When designer Dan Bergeron and his husband Shawn Zeringue moved into their Garden District home, their first order of business was to paint every wall white. If you know Bergeron or have seen his work, this approach might be surprising. The interiors expert is known for his bold approach to color, with hot-pink lacquered ceilings, out-of-the-box wallpaper mixing and more as hallmarks of some of his designs. But for this personal project, he was taking a decidedly different approach.

Rather than a final destination, the white was a clean slate, a way to see the bones of the house and experience first the way the couple would live, work and entertain within its walls. Before any bold wallpapers could be chosen, the pair needed to see which spaces were best suited for them.

“Coming from an open-concept house prior to this, I knew I wanted every room to have its own identity,” Bergeron says. “This house’s layout was better suited for more color, which is what I wanted, but I wanted to be very intentional.”

At first, Bergeron says, “nothing lived right.” A comfortable TV den was filled with uncomfortable furniture. A larger dining space was taking up valuable entertaining space. The problems became more evident to Bergeron as the days passed.

“I did a major rework,” Bergeron says. “I broke my rule of a sectional in the main living room, which was a big thing. I realized through this process that I needed to decorate for us, not for other people.”

In his first order of business, and to his surprise, he opted for a more neutral main living space at the front of the house, which would include the aforementioned sectional. The walls were painted a moody brown-grey, and Roman shades in a blue plaid were added. Texture and intentional layers through pillows and accessories were the vehicle for interest in the room.

“I can only do so much neutral, though,” Bergeron says with a laugh. “Color will find its way in.”

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And in this space, and throughout the rest of the home, that is through works of art. Bergeron’s love for all styles of art, particularly by local artists with whom he has been known to spark up friendships, informs his approach to design and passion for color. In the living room, the purchase of a large Demond Matsuo work and a purple painting by Peter Keil inspired a pillow refresh and helped to satisfy Bergeron’s need for a little more vibrancy in the neutral living room.

“Once we got the living room right, it allowed for a full house switch,” Bergeron says. “I realized we were over-blueing, and I needed to reassess.”

That’s when he turned his attention to the sitting area between the kitchen and living room. At this point, nearly all of the home, from the kitchen to the primary bedroom, had been dotted, if not completely covered, in various shades of blue. And previously, in this middle sitting room, Bergeron had covered the walls with a blue-and-orange Schumacher print. However, following his living room revelation, he decided the missing piece had long been a touch of green. He had the walls re-wallpapered in a green design by GP & J Baker, and then took to upgrading the furniture and accessories with antique and vintage finds from his and Zeringue’s frequent travels around the country.

“It’s the center of the house, and the most unique room, where everyone always wants to be,” Bergeron says. “Its design turned into a culmination of all of the rooms. It married everything.”

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The green inspiration is carried into the hallway, where a green-and-blue striped Schumacher wallpaper provides a vibrant backdrop for even more art, as well as the guest bathroom, which Bergeron and Zeringue had freshly tiled just days prior to the ever-popular
St. Patrick’s Day parade, which sees their home transformed into a giant all-day party for friends and family.

“One of my favorite parts of the house is seeing it full of people,” Zeringue says. “While we intentionally designed it to be beautiful, we also designed it to be lived in and enjoyed. Hosting family and friends is when I feel [the house] truly shines. Seeing people gathered in our home, enjoying the space we poured so much love into, means the world to us.”

In the end, the house was painted, top to bottom, four times. “The sight of a paintbrush triggers PTSD,” Zeringue says with a laugh. But, after all, it’s the journey, not the destination, that makes for the best stories and, in this case, the most beautiful and livable home.

“We spent six years transforming the house, and during that time, I’ve come to realize a home isn’t created all at once. It’s built over time,” Zeringue says.

“You have to make a house work for you, not other people,” Bergeron says. “It should represent you. You have to live there, and you have to be happy there.

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