Photo Tour: New Orleans Spreads Its Cheer
These 6 New Orleans neighborhoods deck the halls, verandas and wrought iron balconies to get in the holiday spirit
Kayla Stark
December 23, 2017
Houzz Contributor. I'm a photographer, graphic designer, and artist currently living in New Orleans, LA. My favorite thing about being a photographer is that it allows me to get out into the world and see beauty everyday. It motivates me to explore and to be adventurous. I love that all of my days are different and that I never know who I'll meet or what I might be able to capture.
Houzz Contributor. I'm a photographer, graphic designer, and artist currently living... More
While you might not know it’s the holidays in New Orleans by the weather, the city exercises its penchant for holiday flair by decorating its homes, balconies and even its streetcars. The unique architecture of New Orleans allows for plenty of creative ways to decorate: Garland drapes from French Quarter balconies and crawls up the columns of Victorian mansions, while wreaths mark the doors of shotgun doubles and center hall cottages.
With Christmas traditions like bonfires on the levees outside of town, caroling in Jackson Square and a cartoon character named Mr. Bingle, New Orleans shows why this truly is the most wonderful time of the year. Join us for a neighborhood photo tour through the French Quarter, Tremé, Algiers Point, Irish Channel, Bayou St. John and Uptown.
With Christmas traditions like bonfires on the levees outside of town, caroling in Jackson Square and a cartoon character named Mr. Bingle, New Orleans shows why this truly is the most wonderful time of the year. Join us for a neighborhood photo tour through the French Quarter, Tremé, Algiers Point, Irish Channel, Bayou St. John and Uptown.
French Quarter
The oldest section of New Orleans, originally settled in 1718, the French Quarter is characterized by colorful 18th- and 19th-century Spanish, French and Creole architecture. A beautiful pink home with blue shutters shows off its holiday best, decorating its balcony with garland, ribbon, sparkles and an icicle strand.
Pictured here is a famous New Orleans snowman named Mr. Bingle, a character created in the 1940s by the city’s premier department store, Maison Blanche. With his ice-cream cone hat, holly wings and candy cane mittens, Mr. Bingle has long lived in the holiday hearts of New Orleanians, making his appearance every year before Christmas to assist Santa in his workshop. Here he appears as a stuffed figure, the centerpiece of an impressive ribbon flourish.
The oldest section of New Orleans, originally settled in 1718, the French Quarter is characterized by colorful 18th- and 19th-century Spanish, French and Creole architecture. A beautiful pink home with blue shutters shows off its holiday best, decorating its balcony with garland, ribbon, sparkles and an icicle strand.
Pictured here is a famous New Orleans snowman named Mr. Bingle, a character created in the 1940s by the city’s premier department store, Maison Blanche. With his ice-cream cone hat, holly wings and candy cane mittens, Mr. Bingle has long lived in the holiday hearts of New Orleanians, making his appearance every year before Christmas to assist Santa in his workshop. Here he appears as a stuffed figure, the centerpiece of an impressive ribbon flourish.
A nearby yellow shotgun-style house is one of the most extravagantly decorated homes in the neighborhood, with ornaments, ribbon, garland and other flourishes arranged to create these one-of-a-kind pieces to garnish the home’s facade.
Others choose a more modest approach to holiday decor, simply hanging wreaths and a single strand of lights for a small nod to the season.
Another festive pink and green home is decorated with holiday poinsettia flags that have baskets of ferns hung between them.
White and green trees are how this resident chose to decorate the balcony, with ribbons and garland draped between the year-round planter boxes and an artificial poinsettia as the center staple.
Ornaments of varying shapes and sizes dangle in alternating heights from this round-cornered wrought iron balcony. This magnificent home is unique because of its rounded balcony, reflecting its corner address. It is a wonderful example of the wrought iron balconies so emblematic of the French Quarter.
The combination of potted purple petunias and red poinsettias adds festive color to this French Quarter home. Its next-door neighbor also got into the holiday spirit.
With thick mesh green and gold ribbon tied off with red ribbon, this homeowner was able to create a holiday garnish around the trim of the home. Gold fleur-de-lis were included in the wreaths on the windows, an homage to the French heritage of New Orleans.
