...

Fab post - what a gorgeous home and she looks like such a sweetie. You look as wonderful as ever Miz V....xv

Visual Vamp said...

Hi Everybody!
As ever thanks for reading and commenting.
I'm so happy you are enjoying this.
The article in CUE is great, and as soon as there's a link I'll get it to you all. The CUE photos are amazing, and the story is fab too.
The artist of the portrait of the woman in the first photo is Regina Loch-Elvert and she is represented at the Ann Connelly gallery in Baton Rouge.
xo xo

Cristin // Simplified Bee said...

What a gorgeous southern home. Thank you for giving us a tour.

Great blog too!

xo,
cristin

Kwana said...

What an amazing home. The leaded glass windows take my breath away and I just love the billiards room!

Linda@ Lime in the Coconut said...

What a stunning home! I lone that nursery!! Well, love it all. The art work is magnificent...including the wild horses above the crib!

Thans for the great tour...grand photos madame!

Anonymous said...

What a gorgeous home filled with life, love and a sense of having a deep history. So many interiors today are filled with all 'new' which results in a bit of a superficial feeling, lacking in the depth that collecting and 'old' things bring. I love it all!

Tricia - Avolli

Anonymous said...

What a stunning home. Just really special in so many ways. As I was scrolling and reading, I kept ticking off things in my mind that I wanted to comment on. Alas, there are too many goodies, and anything I add would be a puny understatement.