WE all have made friends from BLOGS and SOCIAL MEDIA who we have yet to meet face to face but in my case I am lucky to say I have met DEB MILNES.

A lovely woman who found her true SCOTSMAN at a dinner party.

I believe it was a second marriage for her and HE WAS A BACHELOR!

And lucky me I got to meet both of them at a dinner party in Laguna Beach,California years ago at THE FRENCH BASKETEER’s HOME!

It was as if we had known each other for years!

As I recall that night we both did not want the night to end.

Meet DEB and see what she has done to a 138 year old house!

1.Who are you?Where did you grow up and who do you live with now?

Hello, I am Deborah (Deb). I was born in Montana, but was raised 40 miles north of Seattle. If you’ve ever heard of Chrissy Teagan, watched HGTV’s ‘Unsellables’ or read Kristin Hannah’s book ‘Firefly Lane’ (also a Netflix series), you have have heard or seen slivers of my quintessential home town of Snohomish.

2.I remember you had a BLOG YEARS AGO……….name?
I started blogging around 2006, the same time as so many talented men

and women. Blogging was unchartered territory and I forged friendships because of that unorthodox medium that still are strong today. How can you possibly be friends with someone you never met? We all proved you can. My blog was Dumbwittellher and I blogged about anything that stirred me. I miss it, but I ran out of steam after our move to Scotland. There was too much shortbread to eat and castles to see when I wasn’t at my job.

3.What is your NEW VENTURE? WHY did you move from CALIFORNIA to LOUISIANA?

Currently we are working on a 4100 sq. ft. retired nursing home. Perhaps buying this project has it’s own hidden message?

My husband of 22 years and I tend to have wheels on our feet and people have given up on asking for our address. We currently call New Orleans home. 4 years here under our belts and still going. We moved here from San Diego out of necessity. Graham’s career dictates where we typically move and it’s unpredictable. You either fight it or you ride with the wave. Now most contractors and their significant others tend to rarely buy a house where they are currently working. You never know when you have to ‘pull up shop’ and find the next contract. We take the risk of buying a
house, living in it and spend our down time remodeling it. We caught on years ago that the one way to survive the ups and downs of real estate is to invest in a property and to invest in yourself. Our M.O. is to not buy a house that’s been remodeled (I don’t love buying someone else’s design choices) because doing that ourselves is not only a rewarding challenge but our chances are better for coming out ahead when selling.

4.How did you become interested in Interior Design?How did you learn it ALL?

You know how some were born to dance, or play the drums? I was born loving design, fashion and architecture. My parents had good taste, and their home was always evolving and I got bit by that bug. I wanted to get an education in architecture but life didn’t take me down that path so I studied every magazine or book I could afford (mind you, this was way before the perks of searching the web),

5.Please tell us more about your NEW VENTURE!

A) Location to downtown New Orleans
Our current home is close to the action. Downtown New Orleans is

called the Central Business District and we are just 16 minutes by car. Most are familiar with the French Quarter & we are located just a 11 mile ride away.

B) Walking distance?
Our home is too far to walk for most to the business district, or the

Garden District, but the French Quarter is only a 20 minute walk. In the peek of muggy summer, it might be a longer stroll. We are 15 minutes walk to Frenchman Street.

6.How easy is it to get an UBER? Very easy to Uber anywhere.

C) Cost of staying in your SHOTGUN HOUSE?
Like most rentals, the cost fluctuates with demand as determined by Airbnb. The ‘Redemptory’ sleeps 6 and starts at $350. per night with a two night minimum. I’m currently working on a website for people to contact me easily if they wish to book a night for less than 6 adults.

D) Food STOPS for dinner and a good coffee in town?
New Orleans is a trap for eating too well. Come willing to let down

your diet guard for your stay and imbibe in all this great town has to offer. Since there’s not enough time to list them all, in my humble opinion these are show-stoppers –

* Mosquito Supper Club

* Saint Germain
* N-7
* Bywater American Bistro
* Paladar 511
* Alma’s (for breakfast and lunch)
I think if it’s your first visit to New Orleans, it’s a must to dine at one of the three – Commander’s Palace, Brennan’s, Antoine’s, or Gallitore’s, if anything for history sake and people watching.

