We all had chores as a child, but for designer
Angèle Parlange, making her bed in the morning before she left for
school was not optional. With tours coming through the landmark Creole cottage where she lived, an unmade bed was unthinkable.
Parlange Plantation
was built in 1750 by the Marquis Viscent de Ternant and later was home to
Amélie Gautreau, better known as John Singer Sargent's Madame
X. Through the Civil War and auspicious marriages, it remained in the
family. Today, it sits like an 18th-century mirage under fantastical live
oaks facing the False River.
These days, Angèle lives in New Orleans, two
hours from the plantation. She had a design hit in the '90s with her
Calling Card fabric line, based on engraved cards from her French
ancestors' Parisian salons. She went on to operate a successful shop
on Magazine Street, showcasing her furniture, fabrics, and lighting.
She
closed the shop several years ago, much to her clients' dismay, and
began work on a book that will come out next year called Parlangerie. In
it, she shares her thoughtful and witty approach to decorating and
entertaining, which she terms "Creole thrift." Filled with
anecdotes, the book illustrates ways to preserve family history with style.
In honor of the present-day Parlanges, she planned an
afternoon cake-and-Champagne birthday celebration for her father, Walter.
Because their birthdays are close together (both are Leos), Angèle
sees the annual fête as a joint affair and a tribute to the
father-daughter bond.
