The ideal Centro home—or your holiday pied-à-terre, rentable when you’re not here—is found here with Casa Lagniappe (LAN-yap), a jewel box of an estate conceived with the best upscale finishes. Lagniappe is a New Orleans Creole term meaning “something a little extra,” and as you’ll see, this home is as precious as your favorite beignets from Café Du Monde!

This furnished 15-year-old Mexican contemporary home designed by acclaimed local architect Ana Delia Lopez boasts quality in every detail! Clean lines and a neutral color pallet are complimented by abundant cantera stone detailing—every fireplace, every bathroom is all cantera, from the slot sinks and floor drains to the sunny soaking tub—with white-washed beam ceilings and all-stone floors. Custom wood doors and windows—double-paned facing the street for sound attenuation—elegantly dress up the interiors, while sunny, south-facing courtyards with double-wide sliding doors and windows spill light into every level, especially the two-story weeping-wall fountain courtyard. After passing through a 2-story outdoor entry courtyard, visitors enter the high-ceiling living area, with views through to the back of the home. After a secondary sitting area and powder bath, the formal dining room fronts a second smaller courtyard that separates it from a spacious skylit kitchen, including upgraded appliances and a dumbwaiter shaft, with additional amenities ranging from a media loft, full security system, zoned hot water heaters, and all-home filtration and water softener.

Upstairs, a front fireplace-lit guest bedroom offers a Juliet balcony to the entry courtyard, while a bright window wall separates it from the upstairs media area, and then segues to the primary bedroom in back, boasting mini-split, fireplace, window seat facing the lightwell courtyard, ample closet space, and a sexy all-cantera bathroom with soaking tub, massive slot sink for two, skylight, and multiple ventilation windows. Rooftop, enjoy sweeping vistas from the covered terrace of Centro’s churches, with the Parroquia only a five-minute stroll from your front door. A grill area easily accommodates a full kitchen—although the dumbwaiter shaft remedies that need—with an all-glass laundry room and extra storage at back. The lack of a garage is remedied with a 24-hour parking lot immediately across the street.

Remember the primary rule in real estate: location is paramount here, making this home an equally lucrative rental-income opportunity or your roll-out-the-door pied-à-terre. For affordable elegant living in the heart of Centro, this home proves matchless! For your second showing, I pour a mean French 75—almost as good as Arnaud’s—that you’ll love sipping as the sun sets over your new vista! Let the good times roll, chérie!