ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST
THE INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE OF DESIGN
June 2007
DISCOVERIES BY DESIGNERS
PAINT & PATINA

A pair of beautifully painted 1850s Italian commodes, $32,000, feature classical figures, garlands and ribbons.
Jon Vaccari Design (504-899-7632; www.jonvaccaridesign.com) showcases an elegant mix of periods and styles.

St. Charles Avenue
March 2007

Photographed by Greg Miles

On The Cover

Cosmopolitan glamour is what partygoers to "Sentimental Journeys" are expecting on April 20 and 21. A benefit for Longue Vue House and Gardens, the event is known for its auction of exotic trips and for literally creating a whole ambiance for partygoers to celebrate in. The feel in 2004 was based on the movie, "Indochine," and was dreamed up by architect Lee Ledbetter. In 2003, designer Jon Vaccari-who happens to be one of this year's co-chairs with Catherine Freeman and Sandra Pulitzer-created a 1940s Hollywood nightclub tableau. Designer John Fernandez was tapped this year, and his look promises to be exotic.

Setting the scene is important, at this black-tie fund-raiser's focus is getting partygoers in the mood to bid on deluxe trips around the world. Thirty trips are part of the auction, including a Wimbledon experience with center court seats, an excursion to the Seychelles, and trek to Francis Ford Coppola's properties in Central America.

The festivities kick off on April 20 with a patron party at an historic home in the Garden District. The cuisine will be handled that night by chef John Besh of Restaurant August with guest chef Michel Richard of Citronelle in Washington D.C. The gala on April 21 is when partygoers will be wined and dined -this night the food is overseen by host chef Peter Moore of the Ritz-Carleton New Orleans with guest chef Thierry Rautureau of Rover's Restaurant in Seattle. The musical entertainment back by popular demand-is Pepe and the Bottle Blondes. And of course, there will be the auction.

The money raised at the event is essential for Longue Vue House Gardens, a National Historic Landmark in New Orleans. The home, and particularly its gardens, was damaged by Hurricane Katrina. For information and tickets, contact 488-5488, ext.337.

DOMINO
May 2006

Open for Buisness in New Orleans

The glamorous inventory ranges from 19th-centurary to 1940s French. Lamps, chandeliers and furniture seem straight off a Lana Turner movie set, including Vaccari-designed ultrachic white leather chairs.

IN STYLE HOME
Special Issue Spring 2004

Top Designers' Best Finds : Experts reveal their favorite pieces for every room in the home, including furniture, fixtures, linens, china and more

JON VACCARI'S BEST FIND:

Archimoon Soft table lamp from Flos
This lamp is pleasantly unexpected when perched on a Louis XV desk, says New Orleans designer Jon Vaccari.

Surround it with other French furnishings from the forties and antique Angelo Mangiarotti or Venini fixtures. "The lamp has modern lines, but the pleated fabric shade gives it softness," says Vaccari. Aluminum lamp, Philippe Starck, $325; 800-939-3567.

NEW ORLEANS HOMES
April 2005
Have a Settee

This French settee, circa 1950, certainly has "curve" appeal. The black lacquer frame in a swooping shape is highlighted by a Manuel Canovas cotton stripe.
Jon Vaccari Design, 4858 Magazine St. - 899-7632 - or go to www.jonvaccaridesign.com.

MAKING A STATEMENT
SOUTHERN ACCENTS
March / April 2004

BY Shannon Friedmann
Photographed by Megan Thompson

AT NIGHT, JON VACCARI'S EPONYMOUS SHOWROOM glows like a firefly on New Orleans' Magazine Street. Vaccari's collection, a glamorous cast of European antiques and midcentury modern furnishings, craves such spotlight attention amid its neighbors-stylish shops usually stocked with fine Continental antiques.

As a former resident of Los Angeles, Vaccari knows a thing or two about glitz and glam. Nine years ago, he left the hustle and bustle of his advertising career in California and retreated to The Big Easy. Raised in Morgan City, Louisiana, he is no stranger to the South and is keen to the New Orleans vibe. "People think that New Orleans runs at a slower pace, but that's because it's a personable city - more social and always involved. It's easy to enjoy life here," says Vaccari.

