Mignon Faget, New Orleans, LA
OWNER: Mignon Faget; ADDRESS: 3801 Magazine Street New Orleans, LA 70115; PHONE: 504-891-2005
NEW ORLEANS DESIGNER MIGNON FAGET opened her Magazine Street gallery three years ago, working to create a space that is at once sophisticated and friendly. The large amount of natural light afforded by its corner location, as well as the carefully tailored showcases and other woodwork, provide the ideal home for Faget’s own ranges of jewelry and houseware. There are also plenty of tropical plants inside and out to give the gallery a feeling of exotica.
Faget’s Garden District store, as well as her first gallery located in the Riverbend area, are classic examples of late 19th-century New Orleans architecture. Originally a grocery store built in 1883, the gallery now showcases Faget’s distinctive jewelry, as well as “a group of beautifully hand-crafted Louisiana antiques found at auction in the Cajun country.” Faget has worked with architect David Waggoner for over 22 years in the design of her galleries, and she says “the lighting and cabinetry are key elements to the design” of the Magazine Street space.
Karen Karch and Anne Sowden both liked the fact that the store had been so carefully preserved. “The building is great,” says Karen, while Anne notes that “The wooden floors are gorgeous … and all that natural light! Really important when you are buying jewelry.”
Gwen Carrington admires the easy interplay between the designer, the store and its historic environs: “The design creates a shopping experience that is congruent with both the locale and the designer.”
Copycat Tips:
- Embraces its surroundings and enhances them
Watch Out For:
- Too much interior breeziness can leave a space feeling empty