Alexandra’s Lakefront NOLA Apartment

Name: Alexandra and Aaron, Hank the dog and Ben the cat
Location: Slidell, Louisiana

When I got a job as a meteorologist at a New Orleans television station, I was thrilled to move home to the vibrant and unique city where I grew up. Shortly after, my soon-to-be husband joined me from his hometown in Texas. He’s more of a small-town person and preferred to live a little removed from the city. So we settled on this apartment on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, a half-hours commute to my station in the French Quarter.

Our apartment has water on two sides: it overlooks a scenic marina on the lake, and it backs up to a canal. Our favorite feature is the glorious view of sunsets on the water through our large living room windows, and we love going for evening walks along the lakefront.

When I moved in, my fisherman husband had already “decorated” with a handful of sparse furnishings including a behemoth recliner couch, multiple large mouth bass fish mounted on the walls and a Yeti ice chest as a coffee table. It took several months to fill things out with less dude-ish pieces. Some items are from Craigslist or TJ-Maxx, some are re-invented college finds and some are “junk” items from the game room of my parents’ house nearby.

We are still decorating, but we’ve reached a point where we feel happy and comfortable. I love rooms with a pretty, light, whimsical feel, so that’s what I aimed for with our living room. I gravitate toward bright colors, interesting patterns and plenty of gold… nothing too big or serious or brown. The striped rug was a big deal – I scoured websites for weeks until I found the right one at a price I could afford. I hoped the bold stripes would give a playful vibe and add a lot of punch when layered with other patterns and colors. Since some pieces are very colorful, I went with neutral shades for the sofa and accent chair cushions.

We’re proud of the coffee table because it represents a nice coming-together of our styles. One day, my husband carted in a massive unfinished wood and glass table he found for $30 on Craigslist. I was mildly alarmed at the roughness and immensity of it, but then I had the inspiration to spray paint it gold and see what happened. We ended up with something we’re both happy with.

Thanks, Alexandra!

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