Creating Curb Appeal
PAINTING YOUR HOME’S EXTERIOR IS A WAY TO WOW THE NEIGHBORS, WITHOUT EVER HAVING TO INVITE THEM IN
When it comes to first impressions, the paint you choose for your home’s facade matters. “Refreshing, changing, or brightening up the exterior can make a huge difference,” says Cara Woodhouse of Cara Woodhouse Interiors in Roslyn Harbor, N.Y.
Photo Credit: Benjamin Moore
It’s not just about the color; the type of paint you choose is vital. “With exterior paints, durability is key,” says Rick Watson, director of product information and technical services at Sherwin-Williams. “The best exterior paints hold color longer and resist peeling and blistering. Look for paints formulated to resist chalking, mildew, and dirt, which will save you money and time in maintenance,” he says. The company’s new Emerald Rain Refresh, has a self-cleaning technology that washes dirt away upon contact with rain or water, requiring minimal maintenance, Watson says.
But painting your home isn’t a one-and-done kind of thing. It requires upkeep, which can depend on where you live. “It’s all about the weather,” says New York City architect Kevin Lichten. “If you live on the coast of Maine or North Carolina where your house is pelted with salt spray, sand, and wind in the winter, you may need to touch up every spring and repaint every three or four years. In more mild climates, you may only need to repaint every 10 years,” he says. “And remember that the sun can be brutal.”
CUE THE COLOR
When considering the hue, your selection should be driven by the home’s character and architectural style, says Vancouver-based designer Stephanie Brown. “Generally speaking, a simple color palette of one to two colors helps modernize most homes and more complex color combinations of three or more lend themselves to more traditional homes, especially if you are trying to highlight various details and moldings,” she says.
The secret to painting your home’s exterior is more than just finding the right color; it’s finding the right color combination, says Mike Mundwiller, end user product experience manager at Benjamin Moore. “To narrow down your color choices, build an exterior palette around the elements of the house that won’t change, such as roofing materials and stone or brick components,” he says.
Color choice can also be a product of your surroundings. Sue Wadden, director of color marketing at Sherwin-Williams, recommends first looking at the colors your neighbors have chosen for their homes and avoid using those exact same shades. “Choose a color that complements—a curb appeal trick that will benefit you and your neighbors,” she says.
Photo Credit: Sherwin-Williams
ALL THE TRIMMINGS
Trims are an important finishing touch—much like an accessory is to an outfit. “They add a layered look to your home,” Woodhouse says.
Wadden advises making sure your accent, trim, and siding colors are varied enough to discern them from each other, unless you’re purposely going for a monochromatic look.
The shades you choose can also impact how big a house feels.
To make a small house seem more substantial, Lichten suggests keeping the walls and trim the same color. “Likewise, a massive hulking house can be made lighter and more delicate with a contrasting trim,” he says.
Homes with the most curb appeal tend to have opposite hues of paint and trim, Mundwiller says. “If your home’s exterior is painted in a lighter hue, consider a trim in a darker color, and vice versa,” he suggests.
PREP TO PERFECTION
The outcome of any painting project is only as good as the preparation you put into it. Everything needs to be washed, cleaned, and sanded and any loose paint or damaged or rotten wood should be replaced before starting.
“A good primer will render the surface more uniform and, because of this, the topcoat has a better chance to adhere to the surface, which ultimately results in longer coating life expectancy,” Watson says.
Timing of the work is important, too. “Check the weather forecast. Paint dries faster in warmer temperatures, lower humidity, and when it’s sunny,” Watson says. For best performance, avoid painting in direct sun, and try for a material temperature above 35 degrees Fahrenheit, Watson says.
Originally posted by Sotheby's International Realty.
And look at the location. “A dark brown house with green trim would not look great near the beach, but would be very happy in the mountains or a forest,” Lichten says. “Likewise, a gray-shingled house with white trim would not fit into a wooded area but it’s happier by the ocean,” he says.
