A Single Shotgun Condo in New Orleans Is Filled with Sumptuous Details

Name: Jo Ann Thrailkill
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Type of home: Single shotgun condo
Size: 920 square feet
Years lived in: 10 years, owned

Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: Built as a shotgun double in 1910, Maison Petit Biscuit sits in the heart of Magazine Street. A friend purchased her in 2006, just after Hurricane Katrina. She and her business partner converted the historic building, which is zoned residential and commercial, into three condos: two lowers and one large upper unit. They were able to keep many original features, like the antique pine floors, brick fireplaces, and high ceilings, in the lower units. While my friend lived and worked in one of the lower units, the others were being rented commercially. I purchased the other lower shotgun next to her in 2011.

It was an interior design studio and retail space, and before that it had been an art gallery with all of the original windows removed and the ceiling covered with large light cans and track lighting. My best friend’s husband had been the original contractor in 2006, and by some stroke of pure luck, he still had all of the original windows in his shop yard! We returned them to their rightful places, designed and built the kitchen, two bathrooms, and a bedroom, We added crown molding, new lighting, and a tub at the foot of the bed to complete the transformation from gallery/shop to home! I am a New Orleans native living in Los Angeles. I am a former music video executive producer, nonprofit founder/CEO, and now as my third act: I design and stage homes and second homes/short-term rentals.

My identity is all over Maison Petit Biscuit, including a vintage Disneyland chalk portrait of me as a child. I lean toward the whimsical and playful. My home is filled with the eclectic works of local contemporary artists mixed with exquisite New Orleans antiques and family treasures.

Describe your home’s style in 5 words or less: A comfortable, romantic Southern classic

What is your favorite room and why? The wetroom. My son and I agree on this one! He was a teenager when I bought MPB, and we traveled together to New Orleans several times a year. I thought he should have his own bathroom and not have to come through my room to shower, etc… so we converted the hall closet into a wetroom. I had experienced one a million years ago when backpacking through Europe and thought it was the coolest thing. Well… my son has loved it, and even now as a young adult, he still thinks it’s the coolest room in the place!

What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? Ceramic totems by Kappa Horn @kappacups, an abstract painting by @GretchenDrennan, and black glazed planters from @haroldsplants.

Any advice for creating a home you love? Follow your instincts; they are nature’s best gift. When you see something you love, get it! I think it takes time to create a home. I’m constantly updating, adding, taking away, and improving my space… for me. Keep it personal even if you’re sharing it with others.

This submission’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.

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