Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1180206
Hodges' favorite thing about the house — besides the beautiful natural light — is how every room is designed to be used. "We live in every square inch of it," she says. The double parlor is a gracious place to host, but it's also where you can find her in the mornings at her desk, writing thank you notes. Says Hodges, "Homes are meant to be well-lived in and shared. And for me, this home is a symbol of joy and happiness." Leontine Linens pop-up at Mecox, Tuesday and Wednesday, November 12 and 13; 5360 West Lovers Lane, 214.580.3800, mecox.com; leontinelinens.com. A Catch-Up with Jane We caught up with Hodges over coffee and pastries at Bird Bakery in Highland Park Village — a favorite stop when she's in town. Trade secrets. We're always listening to designers to find out how to take some of the work off them, and we've just started some exciting new designer programs. Once they've finished the schematics of a bedroom, they can send it to us, and we'll come back with a concepted rendering to show their clients how their custom bedding will look. We're also doing down and poly inserts now for all our duvets and pillows, and creating mattress pads, towels, custom shower-curtain liners — all the annoying things you forget about until the last minute. We offer a free laundry service with big installations. Linens arrive pre-laundered and pressed so they're ready to be put on the bed when you open the box. We also include installation documents with instructions on how to make the beds. Start of it all. I was getting married and wanted a trousseau. I'd been looking for heirloom linens but I couldn't find them. We were getting married in Kentucky [where I grew up], and while there, I discovered the Eleanor Beard studio in Louisville, which was founded in 1921. I went, and they were making all these beautiful handcrafted linens. I ordered some for myself, then started selling them from our house in New Orleans in 1996. What's in a name. My first home in New Orleans was a little cottage on Leontine Street. After struggling over a name for my business, my very down-to-earth father exasperatingly asked me, "Why don't you call it Leontine Linens and be done with it." Leap of faith. One morning in 2001, I received a call from Beard's studio that the owners had decided to close its doors. It was on my farewell visit when a lady asked, literally as I had one foot out the door, "Would you buy us?" Without a blink, I took a giant leap of faith and purchased the company. When we bought it, we really did not understand just how historic and ground-breaking it was. In those first few days of ownership, we were exposed to the rich archives of catalogs, photography, and correspondence outlining Beard's genius approach to her linens business. I quickly realized I was a caretaker of something very historic. Safe haven. When Katrina hit, we evacuated, and the artisans at Eleanor Beard rescued us right back. They found places for us and our store employees to live. They are not people of wealth, so it was mostly in their modest homes. In the parlor, walls triple lacquered in custom chartreuse by Fine Paints of Europe. Jane Scott Hodges' 1869 Greek Revival house is in New Orleans' Garden District.