Primavera

"Primavera" by Louis St. Lewis

The wonderful little painting in the vignette above on my entry table at the front door is entitled "Primavera", and was done by the artist Louis St. Lewis. It is a combination of oil on canvas and collage.

It is for sale by me at a very modest price. Please email me if you would like it.

It's been Spring for a good long six weeks here in New Orleans, and with luck, the fine weather will hold until the last week in April when it suddenly becomes Summer until November.

Been enjoying the huge gorgeous moon the last two nights, as I am sure you have been in your part of the world.

So happy first day of Spring!

The Dining Room Reveal - Part 3 - A New Orleans Traditional Home Is Updated

If you have been following me along on this project, you know I have been updating a house in New Orleans HERE and HERE.

You've seen the two "parlors", and the third room in this shotgun floor plan is the dining room, which I am showing you today.

The dining room the day I came for my first interview September 2010

As before, the owner had a lovely collection of beautiful French and English antiques. She had done up the house ten years ago, and was ready for an update.

Chippendale chairs, with quilted slipcovers had to go
I wanted to keep the table

She gave me leeway to change the furnishings. I could "toss" it all. The wall color and floors had to remain.

I wanted to keep as much as possible, and add a mix of vintage and modern pieces, a mix I am adept at using.

The lamps were remodeled for the living room
The mirror and sideboard stayed, and the art was moved around
You can see in the reflection in the mirror the old balloon shade
It was changed to a clean tailored apricot silk Roman shade

The one huge issue in the dining room, was an off center crystal chandelier, an antique original to the house. We moved it to the living room.

The heavy Chippendale style chairs could have been painted a bright color, but I really felt that was drastic and would greatly detract from their value. They had quilted fabric slip covers that jut looked too gloomy. So the first thing we decided to change were the dining room chairs. The client loves Kartell so we started there.

Chair tryouts
The sea grass rug stayed - it plays back to the same one in the living room
Continuity in a shotgun house floor plan is imperative

We tried the Louis Ghost chair, The Victoria model first. The husband had a good laugh and wanted to know what doll house furniture was doing in his dining room. I had a good laugh too, and though the chair was a good starting point, I knew we could do better. Plus I like to keep the husbands happy too.

Set of vintage Milo Baughman chairs were the final chair choice
The chandelier was moved to the living room

I found a set of vintage Milo Baughman chairs. We had been playing with mixing metals, and the chrome just seemed right. And the chairs are very substantial and comfortable, so the husband loved them.

Originally I wanted to keep the antique dining table. The client proposed something modern, but everything we considered just didn't feel right. Then I saw a table in Elle Decor HERE, and it was major LOVE.

I wanted the antique table to stay until I found this one!
It was major LOVE for the client too
The zinc metal top with the bleached root base
is a perfect sculptuaral one-of a kind piece

I chose a Kelly Wearstler fabric to recover the Baughman chairs. It is so rich in look and feel, and has a bit of a throwback to the era the chairs came from. The color wove a story with the rug in the middle parlor, and with the apricot silk drapes.

Chairs at Leonels upholsterer with the new Kelly Weartsler fabric

The reupholstered chairs arrive!

Kelly Wearstler for Lee Jofa - Sora Velvet

The client saw a large antler on my dining table at home, and loved it, and we got a pair for her table to try out. Other accessories include a pair of vintage Murano lamps on the sideboard, and a portrait painted by Louis St. Lewis was added to the client's formidable art collection. We kept the antique sideboard, and trumeau.

Dining Room decor/styling by Valorie Hart

We also kept the impressive French armoire, and took all the leaves out of the dining table and used it as an accent table in the corner. A pair of Biedermeir style chairs got new seats, covered in a beautiful purple cut velvet to play off the Murano lamps.

The antique armoire stayed - it is gorgeous!
The dining table with the leaves removed is now an accent table

Issac Mizrahi for S. Harris, cut silk velvet on linen

I found a pair of antique metal sconces that actually felt quite modern, a good addition to the mix we had going on.

One of two antique metal sconces installed in the dining room

Then the key to solving the issue of the asymmetrical room proportions was delivered! We wanted to keep the ceiling medallion that the old chandelier hung under, and not do any serious rewiring for perhaps two chandeliers over the table.

Serge Mouille to the rescue!!!! With the client's love for Mid Century modern and my love for the mix, this was the only possible beautiful solution.

This odd looking package solved a major problem!

