Blue Plate Artist Lofts  

Bringing a Modern Style to an Iconic City Structure

Story by Libby Allen    
Photos courtesy of Penny Francis

The Blue Plate Artist Lofts has created a unique residential area for the artists of New Orleans. A perfect fit for the creative minds of the city, Blue Plate Lofts brings together an iconic historical landmark and a modern architectural design. 

JCH Development and HRI Properties have come together to revamp and revitalize the Blue Plate Mayonnaise factory -originally built in 1941- into a 72 unit, mixed-income loft-style apartment complex specifically intended for the artists of New Orleans.

Penny Francis, of Eclectic Home, is responsible for the design details of Blue Plate’s interior.

“I was very excited to be given something to sink my teeth into, something I could get really creative with,” Francis said.

Francis’s design model is to make any interior seem as if it has evolved over time, and to keep the integrity of a structure’s historicity. Blue Plate Lofts does both; reflecting the period of the original Blue Plate factory, while simultaneously housing a new and modern style.