Grays, whites, and beiges are classics that help the siding of a house look prim and freshen up the curb appeal, Wadden says. But there are other choices too, of course. “Charcoal gray, navy, and hunter green are more popular in areas with pine trees, mountains, and sea access, while terra cotta, burlap, and rust colors dominate areas of the country in the desert,” she says.
Dark, saturated hues, such as Tricorn Black, Iron Ore, and Urbane Bronze, have been trending for exteriors in recent months, Wadden says. “Not only do these colors pair beautifully with a home’s surrounding greenery, they also help create a focal point when used on a front door or shutters.”
And you don’t even need to paint a whole house to make an impact. “Painting your front door is one of the easiest and quickest ways to boost curb appeal.” For a classic and elegant look, Wadden suggests a bold navy blue, or, for a door that really stands out, a jewel-toned blue/green or even a deep pink.
Photo Credit: Sherwin-Williams
ALL THE TRIMMINGS
Trims are an important finishing touch—much like an accessory is to an outfit. “They add a layered look to your home,” Woodhouse says.
Wadden advises making sure your accent, trim, and siding colors are varied enough to discern them from each other, unless you’re purposely going for a monochromatic look.
The shades you choose can also impact how big a house feels.
To make a small house seem more substantial, Lichten suggests keeping the walls and trim the same color. “Likewise, a massive hulking house can be made lighter and more delicate with a contrasting trim,” he says.
Homes with the most curb appeal tend to have opposite hues of paint and trim, Mundwiller says. “If your home’s exterior is painted in a lighter hue, consider a trim in a darker color, and vice versa,” he suggests.
PREP TO PERFECTION
The outcome of any painting project is only as good as the preparation you put into it. Everything needs to be washed, cleaned, and sanded and any loose paint or damaged or rotten wood should be replaced before starting.
“A good primer will render the surface more uniform and, because of this, the topcoat has a better chance to adhere to the surface, which ultimately results in longer coating life expectancy,” Watson says.
Timing of the work is important, too. “Check the weather forecast. Paint dries faster in warmer temperatures, lower humidity, and when it’s sunny,” Watson says. For best performance, avoid painting in direct sun, and try for a material temperature above 35 degrees Fahrenheit, Watson says.
Originally posted by Sotheby's International Realty.
Under The Sea
CAST YOUR GAZE BELOW THE WATER’S SURFACE FOR A ONE-OF-A-KIND AQUATIC EXPERIENCE
Global travelers in search of new destinations have increasingly been looking underwater, where a growing assortment of luxury experiences are waiting to be had. Some are offered in conjunction with a beachfront or overwater resort, while others provide intrepid adventurers the opportunity to channel their inner oceanic explorer, plunging below the surface in search of shipwrecks, exotic wildlife, and more.
NEXT-LEVEL EXPLORING
For adventurers who have already mastered the art of scuba diving (or are looking to skip certification), and are dreaming of sinking even further into the great abyss, there’s The Deep Blue Experience by Fraser & U Boat. Guests can explore forgotten shipwrecks and underwater volcanoes throughout the Mediterranean on the U Boat Navigator, a 24-meter expedition yacht that houses a pair of Triton submarines capable of diving 1,000 meters deep; a three-person, custom-built Triton 3300/3—the same model used to film the BBC’s award-winning Blue Planet II—and a smaller, one-person Triton 3300/1 that serves as a support sub. The U Boat Navigator cruises through Malta, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, and beyond, aided by a crew of six professionals. There’s even a full dive center with mixing facilities for breathing gases.
At roughly US$80,000 per week, the package—which accommodates up to 11 guests for cruising—is ideal for amateur explorers who are passionate about world history, shipwrecks, or geology. The U Boat Navigator can be chartered either as a stand-alone explorer vessel or as a shadow vessel for someone’s principal charter or their own yacht. Fraser creates bespoke itineraries based on the interests, including shipwrecks, dive sites, Mediterranean volcanoes, underwater cinematography, and more.
