To live in one of the storybook homes that populates New Orleans’s Garden District—with their extravagant ironwork and gingerbread detailing—is, in many ways, to reside within a piece of history. The majority of the properties date back to the 19th century, when the area was developed as a fashionable enclave for wealthy Americans seeking refuge from the bustling French Quarter. Now, it remains one of the best preserved historic neighborhoods in the country, with tree-lined streets, manicured gardens, and a community-wide reverence for architectural heritage. So for a Louisiana native like the interior designer Olivia Erwin, being charged with the restoration of one of these grand dames was a homecoming honor.The house, unsurprisingly, came with its own history. The Italianate-style mansion—with its soaring ceilings, deep porches, and stately proportions—was built in 1859 by the architect Henry Howard, best known for shaping the antebellum aesthetic of New Orleans through his opulent town houses and plantation homes.“The living room was all about scale and proportion—the ceilings are over 20 feet high,” explains Erwin, who contrasted the soaring architecture with soft curves and asymmetrical forms, including a 1950s boomerang-style sofa, a Portal coffee table by Apparatus Studio, wedge-shape Pool Studio chairs, a totem-like side table by Kifu Paris, and a custom Atelier Février rug that resembles ceramic shards. Art: Mallory PageIn the home’s entranceway, a Lulu and Georgia round table and two Kelly Wearstler ottomans sit atop a Holly Hunt Beyond Borders custom rug. Art: AM CREATIVE FINISHESTasked with such a storied historic home, the AD PRO Directory designer was both thrilled and daunted. In fact, the pull of New Orleans’s deep-rooted charm was what drew her back to her home state after many years living in California. “Everything there just became very formulaic for me,” she explains of her earlier career in the Golden State. “When we moved to New Orleans after having children, it really opened up so much more.” Reimagining the Garden District gem was simply the icing on the cake.Among the few decorative elements left in situ from the previous owners was this hand-painted mural of a Louisiana swamp by the artist Ann Marie Auricchio. The 5,000-square-foot space was largely untouched from its original state, besides a swath of dark colors, brocade walls, and black-painted floors. “Our main inspiration was those Parisian Haussmann-style apartments that maintain the original architecture while blending in modern furniture and kitchens,” Erwin says. There were a few elements kept in situ from the previous design, including a moody hand-painted mural of a Louisiana swamp, which wraps around the home’s grand, curving central staircase.“The architecture of the house was the guiding influence,” says the designer. “The owners are a fun couple with four young children, so we had to make it modern while blending it with the existing [shell].” In the living room, that meant introducing sculptural furnishing with subtle curves and abstract shapes—a 1950s boomerang-style sofa upholstered in bouclé, an Atelier Fevrier rug that resembles shattered ceramics, a pair of wedge-like Achille armchairs by Pool Studio—and painting the walls and ceiling a warm, almond-toned shade of cream as a way of softening the room’s ornate details and gargantuan scale.When Erwin first stepped into the grand dining room, the walls were drenched in dark colors and the ornate plasterwork had been left to collect decades worth of dust. “You could barely see the beautiful molding. It hadn’t been cleaned in years,” she says. “Now, the light bounces beautifully off the filigree.” She kept the room’s palette similarly bright, pairing a pale wood dining table by Egg Collective with sinuous Branca Lisboa Aranha armchairs, a Lindsey Adelman chandelier, a De La Espada custom Classon sideboard by Jason Miller, and a stainless steel mirror by Zieta above the marble fireplace. In the adjacent dining room, separated from the living room by a series of arches held aloft by Corinthian columns, the space revolves around a 12-foot custom Egg Collective dining table, sinuous wooden Aranha chairs from Branca, and a Lindsey Adelman Branching Disc chandelier. “Having to work with these big spaces meant finding the right proportions,” Erwin explains. “The volume of each room is so massive that we had to be specific about each piece we put in the room.”Bold patterns—Gucci’s Lillies