Creole Cottage Home Renovation in the Bywater

(Left) The kitchen’s leafy patterned paper by Sandberg picks up the colors of the Crema Marfil marble. Sconces by Arteriors. (Right) Kitchen storage includes cabinets and open shelving.

At a Glance

Interior Design: Betsey Hazard
Square Footage: 2,400
Outstanding Features: Reclaimed doors and 8-foot window, original parquet floor in living room, original fireplaces, blend of separate and open-concept rooms, covered porch with outdoor kitchen, wall-papered kitchen backsplash, walkable neighborhood.

Rome wasn’t built in a day. Nor is a house transformed overnight. When interior designer Betsey Hazard and her husband Jack Hazard, partners in House of Hazard Interiors, bought their Bywater house, they knew it would take time to turn the property into the family home they envisioned. In fact, it took three stages of renovation over 13 years.

“It was in terrible shape,” said Betsey of the 150-year old Creole cottage. “It wasn’t our first pick. But it’s next to the Marigny and across from a garden. Our view is all green.”

Having met in New York City (where Betsey got her interior design degree from the New York School of Interior Design and Jack worked in the design field) the couple loves the walkability of the Marigny and Bywater neighborhoods and of the nearby French Quarter. Another selling point, according to the then-newlywed couple, was 600 feet of unfinished attic space.

“When we started a family, we could finish that out with two bedrooms and one bath,” said Betsey.

The Hazards, who lived in the house through the renovations, eased into the project. Stage one involved turning two 12-foot rooms into one large room, refreshing the interior with paint (Betsey chose Decorator’s White to enhance the natural light and as a background for art) and several minor architectural changes, both conceived to look original. The couple found an old door at a local salvage and used it to create a new side entrance. Changing the orientation of the main entrance gave the shotgun layout a more contemporary feel. Aligning the door with a newly added interior staircase created a sense of a foyer. The Hazards also added an 8-foot reclaimed window to the enlarged heart of the house.

The second stage of the remodel was the most in-depth. The couple, with a toddler in tow (son Gibson is now 9, daughter Kiki is 5), removed a termite-damaged, 20th- century lean-to addition at the back of the house and instead of replacing the indoor space made the house look and live larger by installing French doors that connect to a new back porch with outdoor kitchen and to the yard.

“It seems counterintuitive to remove square footage,” said Betsey, whose two brothers, one a carpenter, the other a contractor, worked on the remodels. “But I love a main living area with an indoor/outdoor feel.”

Living, dining and kitchen spaces are combined in the main living area. The kitchen features a striking wallpaper rather than a more typical tile or stone backsplash.

“I like something off or quirky or unexpected in every room,” said Betsey, who tries to place art, at least one antique, and a mix of periods in every room.

The couple made sure to incorporate separate rooms for a variety of activities, such as the craft room where a large antique armoire stores housewares and serving pieces on one side and children’s art supplies on the other.

“I like the hybrid of actual proper rooms in the front and the more modern and open space in the back,” said Betsey.

Inspired by similar pieces used by her two favorite designers, Betsey sourced the chrome drum tables on Chairish.com. She chose the fabric for the matching chairs because she liked the “Matisse feel” of the painterly brushstroke pattern.

The Hazards renovated the upstairs portion of the house with a primary bedroom, the children’s shared bedroom and a full bath. Eventually, they plan to occupy the downstairs suite with the kids taking over both bedrooms upstairs.

The final renovation was the addition of a kitchenette and a remodeled bath that go with the downstairs bedroom.

Only a handful of new furnishings were purchased for the house. Most are vintage or antique and have been found over the years from favorite sources. The Hazards say slow collecting and the patiently endured series of projects ultimately turned their 2,400-square-foot house into a home that functions well and bears the collected versus overly decorated aesthetic they prefer.

“I don’t have a specific look. I just appreciate good design,” said Betsey, who especially admires the work of designers Tom Scheerer and David Netto. “If it’s good, it’s good.”