Traditional Home magazine and more than 25 local and national designers joined forces for the first ever New Orleans Showhouse, debuting on May 18, 2016 as part of the first Southern Style Now Design Festival. Participating designers and artists, all originally from the South, submitted their contemporary vision to the historic home, while also incorporating traditional southern design. Bringing a true entertainer’s experience to the home, Thermador appliances are included in the main kitchen as well as the guest house kitchen.

We recently connected with Shaun Smith, one of the many talented designers that collaborated on this project, to get the inside scoop on the home, the family that will be moving in and the overall design inspiration. Read on to see what he has to say!

Thermador: Tell us a little bit about the project and the home that you are renovating.

Shaun Smith: This house is a perfect quintessential Victorian built in 1895. It’s located on St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans, which is a very famous location. The street car passes right in front of the house and it’s overall a beautiful historic home. This is a really exciting project and the house is very special – the structure, woodwork and banisters are all original, which is great! The home has a history, which is very different for showhouses as most of them are usually new construction.

THD: What about the family that will be moving into the newly renovated home?

SS: The clients are a young couple in their late 20s – they were recently married in February and they brought me on board in November to design the interiors of the home. They purchased this house as their forever home.

THD: How did you explore the personal styles of the clients, and how were you able to translate that into the design of the home?

SS: It’s funny, the wife went to school with my sister and she really reminds me of her. They’re young and they wanted the kitchen and bathrooms to feel age appropriate – meaning it needed to feel fresh but not trendy. I can tell a lot about a client during our first meeting – they either know exactly what they want or they give me the freedom to just make everything perfectly fall into place. The clients were really good about letting me decide what I think will stand the test of time and giving me the freedom to select paint colors and finishes.

THD: What design style did you stick with for the renovation?

SS:  The design style is pretty traditional, but clean. The kitchen in this home feels very clean and classic – the cabinets are flat paneled and they virtually disappear.

THD: Tell us about the kitchen – does the homeowner enjoy cooking and entertaining?

SS: Being from a city where cooking and food are extremely important, I would say yes this couple definitely enjoys entertaining. Also, the husband’s family is one of the largest dealers of shrimp so they often cook a lot of seafood.

THD: What appliances were selected for the kitchen and what were the homeowners most excited for?

SS: We included a lot of refrigeration and this was very important to the young couple as they entertain often and enjoy drinking good wine. They wanted a bar area and plenty of wine storage. Additionally, the kitchen features a MicroDrawer® Microwave, Star-Sapphire® Dishwasher and a 48” Pro Grand® Steam Range – they are most excited about the steam oven! The kitchenette is equipped with the 30” Five Burner Pro Harmony® Range, a built-in microwave and an Emerald Dishwasher.

The designer showhouse is located at 7618 St. Charles Ave. and will be open for tours May 19^th through June 12, 2016 from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission to the home is $30 for advance tickets or $35 at the door. For more information, please visit http://www.southernstylenow.com/showhouse-b/.