Click image for details

His design studio helps make that good life possible. The space is organized into what he calls a "home flow," with a pair of '30s Deco club chairs in the living area, an Italian dining suite in the dining room, and two '40s glass lamps that tower over a study desk.As a result, the store looks lived-in. Ironically, at one time it was.

Previously a '60s fourplex, the building was gutted and remodeled by Vaccari. The result is a spunky South Beach-inspired facade that hints at his design motto showcased within: "elegantly conceived, with a slight edge."

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Vaccari's unique way of combining 19th-century antiques from Italy and France with vintage '40s, '50s, and '70s pieces is what distinguishes his look. He shops in Europe and Stateside, as well as exotic locales, such as Morocco. "When antiques hunting, the most important thing to know is the country's culture," says Vaccari. His well-trained eye sees items that others pass up.

During one of his trips to Paris, he discovered a pair of sconces that stood 4 feet high, and although they were broken, the designer recognized their presence. Today, the restored lamps highlight the showroom's entrance.

As for Vaccari's own evolution, he is considering an expansion from New Orleans to New York. In the meantime, his designs will continue to dazzle his Southern home.

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While there may be few treasures left to buy in New Orleans' French Quarter, there's little in that hard-partying tourist district that remains undiscovered.

But just a beignet's throw away is calmer, more sophisticated Magazine Street, a six-mile stretch of shops selling excellent art and antiques, as well as chic jewelry and clothing.

The street seems to be in a state of perpetual improvement, in fact, with good stores and restaurants opening regularly.

Knowing where to start and when to call it a day is the only tough decision about shopping this strip, since the quality of the finds is rivaled only by the volume. (If you have one afternoon, stick to the blocks between Louisiana and Jefferson.) We've compiled a list of favorites; you should also ask your concierge for the Magazine Street brochure, or visit www.magazinestreet.com

JON VACCARI DESIGN
One of the few furniture stores in the area not dedicated to classical French antiques, Jon Vaccari's perfectly appointed white showroom and adjacent bungalow are stocked with 19th- and 20th-century furnishings with a modern edge.

We loved the 1925 gondola chair freshened up in black-and-white calfskin ($2,500) as well as the 1890s Scandinavian settee recovered in celadon velvet ($2,000).

In addition to carrying a few reproductions, Vaccari also makes pieces, such as the white-leather library chairs ($1,300 each) that are displayed with a 1940s mahogany table ($3,500).

Rounding out the selection are paintings, photographs, and ceramics from the 1960s.

DEPARTURES MAGAZINE

Seven years ago when a young decorator named Jon Vaccari left Los Angeles and moved to New Orleans, he found a great apatment in the French Quarter and considered himself settled - but only for a moment. It wasn't long before Vaccari began hankering for a weekend house where he could escape the city's heat and entertain his friends.

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"One day I just drove to the Mississippi Gulf Coast," says Vaccari. "I crossed over Bay St. Louis into the town of Pass Christian and was shocked at how beautiful it was - all these large white Southern houses with huge lawns and oak trees."

Louisianians have been repairing to Pass Christian for over 100 years, treasuring the tiny waterfront town for the delicious breezes that tumble off the Gulf of Mexico - more valuable than diamonds in these parts - and for its frolicsome ambience. The beachfront houses that Vaccari happened upon - a three-mile cavalcade of picturesque residences from the 1850s through the 1920s - were built primarily as summer places by wealthy Louisianans.

On the fringe of this captivating old drive, Vaccari noticed a three-acre lot with three houses on it: a typical 1950s ranch and, behind it, two marvelous octagonal cottages. Known as garconnieres and built in 1845 as priest's cottages for a grand estate down the road, the fanciful pair of structures had been moved onto the property in the 1950s when the estate was subdivided.

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The garconnieres had faltering foundations, rotting porches, and tired kitchens and bathrooms, while the ranch house had cosmetic problems, such as crank windows on a plain facade. But none of this stopped Vaccari from buying the compound. He was envisioning house parties. "Guests love staying in their own cottages," he says. "It's wonderful waking up and having complete privacy.

