My Houzz: Lush and Lively in the French Quarter of New Orleans
See how a couple embrace the period charm of their 1830s apartment
Suzanne Esme and Chris Zulueta enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the French Quarter of New Orleans from their third-floor corner apartment. The 900-square-foot rental is in one of the historic neighborhood’s oldest buildings.
“We love the amazing lighting up here,” Esme says. “We get beautiful sunset views every evening. On cooler nights, we sit on the balcony with wine, listen to the buskers we like and soak in uniquely New Orleans moments — watching strangers dance together in the street, holding up traffic. It’s very entertaining.”
Esme, left, works as a manager at nearby restaurant Cane & Table and is also a woodworker and furniture maker. Zulueta is a bar manager at another nearby restaurant, Sylvain.
“We love the amazing lighting up here,” Esme says. “We get beautiful sunset views every evening. On cooler nights, we sit on the balcony with wine, listen to the buskers we like and soak in uniquely New Orleans moments — watching strangers dance together in the street, holding up traffic. It’s very entertaining.”
Esme, left, works as a manager at nearby restaurant Cane & Table and is also a woodworker and furniture maker. Zulueta is a bar manager at another nearby restaurant, Sylvain.
Some of the most charming and lovely features in the couple’s 1834 apartment are original to the building, including the French doors, brick chimneys and hardwood floors.
“The apartment was already beautiful, but we did eventually discover ‘antique house’ challenges, such as water coming through the French doors every time it rains,” Esme says. Also, the living room’s original plaster ceiling caved in recently. Despite the difficulties of living in an older home, the couple are happy to sacrifice some of the conveniences of a newer place for the inspiring architectural character of a vintage space.
The couple enter their home from a communal staircase. Because the living room is in the middle of the apartment, it doesn’t share a wall with the exterior of the building. “I love the living room because it’s cooler and more quiet, great for movie nights,” Esme says.
“The apartment was already beautiful, but we did eventually discover ‘antique house’ challenges, such as water coming through the French doors every time it rains,” Esme says. Also, the living room’s original plaster ceiling caved in recently. Despite the difficulties of living in an older home, the couple are happy to sacrifice some of the conveniences of a newer place for the inspiring architectural character of a vintage space.
The couple enter their home from a communal staircase. Because the living room is in the middle of the apartment, it doesn’t share a wall with the exterior of the building. “I love the living room because it’s cooler and more quiet, great for movie nights,” Esme says.
The couple have similar decorating styles. “The biggest challenge was that we had way too many cool chairs,” Esme says. “Chris lets me take the lead in our home decorating, but he has good taste as well.”
Lush houseplants, most of which came from local nursery Harold’s, enhance each space. Crisp white drapes frame the windows that look out on the building’s staircase, providing privacy when desired.
Shop for armchairs and accent chairs on Houzz
Lush houseplants, most of which came from local nursery Harold’s, enhance each space. Crisp white drapes frame the windows that look out on the building’s staircase, providing privacy when desired.
Shop for armchairs and accent chairs on Houzz
The couple’s dog, Adelaide, lounges on the sofa next to an accent pillow bought in Mexico.
Leaning against the mantel is a slab from a neighbor’s tree. It’s drying out so Esme can eventually use it to make a side table. The living room is decorated with organic and natural materials such as wicker, wood and a pair of chestnut-colored leather chairs. The chair on the right is a vintage piece that Zulueta bought at an estate sale.
Hire an interior designer on Houzz near you
Hire an interior designer on Houzz near you
This wicker side table was an estate find that was purchased with a matching peacock chair now in the bedroom. The glass top is home to an array of quirky objects: a small ceramic jaguar that holds an air plant, an ornate inlay box and a terra-cotta-potted pilea plant.
Pilea May Be Your Next Favorite Houseplant
Pilea May Be Your Next Favorite Houseplant
Since both Zulueta and Esme work in the service industry, they wanted their home to be a sanctuary and place to unwind after a long day on their feet. The couple sourced many of their secondhand furniture pieces online. “I shop around a lot before I pull the trigger on anything,” Esme says. “Chris’ bar was a splurge because he needed a quality solution to storing nice wines.”
Shop for wine and bar cabinets on Houzz
Shop for wine and bar cabinets on Houzz
The apartment also includes several of Esme’s original furniture designs, including the low bookcase beneath the computer and record player.
Esme won the European wall map as a prize in a pumpkin-carving contest when she was in college. “I also have a background in art and ceramics and learned furniture making in Maine over the course of two years, so that also plays a role in my aesthetic,” she says. “I could look at pictures of the homes of [furniture makers and artisans George] Nakashima, Wendell Castle and Wharton Esherick, Eva Zeisel all day long and never get bored.”
Esme won the European wall map as a prize in a pumpkin-carving contest when she was in college. “I also have a background in art and ceramics and learned furniture making in Maine over the course of two years, so that also plays a role in my aesthetic,” she says. “I could look at pictures of the homes of [furniture makers and artisans George] Nakashima, Wendell Castle and Wharton Esherick, Eva Zeisel all day long and never get bored.”
“The first memory I have of really good decor was my Danish next-door neighbor as a kid,” Esme says. “She had the most amazing Danish modern interior hidden in a little unassuming suburban house, and tons of plants. Our apartment, however, is definitely a hodgepodge of various styles and eras. We just buy what we like and trust it’ll work out. We also try to keep it fun and change things around a lot.”
The galley kitchen features a pass-through window to the living room. The counter serves as a place to both eat and prepare food.
The galley kitchen features a pass-through window to the living room. The counter serves as a place to both eat and prepare food.
The couple love to grow fresh herbs such as lemongrass, tarragon, basil, lavender and mint for cooking and making cocktails.