While the French Quarter’s iconic gas streetlamps were long ago replaced by lightbulbs, they are such an important part of the neighborhood’s historic charm that they sometimes feel like extensions of the homes and businesses they light. Decorations dot the facade of the historic Creole cottage.
Another charming relic of the past are the horse-drawn carriages that roll through French Quarter streets, seen here passing in front of a purple-trimmed shotgun home with Mr. and Mrs. Claus in the windows.
Tremé
Just north of the French Quarter, the Tremé neighborhood is not without examples of handsome holiday flourishes. Although New Orleans hasn’t seen snow since 2008, a snowflake motif is still a festive way to greet the season.
Just north of the French Quarter, the Tremé neighborhood is not without examples of handsome holiday flourishes. Although New Orleans hasn’t seen snow since 2008, a snowflake motif is still a festive way to greet the season.
A baby blue shotgun garnishes its natural wood shutters with fresh greenery.
The two sides of this Italianate shotgun double are decorated by its separate occupants with wreathes and strands of lights around a door and window.
Algiers Point
Charming Algiers Point lies off the typical tourist track on the city’s West Bank. Directly across the river from the French Quarter and accessible by ferry or bridge, Algiers Point features many of the city’s most colorful and oldest shotgun homes, away from the crowds on the other side of the river.
Charming Algiers Point lies off the typical tourist track on the city’s West Bank. Directly across the river from the French Quarter and accessible by ferry or bridge, Algiers Point features many of the city’s most colorful and oldest shotgun homes, away from the crowds on the other side of the river.
A strand of garland with gingerbread men jazzes up a traditional raised shotgun home.
An alternative depiction of our friend Mr. Bingle hangs on this candy-colored home in Algiers Point. Many New Orleanians can still recite his jingle from memory, which was played on local TV and radio ads throughout the holidays.
Down the block, a renovated shotgun with a purple door brings additional color to the front of the home with a large wreath decorated with pink and blue ornaments.
Suspended between the pillars of an orange home hang oversize wreaths with gold ribbon intertwined and ornaments throughout.
This mint green shotgun festooned with garland features a blow-up Santa and a pole with string lights dangling down in a cone shape to depict a Christmas tree. An orange tabby cat sits in the right window, admiring the neighborhood and the new decorations.
Ropes of garland deck the gallery of the pink house that abuts the Mississippi River levee in Algiers Point.
Irish Channel
A humble neighborhood settled by Irish, German and Italian immigrants in the early 19th century, the Irish Channel has seen a boom in investment in the last few years. The neighborhood’s residential architecture features many of New Orleans’ signature shotgun homes, while its bustling commercial strip — Magazine Street — is home to an ever-growing number of shops, bars and restaurants. “The Channel,” as it’s often referred to by locals, also consists of many commercial-turned-residential structures, characterized by doors that open directly onto the street corner.
A humble neighborhood settled by Irish, German and Italian immigrants in the early 19th century, the Irish Channel has seen a boom in investment in the last few years. The neighborhood’s residential architecture features many of New Orleans’ signature shotgun homes, while its bustling commercial strip — Magazine Street — is home to an ever-growing number of shops, bars and restaurants. “The Channel,” as it’s often referred to by locals, also consists of many commercial-turned-residential structures, characterized by doors that open directly onto the street corner.
A double shotgun with intricate East Lake woodwork is decorated with garland wrapped like candy cane stripes around the home’s columns.
White and blue snowy decor, matching the planters and exterior paint, adorns a home nearby.
Bayou St. John
On the corner of Grand Route St. John and Moss Street sits the spectacular Spanish Custom House, with a 1784 construction date, making it one of the oldest residences in the city. The current homeowners have hung garland and red ribbon on the second-story veranda looking out onto Bayou St. John, the waterway that gives the neighborhood its name.
On the corner of Grand Route St. John and Moss Street sits the spectacular Spanish Custom House, with a 1784 construction date, making it one of the oldest residences in the city. The current homeowners have hung garland and red ribbon on the second-story veranda looking out onto Bayou St. John, the waterway that gives the neighborhood its name.
Also overlooking the bayou, this spectacular center hall cottage is showing its holiday spirit with fresh poinsettias and a large nutcracker standing sentry near the red door.
A third home on the bayou with large rosemary bushes in front has chosen to string lines of garland around the property’s fence and from the wraparound balcony on the second floor.