wallpaper and a high-contrast black-and-white marble vanity—make a striking statement in the guest powder room. A vintage Italian mirror and brass-toned hardware enhance the jewel-box effect. For the clients, balancing the home’s natural grandeur with more intimate spaces was equally as important. “They love to entertain, so they wanted a home that could host everything from a black-tie event to Sunday fundays, when they have a bunch of families over,” Erwin says. For game and movie nights, she designed them a low-lit den, where a vintage Willy Rizzo chrome and wood bar and matching games table evoke the feeling of 1970s glamour.Overall, it remains very much a family house at heart. Erwin replaced the kitchen with a functional, Bulthaup-designed system with fuss-free Cosentino countertops and a sun-drenched breakfast nook where they can all sit, tucked-in on a U-shaped banquette, to share meals or work on homework. Indeed, occupying a piece of history doesn’t necessarily mean living in a museum. “With four young kids, they didn’t want a ‘don’t touch’ house,” she adds. “The furniture had to be usable and family-friendly—somewhere the kids could run around and make a mess.”The Garden District mansion was built in 1859 by the architect Henry Howard. “Originally, the kitchen was super ornate, so when we got the house, we stripped everything,” explains Erwin of the Bulthaup-designed kitchen. “The space is very white—very clean and simple—so we added interest by using hand-applied plaster on the walls. It catches the light nicely and has an ombré effect.” All-black furnishings, like the SP01 stools and Atelier de Troupe sconces, inject bold contrast into the light-filled room. Erwin transformed a glassed-in bay window into the home’s breakfast nook, where the couple’s four children often eat dinner and do their homework. Beneath the Lindsey Adelman Drop System chandelier, she installed a custom banquette that wraps around a custom Gabriel Scott dining table and Cuff Studio chairs. The family wanted a cozy den for football Sundays and intimate movie nights, so Erwin turned to the glamour of the 1970s to craft a moody, lounge-like space. Beginning with a vintage Willy Rizzo chrome and wood bar and card table, she layered in tactile, sculptural pieces like a cloud-like Apparatus pendant light, Gianfranco Frattini for Cassina lounge chairs, and a boulder-like black coffee table by Kar Studio. “Everything in the primary bedroom is very soothing,” Erwin says of the sprawling suite, complete with walk-in closet and marble-lined bathroom. The owners wanted to keep their brass four-poster from their previous home, so Erwin envisioned a cool-toned sanctuary around it, incorporating Mario Bellini Bambole lounge chairs, a Lawson-Fenning stacked nightstand, and a plush Holly Hunt Luma Weave rug. Erwin designed a custom floating vanity in the primary bathroom. Gold-hued hardware from Rejuvenation and faucets by Waterworks punctuate the sleek marble surfaces. Erwin opted for rosy-toned slabs of Arabescato marble for the primary bathroom’s walls, which open out onto a terrace overlooking the garden. Positioned beside the window is a Concretti Nude Maui freestanding tub, selected for its complementary pink tone. “We kept the curtains and wall coverings—they just fit so perfectly,” says Erwin of the gold-and-green wallpaper and red-trimmed curtains in the eldest daughter’s room. “It’s ideal for a teenage girl, with huge windows and a really elegant feel.” To temper the drama, Erwin introduced contemporary-feeling furniture, including a rounded &Tradition Margas lounge chair and Kalmar Werkstätten Reibe wall lights. Art: Aaron Ruell/Martine Chaisson Gallery“We wanted this bathroom to feel fun but not too girly,” Erwin says of the en suite bathroom used by the couple’s twin daughters. “There’s great natural light, fun tile on the floor, and two sinks.” Starting from the multicolored mosaic-style tiles from Artistic Tile, she layered in a playful Sun at Six Temi chair, a brass-framed mirror, and hardware from Rejuvenation, plus a Mitzi Ora 1 vanity light and Calacatta Amber honed marble wall tiles from Mandarin Stone. Erwin specified Farrow & Ball’s earthy Green Smoke wall paint for the boy’s room. Art: Christopher Saucedo/Arthur Roger Gallery“We made sure the garden furniture was easily moveable, so you can set up a dining table and have an outdoor dinner party,” says Erwin, who sourced a set of Kettal Cala Club Armchairs for the tree-filled backyard.