Text & Styling by Margaret Zainey
Photography by Sara Essex Bradley
In Sarah and Spencer Ott’s New Orleans home, opulent antiques are paired with playful colors and prints that convey a festive spirit throughout the holidays and all-year round.
A neighborhood bursting with Greek Revivals, Creole cottages, and Queen Anne Victorians, Sarah Ott’s stately, redbrick Georgian—located just a block off of historic St. Charles Avenue—is a rare commodity. It’s not your typical Uptown New Orleans home, but typical is anything but Sarah’s style. As an accessory designer, she has always had a flair for color and quirk, but as a born-and-bred Southern girl, she is deeply connected to history and heritage.
“For as long as I can remember, I have loved all things design,” says Ott. “I was always admiring my friends’ homes and pining over the beautiful rooms that I would see in magazines and catalogs. Although she’s a lawyer by profession, my mother is a creative at heart, and she allowed me the freedom to explore and pursue my passion— whether it was decorating my childhood bedroom or dangling Christmas tree ornaments from our chandelier. Everything I’ve learned, I’ve learned through observation and a little trial and error.”
In 2000, Sarah and husband, Spencer, moved to Fort Worth, Texas, where they embarked on decorating and furnishing their first home. Even after it was complete, they continued to search for one-of-a-kind antiques and accessories—a hobby that ultimately led to a full-fledged business with retail outlets in Dallas, Texas, and Naples, Florida. Upon returning to New Orleans in 2003, she continued to hone her skill for design while restoring their 1920s home.
The showstopping pelmets above the living room windows date back to the 1930s. A local craftsman recognized the whimsical adornments that he fabricated and installed for the original homeowners several decades before. Ott reupholstered them in a silk and commissioned the drapes to cascade from them.
To complement the glamorous black-and-white marble checkerboard tile, she selected European antiques that evoke a sense of grandeur. Intricately carved commodes, mirrors, tables, and chairs wearing painted and gilded finishes mingle among more provincial pieces in richly patinaed walnut and oak. Plush upholstery and antique Oushak carpets offer chic comfort while billowy, ballroom drapes look lavish and luxe.
Overlooking the courtyard, the solarium (above) brings the outdoors in and offers a sundrenched spot for reading, relaxing, and entertaining, even in the colder months.
The funky abstract upholstery on the antique Gustavian bench, the canary-yellow tops on a pair of antique French consoles, the retro banana leaf print cushions on the solarium banquette, and the Knoll Saarinen table and tulip chairs beneath the crystal and giltwood Italian chandelier are just a few of the pops of unexpected elegance that appear throughout the 5,600 square-foot house.
For more details, see “Holiday Style” in the November/December 2019 issue of Southern Home.