Coffee – I am not a coffee drinker (and heaven knows I have tried) but I am surrounded by those that are.Taking my daughter Emily’s lead, I would suggest Pond Coffee, Petite Clouet, Mammoth Coffee (soon to be in the Bywater neighborhood), Saint Coffee, and Ayu Bakehouse in the Marigny.

E) SHOPPING STREETS?
Most definitely Magazine Street.

F) ANTIQUE ZONE?
The French Quarter has high-end antique shops but there are a few dotted around the city that I love to haunt.
DOP Antiques
Merchant House
Magazine Antique Mall
Mac Maison Antiques

G) Best Cocktails:

Bar Marilou

Peacock Room

Peycahuds Bar in the Hotel Maison De Ville – brimming with history, the property housed the creator of New Orleans signature Sazarac cocktail, Antoine Peychaud, and Tennessee Williams wrote his masterpiece, A Streetcar Named Desire, while staying here.

St. Pat’s Irish Coffeehouse
Tiki Tok (who doesn’t like a drinking out of a banana?)
Arnaud’s French 75 Bar
Hermes Bar – Antoines Restaurant
Best bartenders and budget friendly cocktails – Molly’s at the Market Best Frozen Irish Coffee – Erin Rose

6. FAVORITE PLACE FOR JAZZ MUSIC?

On Frenchman Street – The Spotted Cat Bamboula’s
D.B.A.

The Mason
Fritzel’s European Jazz Pub
Palm Court (for traditional jazz in a traditional setting) The Maple Leaf Bar – Uptown area

7.FAVORITE TOURISTY THING TO DO? Carousel Bar Hotel Monteleone Preservation Hall for Jazz Ghost/Cemetery Tours

Cycling Tour
Oak Alley Plantation Tour

8.RIVER CRUISES?

Steamboat Natchez VIP Jazz Dinner Cruise Airboat Adventures Swamp Tours

9.How many MORE HOUSES are in your FUTURE?
Perhaps two. I was told this week however that our days of a complicated and long remodel are coming to an end. The Mr. is finally getting worn out! I swear he’s said this before.

10.Will you ever return to SCOTLAND your husbands homeland?
Graham searches for houses online (what feels like weekly) in his hometown of Aberdeen. I think it’s only fair for him to get the chance to spend more time with his siblings and family before we get to the point that we must be settled for good. The clock is ticking.

11.NOW A FEW DETAILS ABOUT YOU!
I’m really nobody, but I’m everybody. A middle-class upbringing by parents who stayed married. Mom worked at a local family run clothing store, and dad was the music director at our towns one High School.

Life was very

‘Leave it to Beaver’. I was Beav infused with a bit of naughty Eddy. I was the elementary kid who spent their fair share of time in the corner at school for talking too much, and the High Schooler that was snickered at for wearing clothes that weren’t quite mainstream yet. Think knickers, gaucho pants, Swedish clogs and skorts and my clothes were handmade by Singer and my mom. I have always had the desire to not be main stream. I am the one who will hold the door open for you. I’m too sensitive and I read too much into most things. Music moves me and design in all forms drive me. I have always related to the under-dog. I rarely go shopping in a store, unless it’s for bedding plants.

Somewhere along the path through adulthood I developed social anxiety. I had little to add to a conversation & low self-esteem. The esteem part is a another DIY project. Because we’ve had to move many times since my mid 40’s, I have been forced to be in many new situations & having to put myself out there. I now give credit to those years of being uncomfortable to turning that part of me around. I must also give credit where credit is do and that’s marrying Graham in 2001. We met at a Christmas party in Ballard, WA, we were both with dates. At 42, I asked Graham out. A bold move for this ‘boomer’.