Marine biology enthusiasts looking for a new snorkeling experience are venturing to Thailand for a one-of-a-kind Swim Reef at The Ritz-Carlton, Koh Samui. The largest man-made reef pool in Southeast Asia teems with more than 50 species of injured fish rescued from local fishermen, and advanced filtration systems ensure that pollutants, jellyfish, and suspended solids in the seawater are removed, resulting in a consistently temperate and safe environment throughout the year. Strategically placed artificial coral reef structures allow for optimum fish viewing. While enjoying immersive snorkeling discoveries and supervised fish feedings, guests are able to view cat sharks, hold sea cucumbers, and try an ad hoc spa experience by letting tiny cleaner wrasse fish swim up and nibble dead skin off their outstretched arms.
MALDIVIAN PLAYGROUNDS
Renowned for its overwater bungalows and endless blue waters, the Maldives has become a preferred aquatic playground for the global jet set. In November 2018, the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island debuted The Muraka (“coral” in Dhivehi, the local language), a luxury suite submerged more than 16 feet under the water’s surface. Nestled on the Indian Ocean floor, the two-level structure has an above-water living area, sitting over a main bedroom with an 180-degree curved acrylic dome, windows in the bathroom and walk-in closet, and a dedicated tunnel viewing theater that doubles as a personal aquarium. With rates starting at US$10,000 per night (depending on the season), the suite, which can accommodate up to nine people, includes an infinity pool, a gym, a private bar, and 24-hour butler service. Junior explorers can go glamping with the fishes, as staff will set up a tepee in the undersea suite.
Photo Credit: Justin Nicholas
Huvafen Fushi, a luxury resort located in North Malé Atoll, has placed its spa below the water’s surface—the first and only spa of its kind in the world—to deliver next-level calm and relaxation. To make the most of the hypnotic refuge eight meters below the water’s surface, a SpaQuarium experience is offered every evening. Guests enjoy Champagne, canapés, and petits fours while the resort’s marine biologist provides commentary on the nocturnal predators (sharks, rays, eels), bioluminescent plankton, and pristine corals illuminated by UV light torches. Also offered is a bespoke underwater dining experience.
The Maldives has seen several other notable properties open underwater facilities and attractions recently. Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas—located in Baa Atoll, a renowned UNESCO Biosphere Reserve housing some of the richest diversity of marine life in the world—offers SEA, an underwater restaurant and wine cellar featuring the country’s first certified wine education. Patrons can expand their wine knowledge and earn a globally recognized WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) certification during their vacation. (The resort’s wine collection is valued at more than US$2 million.)
Guests enjoy an array of underwater activities, most notably the Snorkeling with Manta Rays program; the waters are home to the world’s largest natural manta ray feeding region from June to November, allowing visitors to get up close and personal while swimming with hundreds of the gentle giants.
Niyama Private Islands Maldives, whose entire spread, including a pair of private islands with 134 spacious villas, can be rented out for $130,000 per night, is home to Subsix, the world’s first underwater club, located six meters below sea level. If lounging with drinks while gawking at bioluminescent activity doesn’t appeal, the subaquatic space also hosts private chef dinners, wine tastings, and events.
LUXURY RESORTS, SUBMERGED
One of Dubai’s most iconic resorts, Atlantis, The Palm, is home to a three-story underwater suite. (The master bedroom’s floor-to-ceiling windows look directly into the Ambassador Lagoon aquarium.) Starting from around $5,500 per night, the suite includes 24-hour butler service and full access to the resort’s myriad attractions. One such attraction, the Lost Chambers Aquarium, hosts underwater yoga, pilates, and meditation classes, with a backdrop of 65,000 marine animals.
Photo Credits: Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai
The resort’s newest underwater thrill is the Aqua Trek Xtreme experience, in which intrepid explorers descend a ladder 10 meters to the bottom of the Ambassador Lagoon, while wearing an Aquatrek helmet. Once guests reach the bottom, they embark on a guided underwater walking tour of one of the biggest open-air aquariums in the world, coming face-to-face with sharks, stingrays, and schools of multicolored fish.
Resort World Sentosa, situated just off the coast of Singapore on the island of Sentosa, offers 11 two-story Ocean Suites with direct access to the resort’s massive aquarium. Each unit includes a scenic outdoor patio and Jacuzzi on the upper level, with underwater views of the aquarium’s 40,000 fish on the lower level. A daily highlight is feeding time, when guests can watch as divers go below the surface to interact with marine life.
