Page 10 - Reside Magazine Premier Central Florida
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Up front
INTERIORS
Soul of the city “There is nothing like the homes in New homes diverge architecturally, they share
Orleans,” writes designer and author Valorie something inside their doors: a blend of
Hart, a resident of two decades’ standing. elegance and eccentricity that speaks to
A celebration of old New Orleans The shame, she adds, is watching that the city’s jambalaya of influences, from the
through the decorative eyes of uniqueness being “renovated out of them.” twin forces of Church and Carnival to its
its current residents Documenting the city’s decorative charm colonial and Creole history.
before it becomes extinct was the motivation The residents featured are as varied as
behind her new book, Bohemian Soul: their homes: bon vivant artists and musicians,
The Vanishing Interiors of New Orleans. retired college professors and attorneys,
Among its chapters, richly photographed a marine draftsman, even a voodoo
by fellow local Sara Essex Bradley, nestle a practitioner. Some found their way to New
Creole mansion, a Southern shotgun house, Orleans by chance; many more are lifelong Photos: © Rizzoli, 2024.
a Victorian cottage, and a raised Eastlake- locals, who can trace their families back
style gazebo, to name just four. Where these generations in the city. But it’s a strength
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