This 1899 New Orleans Home Is Maximalism Done Right

This New Orleans home is layered, moody, a little weird, and very much alive. Minimalists may want to look away.

There are fixer-uppers, and then there are houses where the countertops are literally plywood and the previous owners painted around the furniture.

That is the situation Rachel and John Thompson walked into when they bought their 1899 home in New Orleans. And somehow, instead of fleeing immediately, they turned it into one of the most interesting homes I’ve seen in a while.

The 2,400-square-foot house in the city’s Milan neighborhood was old, affordable, full of architectural character, and, by Rachel’s own description, kind of a disaster. With help from John’s father, the couple tackled much of the renovation themselves, spending around $60,000 along the way.

But the renovation isn’t really what made me stop scrolling.

It’s what they did after.

More Personality, Please

Rachel describes the home’s style as “Parisian modern farmhouse goth,” which sounds like four Pinterest boards got into a bar fight. Somehow, it works.

There are deep greens, warm browns, vintage furniture, gallery walls, unusual art, patterned wallpaper, old fireplaces, modern pieces, plants, handmade details, and plenty of objects that would probably make a minimalist quietly leave the room.

And I love it.

Rachel intentionally likes a little tension in a room. Colors don’t have to be obvious matches. Furniture doesn’t need to come from the same era. Something weird from an estate sale can absolutely become the thing that makes the entire space work.

The result feels collected instead of decorated.

A House That Keeps Changing

Maybe my favorite part is that the house apparently refuses to stay finished.

Rachel moves furniture, swaps rooms around, changes artwork, makes new pieces, and keeps experimenting. One bedroom has become a recording studio for the couple’s band, Baby Bats, while the front room doubles as the workspace for Rachel’s vintage-parts jewelry business.

It feels less like a showroom and more like a place where creative people actually live.

And maybe that’s why I like it so much.

There’s a lot of pressure to make a home look cohesive, finished, and, preferably, as if no human being has ever left a coffee mug on the table. This house makes a much better argument: fill your rooms with things you love, move them around when you get bored, and don’t be afraid of a little weirdness.

Also, for a 126-year-old New Orleans house, Rachel reports there are no ghosts.

Honestly, that might be the most impressive renovation result of all.