Photo Credits: Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai
Off the coast of Zanzibar is Pemba Island, which is home to The Manta Resort. A two-minute boat ride from the beach, the resort’s Underwater Room is a three-level suite offering coral reef views from its submerged bedroom. After lounging on the roof to take in the night sky, guests decamp to the bedroom to view Indian Ocean wonders illuminated by underwater spotlights.
UNDERWATER SOJOURNS
Journey Beyond, which owns and operates 13 tourism brands across Australia, attracts serious divers to Queensland’s stunning Whitsunday Islands, home to the company’s Reefsuites. Opened in 2019, the first underwater accommodations in the country offer unprecedented access to the dazzling underwater world of the Great Barrier Reef. Moored offshore on a pontoon at Hardy Reef, 40 nautical miles from Airlie Beach, the Reefsuites offers a plethora of aquatic adventures, and guests can take a scenic helicopter flight to see the famous Heart Reef.
French cruise line Ponant, known for its world-class service and gastronomy, has launched the world’s first multisensory underwater lounge, Blue Eye, which enables guests to see, hear, and feel the sights and sounds of the ocean. Offered on each of the six Ponant Explorer ships, Blue Eye was designed by Jacques Rougerie, a French architect who specializes in underwater habitats, and was inspired by Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.
Located seven feet beneath the water line, Blue Eye resembles a submarine attached to the ship, albeit one made from 19 layers of clear steel, making it stronger than the ship’s hull. Digital screens adorn the walls projecting images filmed live by three underwater cameras strategically placed to capture spectacles, and the sound system, developed by a music composer and sound design expert, broadcasts a natural symphony across a three-mile radius using underwater microphones. Capping off the immersive experience, “body listening sofas” discreetly vibrate in unison with the streaming aquatic acoustics to create an underwater encounter guests can see, hear, and feel.
Perhaps the planet’s most notable underwater restaurant, Under is located on Norway’s craggy Lindesnes coast. The architecturally striking complex is angled 18 feet below the icy waters of the North Sea. Head chef Nicolai Ellitsgaard’s Immersion tasting menu features nearly 20 seasonally inspired dishes, with a focus on locally caught Norwegian seafood. Sustainability is built into the restaurant itself, as the rough concrete exterior attracts limpets and kelp, gradually forming an artificial reef. Diners and visiting researchers study the biology and behavior of the abundant cold-water marine life via panoramic views of the North Atlantic seabed.
Originally posted by Sotheby's International Realty.
Haute Home Happy Hours
HOW TO STYLE AN AT-HOME BAR-—FROM CLUBROOMS AND COCKTAIL LOUNGES TO TAPROOMS AND TAVERNS
As if we need another reason to love life at home, the home bar is enjoying a renaissance. Haute happy hours are the new splurge.
For decades, home bars have routinely taken over basements, displaced spare bedrooms, and usurped garages. But they’ve evolved, says Deirdre O’Connell, chief executive for Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty in Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. Bars are enjoying greater prominence in our homes. “They’ve moved from the basement to the main level,” she says. They’re now front and center in living rooms, family rooms, and busy hallways.
Imbibing in style starts with imbuing the space with warmth and hospitality. Some home bars channel the vibe of a favorite lounge, taproom, or saloon. Others take design inspiration from their surroundings. On the Gold Coast of Long Island, N.Y., the sophisticated yet welcoming bar of a Cold Spring Harbor estate is an open-concept entertainment destination. It includes a glass-enclosed wine room, home theater, card table, pool table, and even a massage room. “Anything you need to be entertained is there. It’s extraordinary,” O’Connell says.
Regardless of whether the aesthetic is playful, whimsical, retro, or dramatic, the goal is the same: to create a functional, flexible, and inviting spot to wind down with a glass of wine after a long day, or entertain a roomful of guests with their drinks of choice.
