A mannequin dressed in a vintage pink blazer and pillbox cap “greets” guests inside the new location of Floor 13, a furniture and home decor store in Mid-City.
“That’s Belinda the Bellhop,” says owner and artist Holis Hannan. “She’s not for sale. She’s our mascot.”
Belinda is just one of the whimsical, vintage finds at the store, which is hard to miss with its exterior fresh coat of pink paint.
Belinda’s lair is decked out in colorful furniture, original art, retro home decor and second-hand collectibles that Hannan has gathered from hotels, estate sales and other markets.
Holis Hannan of Floor 13 finds vintage and antique furniture at estate sales, hotel liquidations and other markets, often refinishing them with a fresh coat of paint and new hardware.
Since relocating Floor 13 from Harahan, Hannan has been organizing her new space by setting up a series of “vignettes” — rooms that correspond to a specific design style, such as mid-century modern, Victorian or shabby chic.
There’s even an area featuring a huge variety of vintage circus posters, striped furniture and other trinkets. She calls that the “Pontchartrain Beach room.”
“We’re kind of taking some inspiration from Wes Anderson, with a hotel theme,” she says of the store’s aesthetic, which is partially inspired by “Grand Budapest Hotel.”
A Pontchartrain Beach-themed vignette at Floor 13 showcases vintage carnival and amusement park decor.
“I took my whole staff to see ‘Asteroid City’, and we loved the color, the saturation,” she adds.
As far as the eye can see, whimsy abounds, whether it’s in the form of a pile of throw pillows depicting various animals, a golden lamp from the Ritz-Carlton repurposed with a handmade butterfly shade, or a rockabilly-inspired stenciled dresser. Statement