idea
The Idea Behind International House
International House is a joyful tribute to New Orleans today - an ensemble of architecture, food, music, colorful characters, joyful culture and cheerful people unlike any other city in America.
It’s about the cross-pollination of cultures. European romance. Caribbean ways. And, African influences. The struggle with change. Life percolated, steeped, marinated, distilled and lived. Spirited and spiritual. Played out for 300 years and counting. On this great river and in this classic, Beaux-Arts building. Once the first World Trade Center in the world, our downtown New Orleans hotel offers 117 rooms, suites and penthouses, as well a destination bar and popular restaurant. It also includes Entrepreneurs’ Row, a modern conference center with 8000 SF of meeting spaces and 2 floors of offices for promising start-up companies fueling New Orleans’s economy. Ours is a forward-looking hotel, alive with the energy of New Orleans today - a creative culture of invention that has gifted the world legendary music, seeded the nation's finest kitchens and nourished a joyful quality of life.
To express the idea, the design trio of architect Brooks Graham, designer LM Pagano and owner Sean Cummings hired local artisans to weave into our boutique hotel the eclectic mix of objects - old, new, bought, found and bequeathed - which reflects New Orleans style. Whether it is a backlit front desk inspired by a field of Louisiana wild Irises, the mesmerizing glow of candlelight, blown glass, a fertility bed from Senegal, handcrafted chandeliers, or S. Pablo & Son mineral water bottles as vases, there are layers and layers to discover. Says Pagano, “There are unexpected moments of pristine yet tattered grace - in this hotel and in this city - that I love so much. To me, it’s all about culture and the patina of time.”
The hotel lobby is one such moment. With soaring 26 FT ceilings, ornate pilasters, checkerboard marble floors and intimate groupings of furniture, the lobby glows in tones with opulent velvets, sophisticated bohemian throw-rugs and world class art. Candles and wild, seasonal flora transform a Senegalese bench into a sacred altar. Elevators open to reveal an Adonis and Venus mosaic by Bisazza, and the interplay between bar, restaurant and hotel brings the space vividly to life - effortlessly tapping into the sensuality, magic, mystery and elegance that is New Orleans style.
Doubling down on that authenticity, the hotel hosts seven rituals annually. With locals attending 25 years of these rituals - Carnival, St. Joseph’s Day, Summer Dress, St. John’s Eve, Winter Dress and All Saints / All Souls Day and Christmas, as well as events that honor Audrey Hepburn, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Charles Bukowski and other creative heroes who made remarkable marks on this city – the hotel remains a greatly admired local institution.
New Orleans might offer the best quality of life of any city in America, and International House might be the best portal from which to experience and enjoy it all.