Frank, our electrician had never seen the lighting fixture before. I told him it was hand made for us in France, that a vintage one goes for around $35K. He was not amused, because he didn't know how to hang it. He talked about ripping out the ceiling medallion, and building a new electrical box, repainting the ceiling, etc. The client said absolutely not!

I bow down to Frank!!!

Visual Vamp to the rescue! It's not for nothing that I have been married to an electrical engineer for 16 years! So I talked Frank down from his chagrin, and gently suggested this in that, and voila! Frank installed the Mouille in record time. I love him. He crawled under the house to the sconces, and now this.

So take a peek into the dining room with the new lighting fixture... Also notice how the chairs, the Murano lamps, the art, all play back to the rug in the middle room, my color inspiration for all of the furnishings.

The lovely Oushak was the color inspiration

Mouille lighting fixture in the dining room

Interior decor/design/styling by Valorie Hart

Interior design Valorie Hart

The family (and their friends) are just loving all the updates and changes. I love coming into these rooms every time I have something to do in this house.

I have had a great time orchestrating this fabulous mix.

Next time, I have a sweet bar area to show you, and some upstairs bedrooms I have been working on.

Sources:

Milo Baughman chairs from David Katz 504 458-1196

Murano lamps, all fabrics, antlers, white bowl with chain detail on sideboard
from perch. 504 899-2122

Serge Mouille lighting fixture from Design Within Reach New Orleans 504.891.652

Living In The Country With Louis St. Lewis

Queen Liz by Louis St. Lewis

If you don't like grand bohemian style, taxidermy, or a peek into the private home of an extraordinary artist of our time, move on now.

Everyone else, here we go on a very unique and beautiful house tour, that starts at the outside of this very humble looking house in the North Carolina woods.



My friend Mitchell introduced me to Louis St. Lewis. Louis was in New Orleans for Art For Art's Sake this past weekend. Mitchell called me and said I had to meet Louis, that I would love him and his work, and as usual, Mitchell was correct. He knows I appreciate people who are talented and original bon vivants. Louis St. Lewis is all of this and more.

Entry hall in the home of Louis St. Lewis

First I poured over all the links Mitchell sent me of the art work. The more I delved into the information and the images, the more curious and captivated I became. I wanted to meet the man who created this art and persona.

The whippet "Q"

I saw the work he brought to New Orleans first. I knew he was already in town a few days before the exhibition, and lo and behold he strolled into perch. early one morning to come and meet me at Mitchell's urging.

Portrait of the artist as a young man

Delightfully good looking with a beautiful North Carolina accent, Louis is soft spoken in the most beguiling way. Sparks of two kindred spirits meeting went flying.




We chatted for some time, with him taking me to his Facebook page to show me his latest works at a show last month. He also shared photos of his home with me.

Would you ever think this living room would be in a humble house in the woods?

Louis inhabits his world that he creates in his art. He is famous for painting images of current day celebrities combining 18th century elements with 21st century modern art. He draws inspiration from 18th century miniature portraits painted on ivory. He has taken the art of portraiture that Andy Warhol started in the 60's and 70's, and made it his own for a new generation.

The bedroom - I spy some monkey business!

He is an animal lover, and the animals in the woods come out to dine on the vittles he leaves on the back porch for them daily. It is hard for people to understand that animal lovers often collect taxidermy, and appreciate it as art. Louis is not some wanker hipster being ironic. I hope you can understand the distinction.

Louis has an amazing taxidermy collection

Louis is a curious vibrant creator, and his home reflects a vision of an imagined life that is his reality. He makes his own baroque crystal chandeliers fashioned from wire.

A home made crystal chandelier

And all the while, he is living his artful lifestyle, he is creating incredible pieces of art. He has works in The Ogden Museum of Southern Art, and in The New Orleans Museum of Art.

Bejeweled deer head - I want to use this image for my holiday card

Andre Leon Talley of VOGUE Magazine calls “a Tennessee Williams love-child, demon- wild- child -faun”.

The faun demon love child Louis St. Lewis
This photo was taken last month at a showing of his work

A lovely cat in the home of Louis St. Lewis

But make no mistake, Louis now 49, has been making and selling art for many years, and he is a gentleman and respected professional.

A lovely French fireplace

The back porch

Foxy Loxy stopping by for lunch at the home of Louis St. Lewis

A neighbor
photo by Louis St. Lewis

Dining alfresco at night
Photo by Louis St. Lewis

I'll do a post of his art work for you soon. I hope you enjoyed meeting Louis St. Lewis as much as Mitchell and I did, and that you enjoyed this private tour in the home of an artist.