Inside a Hotel Designer’s Art-Filled 19th-Century Home in New Orleans

We’re in New Orleans, Louisiana, where designer and writer Sara Ruffin Costello has reimagined an 1868 historic home into something entirely her own.

A former magazine editor and the founding creative director of Domino, Sara helped shape how people think about design. These days, she channels that same creativity into interiors and boutique hotels — including the beloved Chloe Hotel here in New Orleans.

When she first stepped inside this house, it was filled with character — and stories. There’s a bullet still lodged in a mirror from an old movie filmed here, and an auctioned painting that’s made its way through her circle of New Orleans friends now hangs on the wall.

Her approach is easy and instinctive — mixing old-world architecture with modern, playful touches. A ping-pong table doubles as a dining table, art fills every surface, and the whole space feels as alive as the city around it.

Many lives have passed through this home, but today, it reflects Sara’s world — creative, layered, and unapologetically original.