Vaccari restored the garconnieres to their inimitable charm, painted them white and gave them dove gray awnings.Then he turned the ranch house into something glamorous and sensual. He popped out the jalousies, replacing them with French doors and windows that open onto a glassed-in porch fronting a brick patio.

To shelter the patio, Vaccari added a white pergola that runs the length of the property and is cloaked in fragrant tendrils of wisteria and Carolina jasmine. "The pergola was built to add character to the front of the house," Vaccari says, "and it's also a structure for entertaining, where we have dinner parties or dancing."

In front of the ranch house, he added a swimming pool, designing it in a classic Roman shape and painting the plaster a cool grayish-green. And on the back of the house, Vaccari built a second glassed-in porch, which opens onto another spacious brick patio - this one with a fountain made from an old iron sugar kettle.

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Vaccari decorated the three little houses with one-of-a-kind pieces, primarily from antiques stores and junk shops. The look is Miami Beach meets Old Hollywood, a hybrid of piquant humor and languorous glamour. The bedroom of the rear cottage, for instance, has a simple iron-frame bed with curtains of white cotton eyelet backed in pink chiffon. "Elegant, with a little funk," says Vaccari succinctly. He further softened the bed with a padded headboard upholstered in a pink-bordered vintage tablecloth. Poised in front of the bed are what Vaccari calls his "I Dream of Jeannie" chairs: a pair of fabulous, droll 1950s pseudo-slipper chairs covered in a lime green, cream, and gold silk sateen stripe. He found them in an antiques store and will reproduce them for his soon-to-debut furniture line.

The houses sleep 12 people-the perfect number for intimate parties with elaborate food, chic table settings, cocktails on the lawn, games of croquet, and, sometimes, costumed charades. "I bring chandeliers outside for that decadent touch," Vaccari says.

On weekends, Vaccari's friends and family fill the place. Occasionally, his sister, Nori, shows up, along with her new husband, international design star Philippe Starck. And everyone rides in dashing style: Vaccari keeps two restored mail trucks with open sides - one sky blue, the other sunset pink - for his guests to take into town or to the beach.

ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST
THE INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE OF DESIGN
September 2007

DISCOVERIES BY DESIGNERS
CABINET FEVER

Jon Vaccari Design in New Orleans (504-899-7632; www.jonvaccaridesign.net) shows an Art Deco French mahogany and mahogany-veenered cabinet, $14,750, with nickel hardware and three adjustable shelves inside.

SOUTHERN ACCENTS
November - December 2004

   The Spell of Sconces
   With a well-established résumé of charm
   and elegance, sconces find work in a
   variety of rooms.

Sconces flank a Madonna portrait in
Jon Vaccari's New Orleans shop.

ST. CHARLES AVENUE
January 2005

Genes That Are Always In Style
       (But Never On Sale)

Do you...never know what you're wearing until the last possible minute?...buy favorites in duplicate and in different colors?...never wear the same getup twice?...make snap judgements regarding new purchases and rarely make returns?...treasure your collection of accessories and love to admire them en masse?...always know where to find it in your closet?

CONGRATULATIONS! Clearly, you possess the fashion gene. And like our most fashionable New Orleanians '05, you are in an elite group of cool and top-notch collectors of clothing and accessories.

What Jon Vaccari is wearing for the photograph: Generre lavender cashmere sweater, Dolce & Gabbana wool plaid pants, Prada belt, Gucci shoes and Thierry Mugler leather jacket.

DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH
NEW ORLEANS HOMES & LIFESTYLES
January/February 2004

By Denise Trowbridge
Photographed by Eugenia Uhl

The L-shaped structure clocked in at a diminutive 1,700 square feet, had low ceilings, tiny rooms and no air conditioning. And, the vinyl floor of the outdated kitchen proved that it hadn't been redecorated or renovated since the 1950s.

But for local designer Jon Vaccari, the challenge of turning a circa-1829 slave quarters into a comfortable, spacious home with plenty of room for entertaining, as well as easy access to an outdoor oasis, was irresistible.

