A Gorgeous Georgian
March 2008, pp. 68-77

"We wanted our house to be warm, comfortable, and welcoming," Jennifer says, "We wanted it to reflect us. Also, we love entertaining. From family meals in the breakfast room to dinners with friends in the formal dining room, from large cocktail buffets to simple nightcaps in the bar, we considered how we would use each room."

     With help from a dream team of designer Gerri Bremermann of Bremermann Designs, architect George Hopkins of the Hopkins Company, and art dealer Jean Bragg of the Jean Bragg Gallery of Southern Art, the Heebes' house not only works with their busy lifestyle and graciously accommodates all types of entertaining, but contains a museum-quality Louisiana art collection and is a work of art itself. Fred Heebe enjoyed working with Hopkins on the structural plans, designing a two-story addition with 600 square feet of living space and an intimate, Vieux Carre-style courtyard.

     "My husband also got interested in choosing antiques with Gerri," says Jennifer, in reference to Bremermann, who infused the interiors with her signature style of luxurious, Old World elegance. Jean Bragg worked with the couple to build their impressive art collection. "Jennifer and Fred's love of Louisiana art reflects their commitment to the future of the state," she says. "Their collection is especially significant because, after Katrina, so many important paintings were lost." Their beloved paintings displayed throughout the home include 19th-century landscapes by William Buck, John Antrobus and Joseph Meeker, as well as mid-20th-century works by Clarence Millet, Knute Heldner, Alberta Kinsey and Robert Rucker.

     Collaboration came into play in the architectural details of the home as well. "The bar is really the brainchild of my husband and George," Jennifer says. "We always loved going for drinks at Arnaud's Bar and wanted something with that feel." Honey-colored cypress arches between colonettes frame mirrored panels on the back bar. Carved wood brackets support the wood-trimmed bar with a Coralito marble top. Gold and ivory veining in the rose-colored marble complements the antique brass finish on the sink and fixtures. The Heebes' slightly smaller version of Arnaud's main bar is perfect for large parties. Bremermann made sure it would also work for an intimate glass of wine, creating small seating areas with antique chairs, upholstered banquets and bistro tables on each side of the bar.

     Just off the bar toward the front of the house is Jennifer's favorite romantic space, the new walled garden with a lion's head fountain. "It really feels like New Orleans," she says. At the other end of the bar, French doors with elliptical transom windows open to flagstone steps leading to the rear terrace. An outdoor rotisserie fireplace and a magnificent French fountain furnish the space.

     Bremermann chose for the main color scheme a pallet of cream, gold, ivory and beige. "But in each room," Jennifer points out "there is something that really pops." In the living room, against a background of pale yellows, a single Louis XVI chair is covered in red and gold Fortuny silk. Similarly, the dramatic print of the dining room curtains stands out against the solid tones of a dark copper ceiling and neutral walls.

     Jennifer wanted the little girls' room to be "very 'little girl.'" The classic pink toile of the curtains also covers the walls and headboards. "We even upholstered an oversized glider chair in it," says Jennifer. "It is a perfect room for me to cuddle up with my daughters and read. We also put one of our Clementine Hunters in the girls' room," says Jennifer. "I think the flowers look so bright and cheery in there."

     Light, space, functionality, art and beauty reign in this reborn Metairie home where Louisiana cultural treasures and twin toddlers peacefully coexist.