Good design enlivens the space, elevates the experience and is “reflective of lifestyle,” O’Connell says. “And that’s even more important now, when home has become a destination as opposed to just the place to lay your head.”
HARDING TOWNSHIP NEW JERSEY
Beechwood is a 30,000-square-foot residence set on 15 acres of private land in the secure hamlet of New Vernon, with features including a carriage apartment and pool house. Designed by WESketch Architecture, its classic “butterfly plan” provides elements of constant discovery for the observer and ensures the remarkable size remains a surprise for visitors as they make their way through it. Spaces include an oval-shaped great room, three-room wine grotto, and an English pub on the main level, the inspiration for which was derived from two copper pendants picked up on a trip in London. Bold selections of Jerusalem limestone floors, Roman-brick ceilings, cashmere wall coverings, and 13 imported fireplaces from Italy and Portugal, selected by designer Frank Delle Donne, are carefully woven throughout to portray quiet elegance. Located just 35 miles from midtown Manhattan, Beechwood is a work of art created with brick and mortar.
LAS VEGAS NEVADA
This is a stunning property in the MacDonald Highlands community, which offers seamless indoor/outdoor entertaining: A central great room opens to an expansive resort-style patio and pool with a swim-up bar overlooking the golf course. Another star feature is the full-size old world pub-style bar, perfect for entertaining.
Two grand primary suites and four all-inclusive guest suites give everyone ample private space. The carriage yard features climate-controlled garages to accommodate 11 cars and a recreational vehicle. This hotel-inspired villa is only minutes from the Las Vegas Strip, two airports, and an abundance of outdoor attractions.
This is a stunning property in the MacDonald Highlands community, which offers seamless indoor/outdoor entertaining: A central great room opens to an expansive resort-style patio and pool with a swim-up bar overlooking the golf course. Another star feature is the full-size old world pub-style bar, perfect for entertaining.
Two grand primary suites and four all-inclusive guest suites give everyone ample private space. The carriage yard features climate-controlled garages to accommodate 11 cars and a recreational vehicle. This hotel-inspired villa is only minutes from the Las Vegas Strip, two airports, and an abundance of outdoor attractions.
NEW YORK CITY NEW YORK
Over the span of a decade, Jimmy Fallon and his wife, Nancy Juvonen, combined and renovated four apartments over three floors to create an eclectic home like no other in New York City. Perched atop the southwest corner of Gramercy Park East, it celebrates the structure and architecture of that historic landmark while transforming the space into a unique home, with the original window frames, casings, and hardwood floors restored throughout.
With 4,950 square feet of space, including six bedrooms and five bathrooms, the pièce de résistance is the saloon room. This spectacular entertaining space features a custom-designed and fully equipped wet bar, with a vintage stained glass barback and a gas fire with stone hearth.
NICASIO CALIFORNIA
A one-of-a-kind American Sukiya is available for the first time in bucolic Nicasio, West Marin. A labor of love, the estate and winery are a convergence of Japanese philosophy and California wine-country living at its finest. Consisting of a 3,000-square-foot main residence, a 2,200-square-foot guesthouse, a wine cave, a separate barn, and a 50,000-gallon spring-fed pool, West Wind Estate sits on 32 acres and serves as a functional winery. One standout feature is a 2,400-square-foot climate-controlled wine cave, the only one of its kind in Marin, that has 12-foot ceilings, a custom wine bar, an event space, and a prep kitchen ideal for catered gatherings.
COLD SPRING HARBOR NEW YORK
Located on Long Island’s famed Gold Coast in the picturesque waterfront community of Cold Spring Harbor, this estate offers resort-style living in the solitude of 6.2 acres and a beach with mooring rights, yet is within easy striking distance of New York City. Every room is designed for elegant entertaining: a palatial dining room, an elegant living room, a state-of-the-art kitchen, and an adjacent great room with stone fireplace create an effortless flow. To wind things down, decamp to the movie theater or retire to the sumptuous master suite with fireplace, sitting room, private balcony with hot tub, and a pair of indulgent master bathrooms. When the outdoors beckons, there’s a pool with a slide and waterfalls, and a tennis/sports court.
