Inside Music Photographer Steve Rapport’s Colorful New Orleans Home

When rock-and-roll photographer Steve Rapport met home designer and developer Kyle Resmondo, he hadn’t yet acquired a property that he wanted to redesign. But he eventually found the historic New Orleans home that he would call his own, and the two went to work on building his dream cube-like structure.

The original 1850s abode has been turned into a modern oasis, with the entire process taking just five months from the start of construction. Befitting someone with Rapport’s creative tendencies, the exterior of the small but mighty home is swathed in comic-book blue and red, ensuring it fits right in with the rest of the colorful New Orleans real estate. The interior has more of a midcentury-modern design scheme, with clean lines, a neutral palette, and floor-to-ceiling windows that welcome natural light.

A rainbow-colored mural next to the entry gate nods to Rapport’s career while acting as a kaleidoscopic prelude for the rest of the home. Bright hues are cleverly incorporated throughout the living quarters, with a graffiti-like painting covering a brick wall in the otherwise completely white bathroom. A similar feature is found in what may be the coolest room in the house: The office/gallery is fully devoted to Rapport’s photography, the walls filled from top to bottom with his images of the who’s who of punk, jazz, and rock.

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Despite its relatively small footprint, the pad has ample outdoor space to the back. A wood-framed patio offers a couple of casual seating areas. Down a few steps lies a petite stage that Resmondo built for live music and other creative performances. When shows aren’t taking place, the gravel-surrounded stage serves as a slightly elevated lounge area.

Throughout his career, Rapport has photographed a long list of musical greats: Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Queen, and Iggy Pop, to name a few. Among some of his favorite images are Annie Lennox at London’s Churchill Hotel in 1985 and Nelson Mandela at Wembley Stadium in 1990. Born in London, Rapport moved to San Francisco in the early ’90s, and he transitioned from photography to web development, and then into running his own martial-arts school. During a short trip to New Orleans in 2022, he decided to move full-time to the Crescent City, and he’s now once again picked up photography as his main profession. Perhaps he should consider interior design, too.

Click here to see all the images of Steve Rapport’s New Orleans home.