Bar manager Zulueta always keeps their home bar stocked as well. He recommends the following ingredients for a well-stocked home bar:
- Tonic and club soda
- Angostura bitters
- Gin, vodka and white rum
- Fresh citrus
The liquor cabinet includes a collection of aged Japanese whiskeys, a few hard-to-find mezcals from a trip to Mexico City and an Amaro from Charleston known as Southern Amaro.
Esme also makes wooden boxes with inlay designs, some of which can be seen on a shelf in the liquor cabinet.
Esme also makes wooden boxes with inlay designs, some of which can be seen on a shelf in the liquor cabinet.
In the bathroom, natural light streams in from the large Palladian-style window that overlooks the building’s interior courtyard. Esme replaced the mirror over the vanity that came with the apartment with one framed in carved wood, which more closely aligns with her aesthetic. Woven baskets and hanging plants complete the boho style of the space.
On the wall across from the sink is a collection of vintage flower paintings. “I like a really girly bathroom, so l decided to go floor-to-ceiling floral,” Esme says.
On the bathroom’s built-in shelving, Esme uses wicker baskets and small trays to keep the couple’s toiletries organized. The large glass shower in the corner makes the small space feel more open and bright. The hanging pothos, aloe and other plants thrive in the humidity and lightness of the room.
“Our favorite room changes based on time of day or mood. I love the bedroom for its bright light and the basket balconies —everything in there is happy,” Esme says.
The three French doors along the far wall open and look out on the street. They also let in an abundance of natural light, which makes the room glow in the morning. The bedroom is large enough to serve as a living space as well. A large vintage ochre floral sofa from Pelican Furniture & Thrift in New Orleans divides the seating and sleeping areas.
The three French doors along the far wall open and look out on the street. They also let in an abundance of natural light, which makes the room glow in the morning. The bedroom is large enough to serve as a living space as well. A large vintage ochre floral sofa from Pelican Furniture & Thrift in New Orleans divides the seating and sleeping areas.
One of the couple’s favorite pieces in their home is the painting above the bed, a depiction of a Caribbean woman by Majel Warfield. They bought it at an auction and had it reframed by local shop Bywater Framing. The gold accent of the frame pairs nicely with the other warm tones in the room.
Adelaide relaxes in one of her favorite spots.
The Nakashima-inspired coffee table in the bedroom sitting area is one of the first furniture pieces Esme made. The top features a butterfly key design.
Esme is currently taking a hiatus from furniture making until she finds a more suitable studio space — her previous one suffered from frequent flooding. In the meantime, most of her creative energy has been focused on interior design at the restaurant she manages. “I’m working on the new upstairs space and just finished the courtyard,” she says.
Esme is currently taking a hiatus from furniture making until she finds a more suitable studio space — her previous one suffered from frequent flooding. In the meantime, most of her creative energy has been focused on interior design at the restaurant she manages. “I’m working on the new upstairs space and just finished the courtyard,” she says.
Chairs found at a vintage shop in Austin, Texas, are paired with a secondhand table that Esme refinished and topped with a piece of circular glass.
The bedroom mantel holds a collection of items, including a small painting of Adelaide, a Zanzibar gem plant in a terra-cotta pot, a painting of a mountain scene, an amethyst crystal geode and a small propagated plant.
The dresser, rug and brass lamp are secondhand finds. This corner of the bedroom is filled with dozens of small houseplants, including a Hawaiian Portulaca molokiniensis succulent, an orchid, a bromeliad and a fiddleleaf fig tree.
The beautiful yellow lily in the bedside flower arrangement matches the yellow accents in the couple’s bedding. “Our design influences are New Orleans itself, places we’ve seen while traveling such as Mexico and Thailand, and stylish friends’ homes,” Esme says.
The white painted brick wall serves as a striking backdrop for the pieces in this vignette. The small wood side table next to the bed is another of Esme’s creations.
The white upholstered armchair belongs to a friend. “It’s kind of the traveling chair,” Esme says. The piece has been passed along through several friends as they’ve moved, and for now “I’m holding on to it,” Esme says. The colorful Otomi tapestry is a souvenir the couple bought on a recent trip to Mexico.
The white painted brick wall serves as a striking backdrop for the pieces in this vignette. The small wood side table next to the bed is another of Esme’s creations.
The white upholstered armchair belongs to a friend. “It’s kind of the traveling chair,” Esme says. The piece has been passed along through several friends as they’ve moved, and for now “I’m holding on to it,” Esme says. The colorful Otomi tapestry is a souvenir the couple bought on a recent trip to Mexico.
The peacock wicker chair is the mate to the side table in the living room. The tapestry behind it “is the only thing I spent a good amount of money on when I went to Laos,” Esme says. “It’s hand-dyed and woven silk by a woman whose studio and home we visited. The style is traditional Naga and it’s my favorite thing ever. The looms are incredibly complicated. Her husband makes wood carvings of women’s busts with traditional hair and clothing. I bought one as well — it’s on the bedroom mantel.”
Zulueta loves to burn copal incense because it reminds him of Mexico.
“The apartment is our sanctuary three floors up from the madness,” says Esme, seen here on the balcony. “We can hear the buskers on Royal — some good, some bad — and city noises on most days. And I love the quiet when it rains, which is most afternoons in the summer. You really learn to appreciate silence when you live in the Quarter.”
See more of this home
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Looking to update your small space? Find a local interior designer
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Looking to update your small space? Find a local interior designer
Who lives here: Suzanne Esme, Chris Zulueta and their Australian shepherd and border collie mix, Adelaide
Location: French Quarter of New Orleans
Size: About 900 square feet (84 square meters); one bedroom, one bathroom
Year built: 1834