My proudest achievement is my four adult children, two daughter’s and two sons. They are PNW people through and through. We have been blessed with 7 grandchildren and that number could rise. Matt, Marc, Kate and Emily are all insanely creative, & hilarious; they an carry a conversation with a lamp post, and above all, they are kind people.

Since 2016, we have remodeled 5 houses and we are on our 6th. Numbers five and six are considered doubles, so basically it’s designing two houses. We live where we are remodeling and that to be honest, is not easy & never glamorous. That’s why you never get an invite to pop over or a pic of our dining room table setting. My dining room is currently filled with paint cans. I love people, but I struggle with those that cannot be genuine. Perfection is unachievable. I have to laugh at myself and I need to accept that there is more to to each of us than what’s captured in a lovely photo. Our frailties are what make us human and it makes us relatable. Since I was 40, the phrase, ‘walk a mile in my shoes’ plays repeat in my mind when I get frustrated with behaviors that I can’t understand.

Last is it me or has anyone else noticed that post COVID,so many of us are unable to fully read a few paragraphs?I promise, there won’t be a test after reading this!

FAVORITE LIP COLOR?
I tend to be drawn to an orange/red or a berry.

FAVORITE LIPSTICK?
Violette_Fr Bisou Balm in Betise
FAVORITE FOUNDATION?
ILA Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40
FAVORITE DEODORANT?
Salt & Stone – Santal & Vetiver
FAVORITE SONG?
I swear that title depends on the day or mood. Today, I’d have to pick Wicked Game by Chris Isaak.

TELL US ABOUT THOSE GLASSES YOU ARE WEARING PLEASE! I NEED SOME!
I am a frames freak and my most recent pair are Dior. Go big or go home. I most often buy through http://smartbuyglasses.co

TO CONTACT DEB MILNES about her AIR B&B EMAIL IS : theredemptory@gmail.com

AND BELOW IS HER INSTAGRAM:

• Instagram

She is a LOVELY PERSON AS IS THE HUBBY WE DIDNOT GET A PHOTO OF HIM DEB!

HER PERSONAL IG WHICH IS WONDERFUL TO FOLLOW IS ABOVE!

MEET THE MILNES……..ALL TOGETHER THE WORDS NO SPACES!

PLEASE HELP ME THANK HER FOR SHARING HER WONDERFUL BRAND NEW AIR B&B.

IF YOU ARE PLANNING A TRIP THERE OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL.

THEY HAVE WORKED SO HARD ON THIS AND I WOULD LOVE TO THINK OF IT AS A REVOLVING DOOR WITH THEVINTAGECONTESSA.BLOG READERS VISITING FROM TIME TO TIME!

SHE CAN TELL YOU WHAT I AM REALLY LIKE!

PLUS SHE LIVES RIGHT NEXT DOOR FOR ADVISE AND NEEDS!

PS. TRISH OF COTTAGE BY DESIGNS IS FROM New Orleans SHE MADE MY CAFTANS LAST SPRING AND STILL HAS FAMILY THERE.PLEASE TRISH MEET UP THE NEXT TIME YOU GO TO VISIT FOR A DRINK AND A GOOD LAUGH!

NOW IF ANY OF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS FOR DEB PLEASE COMMENT BELOW OR ASK ABOUT HER DECOR.I’M SURE SHE WOULD BE THRILLED TO GET OFF A LADDER AND ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS!

MY FAVORITES AND I HAVE MANY IS THE UPHOLSTERED CHAIR IN THE BATHROOM AND THE WOOD COUNTER TOP IN THE KITCHEN GOING UP THE BACK OF THE KITCHEN FAUCET!

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITES IF I MAY BE SO BOLD TO ASK?

THIS WOMAN IS OLDER THAN ME…………..I WISH I HAD HALF HER ENERGY!

I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO FIX UP OLDER HOMES BACK IN MY YOUTH.

SO MANY THINGS WE GET TO DO THROUGH OTHER PEOPLE!

IT’S A WELL LIVED LIFE WE LEAD.

XXX