Going to New Orleans is like going to another country. The city has a style and a sense of self utterly its own. Never is the generous character of New Orleans more on show than during the ten-day period of Jazz Fest when the headliners read like a who’s who of music.
But the night! Oh, the New Orleans night! It is in the backstreet bars and in the backyard gardens that the city shows its seductive self…crawfish on the grill, soul music drifting through an open door, the sweet smell of oleander hanging on the hot, still air. The night goes on forever…
And for a delicious dinner, Dante’s Kitchen serves up spoon bread – molasses cornbread with honey butter – shrimp and grits, roasted gulf fish and local veg. To complement this delicious menu, their in-house flavored vodkas are the perfect libation.
John Derian is a treasure. It's not that there aren't many with talent and vision because there are, the world over. But Derian has other attributes that make him so beloved. His eye is unerring, his sense of scale is perfect, he layers cultures and eras seamlessly in a room. And he is accessible in brick and mortar. His two shops on East Second Street have been haunts for years. One carries the decoupage he designs and constructs locally (and that make the best gifts ever) along with the coveted ceramics of Astier de Villatte. The second Dry Goods store next door showcases quirky antiques, an assortment of vintage furniture, stacks of heavy french linen, Moroccan rugs and soft cotton Indian clothing. Both are small, but intriguing and interesting enough to seduce you on a journey of the senses.
And now, Derian has opened on Christopher Street in a double-windowed storefront of a two-story 18th century house. It's like walking in to another world. Traditional Astier, and the later Derian/Astier collaborative pieces, line the walls from roof to floor of the front room. The back room, wallpapered in his new cabbage rose design and lit by beautiful Balthus-designed standing lamps with parchment shades, offers a living room in which to settle in, thumb through books and albums, and rest the soul.
So, go to shop, or simply go to travel in spirit to another place and time.
https://www.johnderian.com/pages/our-locations"
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