French Quarter Apartment

Rick Ellis and Thomas Jayne establish a home base for their Mardi Gras celebrations in an 1836 Creole townhouse. The inspiration for the apartment derived from the early 19th century, particularly examples found in and around New Orleans, and to incorporate these old-fashioned elements into contemporary decoration.

In the main room, Jayne indulged a fascination with scenic wallpapers found in New Orleans and throughout the South, an interest that began with his study of the decorative arts. Taking inspiration from one of his favorite childhood books, "The Story of the Mississippi", with illustrations by C. H. DeWitt, and working with the wallpaper company DeGornay, a new scenic design more in keeping with the setting was created. A vibrant Creole color palette was used in the mural, and then framed with bright blue in the dado and yellow on the trim. These adjacent colors visually support the scenes and highlight the colors of the design.