The city of New Orleans has an array of architectural styles spanning three hundred years that includes everything from shotgun homes with Italianate flourishes to the Art Deco of the Charity Hospital. Among the city’s oldest housing styles is the Creole cottage, typically two rooms wide, two deep, and one- to one-and-a-half stories tall with a side gable that runs along the street. Its small size and simple plan has, historically, made it ripe for reinvention.

“We see this happening a hundred times over, every day,” says interior designer Nomita Joshi-Gupta, who recently added the finishing touches to one family’s renovation. When Jill and Charlie Fenton learned their next-door neighbor was selling her cottage, they jumped at the chance to buy it and expand to accommodate their growing family.

Before: Exterior Front

After: Exterior Front

“It had low ceilings and a very basic atmosphere,” remembers Charlie. “We essentially gutted it, opened everything up, built out the back, and added a second story.”

The couple decided on a floor plan themselves, and brought in contractors to start construction. It wasn’t until partway through the renovation that they connected with Joshi-Gupta at a friend’s annual Mardi Gras Twelfth Night Party. “We immediately hit it off and shortly after, they asked if I could help them finish their home,” says the interior designer.

The couple asked for something “comfortably modern.” Adds Jill, “We wanted something that was one-of-a-kind, but also practical and durable.” To that end, Joshi-Gupta brought in a mix of designer and antique finds, and installations from local craftspeople. “We incorporated makers and artists into our design selections, and as a result have some really nice pieces,” says Joshi-Gupta. “The result is an eclectic yet modern style that I like to call New Orleans Modern.”

During: Interior Front

After: Foyer

After: Office/Guest

After: Bathroom

With the new plan, the front of the house features a foyer across from a flex room, which the couple use as an office or guest bedroom. With its double doors open, visitors get a glimpse inside as they move from the entry into the home, so Joshi-Gupta and the couple used that moment to set the tone by installing a large-scale mural. “We really wanted that space to feel beautiful and atmospheric,” she says.

“We wanted something that was one-of-a-kind, but also practical and durable.”
—Jill Fenton, resident

Down the hall, the bathroom is wrapped in cheery yellow butterfly wallpaper by White Zombie bass player–turned–designer Sean Yseult. In the main living areas, in order to turn a bland corner of a dining nook into a focal point, Joshi-Gupta suggested custom artwork by Courtney Simon de Montfort, a local mixed-media artist. “It adds a ton of movement and dimension to the space,” says Jill. “You see it when you’re coming down the steps from the second floor. And then from the kitchen and living room. Depending on which angle you’re looking at it from, it seems completely different.”

Before: Rear Exterior

After: Living Spaces

Upstairs, just off the primary bedroom is an exercise/dressing/sitting room used by Jill and Charlie. “It’s surrounded by large windows and we call it our zen room, because it’s a tech-free space,” says Charlie. “You can go in there with a cup of tea, or glass of wine, and chill out.”

The room’s long and narrow dimensions presented a challenge, so Joshi-Gupta furnished it with a curving screen, which hides exercise equipment, and a vintage Kagan sofa, both sculptural items that soften the linear shape of the room. The adjacent bedroom features a bed made by New Orleans furniture maker Doorman Designs, and a colorful headboard upholstered in a fabric by another local designer, Amanda Talley.

“When people think of New Orleans, they think of it as Frenchy beige—they don’t think of it as a modern place,” says Joshi-Gupta, adding: “Yes, you can be modern in New Orleans.”

After: Dressing Room

After: Primary Bedroom

More Before & After:

A Refreshed Courtyard Helps a Townhouse in London See the Light

A Storied Midcentury Home Begins a New Chapter on Its 70th Anniversary

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: MOD

Builder/General Contractor: DMG Design + Build

Landscape Design: Pro T Landscaping

Interior Design: Nomita Joshi Interior Design / @nomitajoshiinteriordesign

Photographer: Alison Gootee Photography