Hospitality design often leans towards the most recognizable visual elements of a destination. In New Orleans, that can mean saturated colors, ornate details, or obvious references to the city’s cultural iconography. For Charles & Juliahowever, Anna Nicole Interiors chose a quieter approach.
It is located inside Hotel Perlein a former 1916 Stutz car dealership, the new rooftop cocktail lounge and bar feels more like a lived-in European home than a traditional hotel bar. Rich materials, curated furniture and layered textures transform the industrial shell into a series of intimate spaces, while subtle references to New Orleans keep the project grounded in its surroundings rather than relying on familiar clichés.
Photo: Laura Steffan
The nearly 3,000-square-foot living room occupies the building’s original ground floor, where high ceilings and exposed brick provided character, but also the challenge of making an expansive space feel comfortable and inviting. Instead of subdividing the room, the design team used residential strategies—vintage rugs, generous drapes, conversation seating groupings, soft lighting, and custom millwork—to create a series of smaller moments throughout the interior.
Photo: Laura Steffan
The result is a space that feels concentrated rather than decorated. Oxblood velvet curtains frame the street-facing windows, while grape-toned Bruno Ray Chairs sit next to vintage European furniture and layered kilim rugs. A custom oak back bar anchors the room, complemented by a stunning locally crafted Calacatta Viola marble bar. Botanical tapestry inspired by 1773 by George Ehret Selected plants it introduces another layer of texture, balancing the weight of stone, wood and brick with a softer visual texture.
Photo: Laura Steffan
Although the interiors evoke European residential design, the palette remains quietly associated with New Orleans. Instead of literally referencing Mardi Gras, muted chartreuse, aubergine, oxblood, and warm gold are featured throughout the space in an understated way, creating an atmosphere that feels timeless rather than thematic. The concept is loosely inspired by the fictional romance between Charles and Julia, whose fictional journey through Europe informs the layered aesthetic. Rather than telling the story literally, the narrative unfolds through materiality.
Upstairs, the mood changes completely. While the living room features darker hues and rich interiors, the rooftop terrace offers a lighter counterpoint inspired by Sicily and Southern Europe. Sculpted iron furniture, woven textures, lush landscaping and skyline views evoke an elevated garden overlooking downtown New Orleans. Together, the two levels act as complementary experiences — one intimate and wraparound, the other open and relaxed.
Photo: Laura Steffan
The project also extends its residential sensibility through collaborations with New Orleans artists and creators. Handmade lampshades from Rachel Logiaconooriginal artwork by Tracy Moss, Jenn Leverettand Casey Langtobotanical facilities from Luna Botanicalsand locally sourced marble and custom wallpaper enhance the sense of a space assembled over time rather than installed all at once.
Instead of recreating New Orleans visitors would expect, Charles & Julia offers an alternative interpretation – one where the city’s history, craftsmanship and hospitality are expressed through restraint and layered materials.
Photo: Laura Steffan
Charles & Julia is open daily at Hotel Perle, 757 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, Louisiana.
Editorial Transparency: This article was developed with the help of artificial intelligence tools, which may have been used for research, description, editing or copy improvement. Reporting, fact-checking and editorial decisions were made by Design Milk’s editorial team.