BOSQUES DE SANTA FE MEXICO CITY
The use of stone, wood, and metal as the main design components add an organic harmony and subtle elegance to this property, built by architects Bernardi & Peschard, with windows that open onto a forest setting. Among its features are mafi floors and high wood-covered ceilings.
The window walls of the open-plan living space, which includes a lounge, dining room, and bar area, integrates the inside with the magnificent gardens and extraordinary views.
SUNDANCE RIDGE ST. KITTS
The Sea for Miles estate is the embodiment of natural beauty, with views of the island of St. Kitts and the Caribbean Sea. Located in the private Sundance Ridge community on the island’s southeast peninsula, the 16,000 square feet of luxury living space includes an 80-foot infinity pool and expansive outdoor covered and uncovered seating and sunken lounge areas, which extend the entertaining space from within through retractable glass doors and shutters. The wine cellar and tasting room design is reminiscent of a 1920s speakeasy.
BEVERLY HILLS CALIFORNIA
Luxury and tranquility meet in this captivating reimagined single-story four-bedroom sanctuary, situated behind private gates in Beverly Hills. Indoor-outdoor harmony is meticulously defined by the open-floor plan leading to a spacious pool and garden grounds. An artfully placed open-air glass atrium showcases a Japanese maple tree and oversized solid oak front door offering breathtaking curb appeal. The massive great room features Italian limestone flooring as well as high ceilings, both bathed in natural light from multiple skylights, and the bar area seats five.
Originally posted by Sotheby's International Realty.
27 Audubon Place | SOLD
27 Audubon Place, New Orleans, LA | List Price: $3,200,000
SOLD IN 1 DAY!
Audubon Place, considered by many to be the most beautiful street in New Orleans, was originally developed by George Blackwelder in the late 1890’s. Intended as a millionaire’s enclave, the community was lined with the finest residences New Orleans has to offer.
This legendary street lies just beyond the soaring Audubon Place arches and two turreted stone gatehouses. It lies adjacent to Tulane University and across St. Charles Avenue from the city’s lush Audubon Park. The neighborhood boasts 28 spectacular residences, most of which were constructed in late Victorian and Neo-classical revival styles.
Built in 1927, this preservationist’s delight at 27 Audubon Place is 8,200 sq ft with 5 bedrooms and 5.5 baths. The residence is loaded with ornate tile, original details, and an abundance of character.
5 BEDROOMS | 5.5 BATHS | 8,200 SQ. FT.
Dorian Bennett SIR Agent Contact
Ernesto Caldeira
Phone: 504.944.3605
Mobile: 504.450.8991
PC Studios. (n.d.). Rare Dream House Listing on New Orleans’ Most Legendary Street Creates Major Real Estate Buzz. PaperCity Magazine. Retrieved February 22, 2022, from https://www.papercitymag.com/real-estate/new-orleans-audubon-place-18-neighborhood-house-legendary-street/
History of 18 Audubon Place. (n.d.). 18 Audubon Place New Orleans. Retrieved February 22, 2022, from https://18audubonplace.com/history-of-audubon-place/
Creole-Style Houses Offer Eclectic Architecture
FROM COZY COTTAGES TO NEW CONSTRUCTION, HALLMARKS OF THIS TRADITIONAL STYLE REMAIN A STAPLE IN U.S. GULF COAST HOMES
Classic New Orleans homes have an instantly recognizable style, with their intricate ironwork and grand galleries. But if you’re looking to define what, exactly, counts as Creole architecture, the answers get more complicated.
“Creole is a word used in many different countries and cultures around the world,” says Danielle Del Sol, executive director of the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans. “The way it is most commonly defined in New Orleans is about being born here [to parents from somewhere else]. That includes Europeans, Africans, free people of color who came by way of Haiti. It really runs the gamut.”
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Creole homes, then, have been historically defined not just by their architectural style, but by location, and the people who lived in them.
