Styling it out: Valorie Hart opens the door to some gorgeous New Orleans interiors
EVERYBODY'S IN LA: VALORIE HART, INTERIOR DESIGNER, STYLIST AND AUTHOR
Hi Valorie, thanks for talking to us! How long have you been in New Orleans, LA?
I came to New Orleans in 1999.
We'll get to your books in a second, but I believe your background is mainly in interior design - could you tell us how you started up in that field?
I’m art school trained and organically had many careers using that foundation.
What are your personal favorite aesthetics for an interior? Are you a clean lines and minimalism fan or a maximalist exhibitionist (or somewhere in between)?
I can find beauty in all types of interiors. My personal preference is a colorful home filled with art, books, and flowers, mixing vintage, antique, and contemporary furnishings.
Your latest book, Bohemian Soul, is a collection of esoteric local interiors - tell us a little about the research and selection process.
My love of New Orleans inspired the choices of the homes in the book. The photographer Sara Essex Bradley and I have been working together since 2011, scouting, styling, producing, and writing articles for shelter magazines. We had entree to many homes in New Orleans. We wanted to archive and celebrate a distinctive aesthetic that we saw disappearing. This is our third book together.
What are your interior design basic guidelines? Where do you start when you have a blank canvas of sorts?
That’s a big question for this format. Use what you love. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Try to decorate over time. Try to avoid catalog decorating.
What design fundamentals would you advise everyone to keep in mind when they're starting to think about the look of a new house or apartment, for instance?
Color, scale, furniture placement, lifestyle.
I assume that art plays a large part in embellishing a look - who are some of your favorite artists, or do you have any preferred styles of art?
I love every type of art. I like Andrew LaMar Hopkins, Louis St. Lewis, Ashley Longshore, Felix Plaza. The art photography of Lisa Conrad and Debra Shriver are favorites. Vintage art with no particular provenance is great.
You've collaborated with the photographer Sara Essex Bradley on a couple of titles now, how did you meet and decide to work together? Who are some of your other favorite photographers (local or in general)?
Sara came to photograph my house for the magazine Preservation In Print. My Irish Channel home was on the PRC Shotgun House Tour twice. We immediately hit it off and started producing and pitching home decor articles to magazines. Another New Orleans photographer of interiors I like is Jacqueline Marque, and I'm also a fan of Ann Madden. The late Roy Guste was a photographer I admired for his work photographing the demi monde of New Orleans.
Which local businesses could people check out to look for some interior design inspiration?
Several shops on Magazine Street are great. Perch, Malachite, Spruce, Sunday Shop, Hazelnut, Sud, Sortre, Villa Vici, and on Oak Street, Eclectic Home. Banana Manor on Tchoupitoulas is great for rugs.
Fancy celebration meal / casual lunch spot / cocktail hour...where are you headed in town?
For a fancy meal, I'd say Commanders Palace, cocktails (and also dinner) at Coquette and for a casual lunch, Joey K’s.
Thanks for talking to us! Best of luck with your book. Where's the best place for people to find you online?
You can find me on Instagram at @visualvamp
Valorie Hart's new book, Bohemian Soul, is available now through Rizzoli
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