Bayou Contessa

We're Giving Away a Chandelier on Cote de Texas !!!!!!!

2010-11-11T00:11:00.004-06:00

My friend, the fabulous blogger extraordinaire, Joni Webb, who writes Cote de Texas and I have gotten together and cooked up the most fabulous giveaway! You should rush over to her blog and read all about it. We have decided to let the winner of the giveaway choose the chandelier they want to win, and it's a choice between the Ingrid Chandelier, pictured below And the Elizabeth

Mint Julep for Valorie

2010-11-09T09:36:00.001-06:00

As I'm sure you know if you are reading a blog, the blog world has been so concerned for Valorie the Visual Vamp, and her husband Alberto, who had a massive heart attack while travelling to Canada. With some help from their friends, Valorie and Alberto have made it back to New Orleans and Alberto is on the mend. Many in the blogosphere have set up auctions of decorative things to help

My Blog Has a Whole New Look!

2010-10-13T00:29:00.004-05:00

Well I guess if you're reading this post, you already know that my blog has a whole new look!! Thanks to Jessica at the Love List who did the graphic design work, my blog layout has become more gorgeous, and it is really a celebration of the many exciting developments which have been going on at Julie Neill Designs! For starters, we have re-designed our website, with all new studio shots of

New Orleans' Hottest Design Star, Melissa Rufty's Gorgeous Home in House Beautiful

2010-09-14T17:58:00.000-05:00

Although Melissa Rufty grew up in South Carolina, her fabulous style and taste embody the character of the city she's called home for many years! Like New Orleans itself, Melissa shows a love for all that is old, traditional, and gorgeous, but, acknowledging that it's all about "the mix" she injects her sense of fearless fun, a certain sexiness and celebration, and an eye for the bold and

Guthrie Contemporary Gallery is Showing the Paintings of Susan Dory

2010-09-07T21:06:00.001-05:00

I am currently enthralled with the fabulous art work of Susan Dory, a painter whose paintings are now being shown at Guthrie Contemporary Gallery here in New Orleans. Although Susan lives and works in the Seattle area, she has quite an avid following in this city, thanks to the introduction of gallery owner, Leslie Guthrie. Leslie has an amazing talent for presenting artworks as installations

My New Blogging Friend from Beadboard UpCountry, Maryanne Flaherty

2010-07-12T04:51:00.001-05:00

I was recently fortunate enough to have made a new blogging friend in Maryanne Flagherty, the author of the fabulous blog, Beadboard UpCountry. Maryanne has a fabulous award-winning shop in Brenham, Texas, which is between Houston and Austin where she has some gorgeous things including linens, pottery and glassware. She carries beautiful linens from such great lines as Arte Pura,

Southern Style: Richmond Symphony Orchestra League's 2010 Designer House, Mary Douglas Drysdale, Tobi Fairley and Me.

2010-06-16T09:00:00.000-05:00

A few months ago, my dear friend, Mary Douglas Drysdale mentioned to me that she had been asked to participate in the Richmond Symphony League's 2010 Designer House. Mary said she saw in the house a great opportunity to showcase the embodiment of Southern Style by inviting a group of designers who live and work in the South to participate with her in this project.What a wonderful idea! Imagine

The Chic Sophistication of Donna Maselli's Neutral Palette

2010-02-22T21:02:00.001-06:00

I can't tell you how thrilled I was to see my friend Donna Maselli's gorgeous house featured in Country Living Magazine last July. Donna, who worked for many years as a lawyer, decided a few years ago to leave that profession and pursue her dream of becoming an interior designer. It was a good decision!! Donna's personal design philosophy, one which I wholeheartedly share, is that a

The Good Times Rolled

2010-02-16T23:25:00.001-06:00

Today was a great day to be in New Orleans! It was a day to raise a toast to our city. Mardi Gras in the Who Dat Nation!! Today was the culmination of a long and intense season of celebration in a city that has made celebrating an art form. We've been double-dipping lately, reveling in our historic, first-ever, long-awaited, and prayed for Superbowl championship running concurrently

Art Galleries and Artists of the South

2010-02-09T22:03:00.001-06:00

I can't begin to tell you how thrilled I am to be included in the latest issue of Art Galleries and Artists of the South. The lighting I design has always been an outgrowth of my fine arts background. Form, line, composition, rhythm, color and pattern, as well as classical proportions form the basis of my work. My finishes come from years of working with paints and other media to create

Who Dat? We Dat! (or Julie Neill Designs Lights the Way to the Superbowl)

2010-02-06T03:09:00.001-06:00

As everyone knows, the city of New Orleans is in the deepest throes of the Saints going to the Superbowl! There is nowhere that this is more true than at Julie Neill Designs! We can barely contain ourselves, wearing our black and gold garb, sporting our Who Dat t-shirts, and talking about nothing else. This morning we took time before going to the studio to have a "WhoDat" breakfast at Slim

N+O: I've Opened a Fabulous New Shop and Interior Design Studio with my Friend, Shawn O'Brien!

2009-11-09T00:32:00.001-06:00

Read all about it here. From the WISH section of the Times-Picayune. By Susan Langenhennig photo by RUSTY COSTANZA / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE Lighting designer Julie Neill, right, and interior designer Shawn O'Brien teamed up to open N+O design studio on Magazine Street. N+O - Neill and O’Brien 3822 Magazine St., 504.309.4462 "Lighting designer Julie Neill and interior designer Shawn O’

Katie Rafferty's "Street Vernacular" is now showing at Cole Pratt Gallery!

