Editorial
Earlier this summer, I was lucky enough to meet Chris Scheurich and Ali McNally, the lovely couple behind the Uptown boutique Neon Heart. I photographed the space where they live, work and play for Apartment Therapy. You can see the full tour HERE.
And here are some of my favorites photos from our shoot:
Guest quarters
Guest quarters
Guest quarters
The couple's boutique Neon Heart, located Uptown at 1022 Lowerline Street
Chris' framing studio, located behind the boutique:
Brian and Emily’s New Orleans shotgun will have you smiling before you even take a step inside. The exterior color combination of red, purple, and bright blue is as bold and fun as the city they call home. The couple’s vast collection of folk art covers the interior walls like a modern day version of the storied Parisian salons. “We like to pile it on thick,” Emily says with a laugh.
The couple has amassed their collection from a variety of sources such as festivals, art markets, local galleries, and street vendors in the French Quarter. “I really love New Orleans and I came here because it just seemed so rich and vivid… The art I’ve gravitated towards is like this place,” Emily explains. Although they don’t buy art with investment in mind–“We buy it because we love it,” Emily says–they have a knack for finding artists before they hit it big.
Their artworks are grouped in themes: the music room is decorated with a hand-painted guitar, a bust of Elvis atop a piano inherited from Brian’s grandmother, and depictions of musicians like Lucinda Williams and David Bowie. The kitchen is a celebration of Southern cuisine–think alligator po-boy and hot-boiled crab–and includes whimsical paintings of cats eating food. The bathroom is a display of "Oriental" art inherited from Emily’s grandmother and the den is filled with hand-carved masks from all over the world.
Several distinct pieces of mid-century modern furniture–six tall-back chairs, two glass tables, and a three-piece wooden cube coffee table–make a strong visual statement in the home. The vintage pieces were designed by Adrian Pearsall and inherited from Emily’s grandmother, whose Texas ranch house maintained an early-1960s style until the time of her death.
The overall vibe of the house is lighthearted and inviting. Emily and Brian, who both work in academia, love to open their home to their friends for holiday celebrations, dinner parties, and watching Saints games. “Our style is informal,” says Brian, “because we run in informal circles around here.”
When they are not entertaining, Emily and Brian love to sit on the front porch and take in the verdant streetscape that lured them to the Irish Channel ten years ago. While gushing over all of the wonderful aspects of the neighborhood–the walkability, the varied architecture, the great people-watching–Emily sums it up with this: “The first house [we lived in] didn’t seem like a forever house, but this seems like a forever house… We hope to never leave.”
You can see a full tour of Emily & Brian's home and read more about their art collection at Apartment Therapy.
Photos and text by Jacqueline Marque
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
When Sarah and Jeremy met in Savannah, Georgia, they bonded over a shared love of collecting vintage toys, oddball objects and natural specimens. She was studying painting at Savannah College of Art and Design and he was a glassblower working at a new studio in town.
Their dates consisted of hunting for treasures in thrift stores and junk shops. They have the same idea of what constitutes a good find: “the creepier, the funkier, the better,” says Jeremy. They spent hours combing long stretches of road outside of town in search of insects they incorporated in their art. “A bug can die and it stays totally perfect,” Sarah explains, “I love butterfly and dragon wings for their delicate and lacy beauty.”
Thirteen years later, the New Orleans apartment Sarah and Jeremy share with their two young children reflects the nostalgic yearnings that brought them together as young artists. The walls are decorated with the beloved objects they’ve gathered and inherited – separately and as a couple – throughout the years.
Nearly all of their furnishings are vintage. The couple prefers to salvage and refurbish pieces rather than buying something new. “In the days before big box manufacturing, things were made with more thought; things were made to last,” Sarah explains.
Jeremy enjoys tinkering with electronics and bringing them back to life. A collection of vintage radios decorate the hallway outside of the kids’ room and a larger one is now a side table in the dining room. He has incorporated his handblown glass into the space – as door knobs, drawer pulls, chandelier embellishments – in every room.
Judging from June's growing collection of nesting dolls and silver dollars – both annual gifts from her grandfather, also a collector – and Louis' love of vintage windup toys, the kids take after their parents. Jeremy says he always had them in mind – even before they were born – as he acquired things. "I was a romantic in the way that I was thinking about my kids," he says. Wondering whether June and Louis will want to inherit their collections some day, Sarah muses, “I think it’s really interesting now, raising kids in a house with everything from previous decades, because of the newness of everything in their generation. I hope that we can instill in them an appreciation of the past."
Photos and text by Jacqueline Marque
You can check out the full hour tour and read more about Sarah and Jeremy's style on Apartment Therapy.
Six rows of neatly displayed wigs decorate a brick wall in Kerry Maloney’s French Quarter apartment. They’ve been collected from Mardi Gras costumes throughout the years. They’re decked out with stars and plumes, birds and elaborate handmade crowns. There’s the French aristocrat, the drum major, the conehead, and the wizard. Like the dozens of framed snapshots that cover the opposite wall, each of these wigs holds a memory and tells a story of spirited camaraderie.
“Mardi Gras has been so important to me,” Kerry explains, “It’s a thing that’s grown with me and my friends.” Kerry and her comrades have made an annual tradition of selecting a group costume theme for parading on Fat Tuesday. They start creating their festive ensembles as soon as each new year begins. “After New Year’s, it’s just glitter and glue until Mardi Gras,” she says with a smile, “The excitement of it just builds. And having the most glitter means winning.” Past themes have included aliens, sea creatures, a marching band and Vikings – complete with a shopping cart decorated as a ship.”