Standing in for Santa’s sleigh, this vintage Mercedes 560 SL in cheerful holiday red sits outside this lovely two-story home just off Esplanade Avenue.
A contemporary-style home in Bayou St. John with lime green doors, blue shutters and a balcony with cable railing chose a similar method to decorate the second-floor balcony as the historic homes on the bayou.
This beautiful blue home in Bayou St. John shows its holiday spirit by hanging Christmas ornaments and a green wreath on the porch. A large Christmas tree can be seen in the bay window with stained glass on the right side of the gallery.
A purple two-story home has wrapped garland around the columns, hanging ornaments loosely from the strand.
Two vibrant red wreaths contrast the dark wood double doors leading into the home.
Ornaments are suspended from the year-round trees in this resident’s side yard, a simple way to make the garden feel festive.
Classic wreaths hang on the coral-colored doors of this home in Bayou St. John.
This chic home on Esplanade Avenue with a black lacquered door has a festive red wreath above the knocker and added a tree to the front porch.
This vibrant and cheerful home in Bayou St. John displays bright blue trees on its doors and a wreath with blue ornaments, matching the stairs leading up to the second-floor porch. The City of New Orleans flag hung on the left coincidentally matches the color scheme of the home.
This purple home with the palm has added a wreath composed of red ornaments and berries to the door.
A more contemporary-style front door can be found nearby, with simple fresh greenery and long red ribbons draping from the bottom of the wreath.
Bayou St. John, home to New Orleans’ famous Jazz and Heritage Festival, has long been a haven for artists and musicians. This colorful sign by local artist Simon of New Orleans pays homage to the neighborhood’s musical traditions with a lyrical reference to the 1970 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young hit “Our House.”
Uptown
This grand residential neighborhood is one of the city’s crown jewels, characterized by oak-lined avenues featuring some of New Orleans’ most stately and elegant houses. Near the Mississippi River to the west of the French Quarter, the Garden District is dotted with opulent 19th-century mansions and features some of the city’s most exclusive real estate.
This grand residential neighborhood is one of the city’s crown jewels, characterized by oak-lined avenues featuring some of New Orleans’ most stately and elegant houses. Near the Mississippi River to the west of the French Quarter, the Garden District is dotted with opulent 19th-century mansions and features some of the city’s most exclusive real estate.
The magnificent live oaks that flourish in New Orleans’ historic neighborhoods provide more opportunities for decorating, as many are wrapped with glistening lights while large ornaments dangle from their low-hanging limbs. Here, a moss-covered live oak poses in front of a decorated stately home on St. Charles Avenue.
A double-gallery Greek revival-style home with a large palm is classically decorated with beautiful fresh greenery, an elegant touch for the sophisticated style of the residence.
A festive line of poinsettias marks the path leading up to this grand estate on St. Charles Avenue, while two life-size nutcrackers stand guard at the door like the Queen’s Guard in front of Buckingham Palace.
Garland and ribbon hang from balcony railings of this house, similar to many others in Uptown. Strands of lights in the garland help illuminate the home in the evening.
Much like the choice of transportation, this resident’s holiday decor is chic and unassuming, with lovely white poinsettias and elegant green garland accenting the Uptown home.
Radiant gold light hits the side of this beautifully decorated Uptown home as the sun sets over the Mississippi River behind it.
Although not pictured here, a fence lining the property of this home has given it the nickname of the cornstalk fence mansion in the Lower Garden District. It’s beautifully decorated with lit garland hung from the wrought iron balconies like the ones you’ll find often in the French Quarter.
Don’t call it a trolley! The St. Charles streetcar line, part of the oldest continuously operating streetcar system in the world, gets in the holiday spirit with garland draped over every car, carrying passengers from the French Quarter through the Garden District and Uptown to get a glimpse of the dazzling mansions in their season’s best.
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We live uptown in New Orleans and the yellow house with the aqua shutters is so similar to our house and decorated so similarly to ours that I had to look twice to make sure it was not our house!
Joyeux Noel !
Olga Guardia de Smoak and James Smoak
I love my city so much!
New Orleans is a unique, awesome city no matter what section one lives or visits. Been there many times visiting friends and it never gets old regardless of the time of year.