When Tiffany Napper was house hunting in New Orleans five years ago, she couldn't get her mind off the first place she saw. The little white shotgun, located near the Mississippi River, was previously owned by a 93-year-old woman who had been born in the house and lived there until she died. It had drop ceilings, faux wood paneling, and dirty wall-to-wall carpeting. The narrow 1,400-square-foot structure also boasted a dark galley kitchen, one tiny bathroom, and four small bedrooms sandwiched together without a hallway...
“My real estate agent thought I was joking,” Tiffany says, after she asked to go back to the house for a another look. “When I first walked in, I saw the potential and couldn’t let go of that idea,” she explains. Tiffany returned to the house with a video camera, then went straight to a nearby coffee shop to get to work. She sketched plans to reconfigure the cluttered building into the airy two-bedroom, two-bathroom space she now calls home.
It’s not surprising that Tiffany was up for the challenge of a major renovation. She has been witnessing the transformation of spaces since she was a child. Her parents owned a flooring business for years and tackled many ambitious projects, and their creative spirit rubbed off on her. “I’ve always had a really strong vision when it comes to design and aesthetics,” she explains. Unexpected elements, like the hardwood flooring on the kitchen ceiling and the sliding pocket doors that open to the guest room, are a testament to this.
A key part of Tiffany’s redesign is the large combination office and living space at the very front of the house. A striking brick fireplace, once hidden in a closet, serves as the centerpiece. One side of the bright and spacious room has a sleek row of white built-in cabinets and the other has two cozy seating areas, an art wall, and a hanging swing chair.
The casual and inspiring atmosphere became the launchpad for Tiffany’s two businesses: Bats on Strings, a public relations and marketing firm for musicians and creative artists, and a handbag line called Flying Fox. The little white shotgun that was once desperately in need of new life became a place where fresh ideas are born. Tiffany ran the businesses out of her home for three years before moving the operations to a rented office space, which has her unmistakable visual stamp all over it. “Now, for the first time since I renovated, my home is just my home. It’s my sanctuary, and it feels really great,“ she says with a smile.
You can view Tiffany's full Apartment Therapy house tour and read more about her style HERE.
Photos and text by Jacqueline Marque