"Everyone thought I was crazy when I bought it," Jon says, "even my mom." Even he wasn't really sure that this would be his future home the first time he laid eyes on it. "It had good bones," Jon says, "but no frills."

The house, on a nondescript block of Ursulines Avenue, left much to he desired. But Jon and his partner, Steve Fleming, immediately dove into the project. "I wanted it all," he says, "including a pool, a patio, fountains and parking."

They had eight months of renovations ahead of them. Jon, with the help of architect Robert Cangelosi, of Koch & Wilson, designed and constructed an 1,100 square-foot addition that looked much like the original structure, where a carriage house once stood. The once L-shaped residence now forms a U around a private internal courtyard, a shape reminiscent of classical Greek and Roman architecture. "When I was a child, I used to draw pictures of buildings that looked like that," Jon says. "It reminds me a little bit of Pompeii."

Whatever the inspiration, the design is effective. And now the home has 2,800-square-feet of living space, and the front yard-a rare amenity in the Quarter-has the pool, patio and ample parking they desired.

To make the inside more elegant, they raised the ceilings from eight to 10 feet, replaced 50 percent of the flooring with red pine, and added moldings and antique French doors. Jon notes that there are no windows, only French doors that open out onto lush garden patios and second-story galleries. He says he likes to blur the lines between indoor and outdoor living, by bringing the charm of the exterior inside.

But even with the improvements, Jon and Steve did have to make a few adjustments. "We went from a grand home with huge rooms and 14-foot ceilings to a smaller, more cottage-style home," Jon says. "Our old furniture just didn't fit. We had to get rid of it and start over."

To Jon, that was an opportunity. "I wanted the interior to be charming, but a little bit funky," he says. "I wanted it to say something about who we are and to reflect our interests and our trrvels."

What it says: 1940s Hollywood glamour meets the Orient. Jon graciously appointed every room with a mix of styles and items. Blue and yellow Moroccan kitchen floor tiles mix with gothic-arch inspired built-ins and 1960s chandeliers. A Moroccan rug is paired with a 1940s-style blue banquette and palm-frond motif moldings that used to adorn The Sazerac Bar in the Fairmont Hotel. Pinning down Jon's personal style is impossible, but he admits he loves mixing chrome with Louis XVI.

"I'm not scared," he adds.

Every piece of Jon and Steve's home reflects a piece of their lives, from the time Jon spends in France visiting his sister, Nori, to hints of the years he spent living and working in Miami and Los Angeles.

"I like the glamour from L.A., the funkiness of Miami," as well as the Moroccan touches from his travels with Steve.

Although many of Louisiana's native children travel or move to those places and don't come back, for Jon, that wasn't an option. "We wanted to be really a part of something quirky and special," he says. "I always dreamed of living in the French Quarter. I was fortunate: my dream came true."

NEW ORLEANS HOMES & LIFESTYLES

A WORLD OF TREASURES
GAMBIT MAGAZINE - HOME SMART
By Lee Cutrone
Photo: David Ricmond

When it comes to finding “a good chair,” Jon Vaccari has strict criteria. “It’s hard to find a chair that sits properly and is comfortable and has the right scale,” says the New Orleans-based designer who’s particularly fond of mixing 20th century modern with French antiques. So five years ago, when Vaccari found a chair that satisfied his requirements, he scooped it up immediately, upholstering it in a cream-colored leather with nail-head trim, for use as a breakfast chair in his own home.

The chair was so often admired and so versatile that he also began producing a slightly modified version for his customers. “I love the shape of the chair, and it’s comfortable,” he says. Because of the scrolled arm, you’re able to sit at an angle; the curve offers you back support.

“Depending on how you upholster it, it can be used in different ways. With leather and nail-head trim, it can be used as a library chair; with satin, it looks more 1940s and becomes a great dining chair. It can also be used as a desk chair.”

A Louisiana native, Vaccari began his design career in Los Angeles in the early ’90s and last October opened a new home-like studio/showroom where clients can get a feel for the way he combines New York, Palm Beach, Los Angeles and European influences with aplomb. “I like the structure of a room to be a little loose,” says Vaccari. “I like mixing it up; I don’t like a room to feel too planned.”