“If you date back to the late 1700s and early 1800s you can try to classify something as Creole depending on where it’s located in the city, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a Creole cottage or Creole townhouse,” Del Sol says. “In the late 1700s the Creoles really settled in the downtown areas of New Orleans—the French Quarter—and the outgrowth of that was the Creole suburbs, which we know as Marigny, Treme, and Bywater.”
That said, Creole cottages and Creole townhouses are the two most commonly seen examples of this type of architecture. As the names would imply, one offers more modest family quarters, and the other confers a certain level of status.
"Creole cottages are pretty much the earliest common type of housing [in New Orleans],” Del Sol says. “We really saw them come into prominence around 1790, and they’re the oldest existing structures still in this city. They were very space efficient, and a typical cottage was set up like a square with four equal rooms, with four bays—meaning a front and back door, and windows at the sides.”
As with their larger townhouse counterparts, cottages often had courtyards in the back that could be used as kitchens, gardens, and a space to do laundry and raise livestock. And both types of homes were designed for entertaining guests as much as possible.
“A mark of good Creole architecture is great entrances, fabulous stairways, beautiful parlors, sometimes two or three parlors [on the main level],” says Ernesto Caldeira, an agent with Dorian Bennett Sotheby’s International Realty in New Orleans. “Some townhouses might have three parlors across the front; it’s half the house.”
But the most recognizable features of Creole townhouses are found on the exterior. “The classic features are the big, stately columns in the front, deep gallery-style porches in the front and back,” says Rachel Solar, an agent with Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty-Central Houston Brokerage. “They tend to have oversize windows, lots of ornate ironwork, and indoors, tall ceilings and narrow, long floor plans and lots of natural light.”
“Stylistically what makes Creole townhouses easy to identify is that the openings on the front will be arched,” Del Sol says. “They’ll often have French doors, and the windows that are round at the top and fit into those arched openings.”
Some of these traditional elements are on display at 623 Allston Street, B, a three-bedroom home currently listed in Houston, where even in some new construction, traditional Creole design has made its way over from neighboring Louisiana.
“With us being so close to Louisiana, we’ve had a lot of people come from New Orleans, and they’ve certainly influenced our architecture,” Solar says. “There’s a particular neighborhood in Houston called The Heights—it’s one of the oldest neighborhoods—where only certain types of architecture are allowed, and Creole is definitely one of them.”
The Allston Street property “has that old world charm, even for new construction,” Solar says. “Builders in this neighborhood do a great job of striking a balance, doing a lot of rich molding, original hardwoods, and those big windows, and also having [modern updates like] functional storage and insulation.”
Historic Creole townhouses have been known to get modern updates as well, as is the case at 1040 Chartres Street in New Orleans, a townhouse that has been converted into luxury condos.
“It’s an 1820s or 1830s building, and [represents] the current state of a Federal-style Creole townhouse,” Caldeira says. “These townhouses are one of the most important versions of Creole architecture, and mainly found in the French Quarter. They were built by very socially conscious older families.”
Photo Credits: Courtesy of Ernesto Caldeira/Dorian Bennett Sotheby’s International Realty
The urge to update historic Creole homes, as well as to build new versions, is hardly a new one, and one of the biggest hallmarks of this catchall Southern style is its adaptability. In fact, some of the features that have come to be known as classic Creole or New Orleans style architecture have been added to buildings over the years, the better to align with whatever design trend was in vogue at the time.
“These buildings were being built well into the 19th century, so you had the influence of the Greek Revival movement, and people in the 1830s who wanted to be fashionable would slap some Greek Revival details onto the house,” Del Sol says. “If a house has Greek Revival columns, those could date back to certain decades when they were really popular, and if the overhangs have lacy ironwork, you could date that back as being added at some point when it was popular.”
“All the [details] you see in the French Quarter really came into fashion later on, and were kind of added to buildings that were already there,” Del Sol adds.
In addition to being endlessly adaptable, original Creole homes were built to last. “These homes were typically constructed of really heavy woods, like sinker cypress,” Del Sol says. “It’s resistant to everything—water, termites.”
“These homes have been here for 250 years, through so many hurricanes,” Del Sol says. “They’re amazingly resilient.”
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Originally posted by Sotheby's International Realty.