The most serious issue was organizing the space—essentially two stacked rectangular rooms connected by a small original staircase—so as to accommodate private and public areas without the apartment appearing crowded. Following classic Creole vernacular, each room had been fitted with two pairs of French doors and two small windows, which made I particularly hard to provide some privacy, retain the light, and fit in a kitchen and bathroom. Jayne found a solution for the upper level by hanging a Brunschwig & Fils archive chintz, Oriole, behind an antique Southern walnut bed. This not only created a sense of scale in the bedroom, but acted as a screen for the dressing room and bathroom beyond.

            Downstairs turned out to be a little more difficult. A daybed could serve both for seating and a guest room in a pinch, but the small kitchen fitted at the end of the room had been unattractively "updated" just prior to Clepper's purchase. Rather than hiding it, Jayne decided up open shelving that looked like it had been there since the 1930s and which would show off Clepper collection of vintage and antique ceramics. A window that had been partially obscured was restored to it original proportions and the designer chose a woven red check Brunschwig fabric placed on simple rings for a hint of nostalgia.

            For a final touch, Jayne used bowls of 18th- and 19th-century faience fragments—gathered by Clepper from digs around the French Quarter—as decorative accents. As the afternoon light filters through the tropical plants on the patio, Clepper often spreads out these shards, their colors and robust designs evoking the rich patois of style that has always characterized New Orleans.