2009-06-18T00:04:00.001-05:00

I am quite enthralled by the work of one of New Orleans' brightest art stars, Katie Rafferty, who is showing this month at Cole Pratt Gallery. Katie is a unique individual whose personal vibrancy, sense of humor and sensitivity reflect intensely in her artwork. She is a good friend of mine and a wild woman who provides me with a great amount of inspiration and an overwhelming sense of fun

Susan Sully: The Southern Cosmopolitan

2009-05-05T01:58:00.001-05:00

I recently had the good fortune to meet the very charming and erudite Susan Sully, at a book signing given by my friend Ann Koerner in her fabulous Magazine Street antique shop. It was an experience I'll not soon forget because Susan was so delightful and fun and we became instant friends. Susan, a Southerner who has a degree in art history from Yale has made an outstanding addition to

Ashley Longshore Designs for Anthropologie!

2009-04-25T01:49:00.001-05:00

The exciting news around New Orleans these days is that Ashley Longshore, the talented, incomparable artist extraordinare has been chosen by Anthropologie to design a line of one of a kind handpainted chairs for their fall collection. This line, named ASHLEY LONGSHORE FOR ANTHROPOLOGIE, is the launch of an entirely new division for the furniture department of Anthropologie . Much like the

I Love Leontine Linens!

2009-04-22T01:23:00.001-05:00

I'm so very excited to say that when Jane Scott Hodges was in town recently, she was kind enough to get together with me at her fabulous Leontine Linens shop to help me pick out some custom bedding for my bedroom. Jane Scott is the very talented creator of this fabulous line of linens which includes custom designed and monogrammed bedding, table linens, bath towels and shower curtains,

A Fabulous Visit with Gina & Millie, Brooke and Steve, 2 Julies and a Vamp! And I'm Hooked!

2009-04-10T00:03:00.001-05:00

Last week was quite a week for design in New Orleans, and I was fortunate enough to have had to beautiful visits with wonderful design bloggers, Gina Milne from Willow Decor and Brooke Gianetti, the talented designer and voice behind Velvet and Linen, and her architect husband Steve. Brooke and Steve came to our wonderful town to attend the Design Leadership Summit, which brought many design

April Food Day

2009-04-01T09:16:00.001-05:00

In the world of design blogging, we spend an astounding amount of time studying, discussing, reporting and commenting on beauty and beautiful places. To me, there would be nothing more beautiful than a world where nobody goes hungry. Meg from Pigtown Design and Chris from Easy and Elegant Life have organized a way for each of us to do our small part to help others who are needier than

Suzanne Kasler is coming to Baton Rouge!

2009-02-11T00:35:00.001-06:00

As anyone who reads design blogs knows, the work of Atlanta designer Suzanne Kasler is widely extolled and discussed throughout the blogging world. She was first brought to my attention by one of her hometown admirers, Things that Inspire. Things that Inspire, who is quite a student of dining room decor posted this gorgeous picture from Traditional Home which showcases some of Kasler's

Amanda Talley Studio Tour

2009-02-06T23:48:00.000-06:00

On Sunday, I was fortunate enough to become the proud owner of a gorgeous pair of paintings which I had commissioned the amazing Amanda Talley to paint for me! These paintings are so very beautiful to me that I decided to share them with you, my blog readers. As you can see from the photo above, the artist, shown pictured with her beloved dogs, Phil and Don is as beautiful as her paintings.

Let it Raine!

2009-01-26T00:54:00.001-06:00

Anyone who is a regular reader of this blog knows that I am fascinated by the homes of artists in general, and those of New Orleans artists in particular. To me, artists are a very special breed of people: they are visually motivated, driven to express their often unique, but always sensitive inner motivations, and and all have distinct personal styles. Artists tend to create surroundings

The Old Spanish Custom House on Bayou St John is for Sale to the Highest Bidder!

2009-01-18T20:26:00.001-06:00

On February 10th, The Spanish Custom House, the oldest residence on Bayou St. John will be sold at auction to the highest bidder and there is no minimum asking price. The house was constructed around 1784 and has been privately owned ever since. Currently owned by the De Matteo family, they are auctioning it through the Neal Auction Company in hopes that "the right person gets the house-a

A Kid, An Apple, A Summer, A Trip, A Storm, A Syndrome, and I Get by with a Little Help from my Friends

2009-01-16T21:39:00.001-06:00

First of all, let me say that the greatest joy in my life are my two amazing children, Henry and Isabelle. I am so grateful for them, and as every mother knows, they enrich my life in untold ways. They are shown here on their way to Henry's graduation ceremony from Lusher Charter High School. And this is where my story begins. At the young age of 19, Henry is already an accomplished

What I Did this Summer: The Acadiana Symphony Decorator Showhouse

2008-09-27T02:13:00.001-05:00

Last spring, I had the pleasure of meeting Bryan and Sylvia McLain, owners of McLain Homes, a company which develops beautiful neighborhoods and builds impeccably designed and carefully built outstanding homes in Lafayette, Louisiana. Since 2006, Bryan and Sylvia have worked closely with the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra in creating some very successful Decorator Showhouses which both promote

Please Pray for our Beautiful Town

2008-08-31T13:41:00.000-05:00