Letting Eclectic Style Roll at New Orleans

October 6, 2020

Working to your daddy can have its drawbacks, but it could come with some perks that are fairly sweet. For Keristien Rackham, who graduated with an interior design degree and moved to New Orleans to help her daddy handle his antiques store, it meant she got first pickings of the shop’s inventory to furnish her loft close to the French Quarter.

Rackham has a knack for blending. She combined tasteful rustic pieces together with tongue-in-cheek finds to give her place a youthful vibe that’s wise beyond its years. The design echoes that of the building itself, a former rice mill in the 1890s with an brick exterior that’s been jazzed up with graffiti artwork pieces. It’s the kind of place that’s ideal for curling up with a fantastic novel — on a lounge chair made from a midcentury medical examination table, of course.

in a Glance
Who lives here: Keristien Rackham
Location: Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans
Size: 1,450 square feet; 1 bedroom, 1 bath

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First brick walls in each unit of the 1892 building have a unique patina. Rackham spray painted secondhand frames to make a gallery wall on the left side. The Abraham Lincoln portrait is from artist Aaron Reichert.

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Rackham created the tin letters which spell out her name. They span the breadth between exposed timber columns in which her bedroom overlooks the great room. A tufted couch helps divide the open design and also designate the living room. Virtually all of her furnishings are all pieces sourced from her father’s store, Greg’s Antiques.

Painting on rear wall: Ben Gregory

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Rackham snagged the midcentury medical examination table from her father’s store, too. It makes for a reading place beneath the large window, and the flexible back is suitable for lounging while viewing TV. Additionally, it doubles as a bed for seeing friends, who swear by its relaxation.

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Under the letters, a classic loom displays an artwork piece by Sabylle Peretti.

Adam Breaux

Rackham believed the glistening white kitchen space was sterile, so she included an old wooden butcher’s chopping block island for a little bit of warmth. A New Orleans mobile pantry sits on top. Its foundation stores substances, and the tall sides are flour sifters, with space to put away spice jars between them.

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Exposed wooden beams outline the principal bedroom, which can be directly above the kitchen.

Nightstands: Greg’s Antiques

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The great room is overlooked by A lounge area. The artwork piece hanging on the wall is among Rackham’s favorites, done by local artist Pauly Lingerfelt, that also specializes in tattoos.

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A rooftop terrace is open to the building’s tenants; it has tables and chairs and great views of downtown, the Mississippi River and the French Quarter.

Adam Breaux

The brick five-story Rice Mill Loft building is the tallest in the Bywater neighborhood. The building was designed and developed by Sean Cummings of Ekistics, architect Wayne Troyer of Studio WTA and designer LM Pagano.

This facet greets passersby with an uplifting message, found in the opening sequence of British street artist Banksy’s film Exit Through the Gift Shop.

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Rackham stands facing a nearby graffiti mural, among many adored by local residents in the Bywater neighborhood.

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