When Mardi Gras day finally arrives, the friends are awake before dawn. They paint their bodies, transform into character, and make their way to the Bywater neighborhood to march with The Society of Saint Anne, a walking club of merry revelers dressed in the most elaborate and over-the-top costumes imaginable. “We spend all day dancing in the streets, hugging and laughing. It’s the most glorious day ever,” Kerry gushes, “I can’t believe I lived for 22 years without Mardi Gras.”
When Kerry, a wedding photographer with a background in journalism, moved to New Orleans, she never thought about living in the French Quarter. “It didn’t seem like anyone lived here,” she explains. But something kept pulling her back to the neighborhood. When she spotted a rental sign in the window of a duplex with a porch – a rarity in the Quarter – she knew it was where she wanted to live.
Six years later, Kerry is still happy with her choice. “There’s always something going on here. Everyday someone walks by playing an instrument. Every week there’s a parade within earshot.” Even though she lives in an area heavily-trafficked by tourists, Kerry still feels a sense of community in her neighborhood. Her next door neighbor Jim has lived in the other half of her duplex for over 20 years and Catherine, who is in her 90s, has lived in the Creole Cottage across the street since the 1960s. “We look out for each other,” Kerry says.
Photos and text by Jacqueline Marque
Click here to see the full tour of Kerry's space on Apartment Therapy.
You can check out Kerrys' beautiful photography here.
Thanks to Kyle Tormey, vinyl devotees in Newport have a new spot on Broadway to hunt for 12-inch treasures. Kyle buys, sells and trades records that span all musical genres at Vinyl Guru, so the inventory is always changing. Eamon and I are big fans of the place and have scored some gems for our growing collection since Kyle opened in June. Eamon's favorites: Kurt Vile's Childish Prodigy and Constant Hitmaker. Mine: Stevie Wonder classics Innervisions and Talking Book. Not only is the shop packed with great finds, but Kyle and his girlfriend Jessica Teixeira are always a pleasure to see. I had fun shooting the couple recently for a Mercury cover story by Olivia Barrett on Vinyl Guru and two other new local businesses started by young entrepreneurs, The Reformed Moth and Tricycle Ice Cream.
I got to experience the magic of aerial dancer Nichole Raab last month at the Newport Art Museum's annual summer gala, Night at the Museum: A Beaux Arts Ball. When I entered the museum that evening, I was delighted by the sight of Nichole, wearing a pink mask and white wig, suspended in a bed of white fabric near the ceiling. It took me a few moments to notice her, but then I couldn't stop staring at her with a big smile on my face. It was a charming sight that set the tone for a lovely evening.
Later in the night, Nichole captivated the crowd with a surprise performance. Seeing her maneuver fluidly from one acrobatic pose to the next while hanging from red silks was a wondrous sight.
To read about Nichole, who has combined her love of aerial dance with sailing through the program she founded, The Art of Sailing Project, on the Tall Ship Sloop Providence, check out Jamie Gillette's interview in this week's Mercury.
Photos by Jacqueline Marque
Beth Hammond, a mother of three who works as a CNA and runs her own senior fitness company by day, is the producer, costume designer, choreographer and star of her own Lady Gaga tribute act by night. We worked for nearly two hours at Salvation Cafe to get this shot for the cover of Mercury. Beth amazed me with her ability to hold some very uncomfortable poses. Thanks for being a good sport and a great cover model, Beth! Check out Jamie Gillette's Off the Lip interview with this amazing woman.
It's impossible not to fall in love with Maurice Cheeks and Bear after seeing them perform in the Benny Sizzler video for the song "Rhode Island Dead." These cute canines are so skilled and obedient you'd think they were rescued from the circus. The loveable duo was back in the spotlight again this week when Geoff Adams visited Gail Greenwood and Chil Mott's Middletown home to document them in action for a PBS segment on working dogs that will run after an episode of the cartoon "Martha Speaks," which is about a talking dog. While Chil shot the dogs staging a hospital break scene for Benny Sizzler's next video, Geoff documented the making of the video and I documented all of the documenting for the newspaper. It was a meta moment indeed.
Bear breaks Maurice Cheeks – who can wear a hat better than most humans – out of the hospital.
Now, that's the look of a proud stage mom.
Maurice's mouth is watering just thinking about all of the doggie biscuits stashed inside that IV bag.
I loved all of Gail and Chil's hospital props. I can't wait to see them used in the video.
Bear poses for a beauty shot while taking a break from filming.
Look who made the front page!
I love this sweet moment I captured between Jessica Viveiros-O’Donnell and her Fell pony Lady Liberty, who was chosen to adorn Queen Elizabeth II’s Christmas cards. I visited the two lovely ladies on Friday with Newport Daily News correspondent Marcia Pobzeznik. Lady Liberty caught the eye of Queen Elizabeth when a photo of her frolicking in the snow in Tiverton, RI, was on the cover of the Fall/Winter 2012 North America Fell Pony Society magazine “The Fell Pony Express.” When Jessica got an email from the president of the North America Fell Society, she learned that someone wanted to use the picture on Christmas cards and gave consent. It wasn't until she recently received an envelope with a gold “Royal Mail” stamp and a handwritten note from a secretary to the queen of England that she learned who had made the request. The note, on stationery from the United Kingdom Fell Society and the header “Patron-Her Majesty the Queen," read, “Please find enclosed complimentary pack of Christmas cards. Hope you like them. Thanks for letting us use the photo.”
You can read Marcia's whole story here.
