Do you watch MTV’s Real World reality shows? I don’t. But when I saw photos of the Dufossat mansion in New Orleans where they filmed the show in 2010, I was intrigued. A reader named Michele lives down the street from it and let me know that a For Sale sign just went up in the yard–asking price, $3.3 million.
I thought it was interesting to compare how elegant and classic the interiors look now to how they looked when the Real World crew was filming there. Hard to believe it’s the same place. Take a look!
The approximately 9,000 square-foot house is in the Uptown District of New Orleans.
According to the Real World Houses website, “It was previously owned by Baron Davis of the Los Angeles Clippers and featured on an episode of MTV Cribs. At the time of the filming of the series, the house was listed with Sotheby’s International Realty for $1,700,000. The House was sold in June, 2010.”
Here’s how that same foyer looked when they decorated it for The Real World in 2010:
Oh, my. It must have been a lot of work to undo all of that. Here’s how the sunroom looks now:
But on the show, it was pretty garish:
A beautiful display of glass:
The living room and kitchen:
It’s very white now (too white for me!), but was much more colorful during filming:
The kitchen is kind of a total washout now:
But here’s how it looked on the show:
Have to say I liked the dark wood floors in there a lot better than all the white tile.
The 100-year old house has 7 bedrooms and 7.5 baths:
This was the “Graveyard Bedroom” for the show and looked like this:
Yikes. They really took a theme and ran with it!
Love the pool area.
For more photos and information, check the listing by Margaret L. Stewart of Latter & Blum and the Real World Houses website, which has photos of how each room looked during taping. Thanks to Michele for telling me about it!
Hooked on Houses from Reality TV?
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
What a breath of fresh air and yes on the flooring choice in the kitchen/family room. The room could use some warming up. But, is a wonderful blank slate for prospective homeowner’s furniture/furnishings!
I have stumbled onto your web site a few times because I too am hooked on houses. I enjoy the all the pictures and information you give. Thank you! I usually miss the plot of the movies because I’m checking out the window molding or the great dining table. My very favorite movie house EVER is missing from your list. Have you seen Head Above Water? It’s a black comedy {I think…not sure of the plot} with the beach house of my dreams. Stars Cameron Diaz and Harvey Keitel. I could move right in and not change a thing. Again thank you for a fun site.
Thanks, Jeanette! I haven’t seen “Head Above Water,” so I’ll have to look for it.
Gorgeous! My husband & I stayed at one of those beautiful, old mansions on St. Charles Ave. years ago for an anniversary. I remember standing in the grand foyer and thinking that the materials and labor on just the 4-story mahogany staircase alone would cost more than most homes today (if you could even find the craftsmen and wood to recreate it). The scale was unbelievable, and as a “house junkie” I was in paradise taking in every detail: the hardware, solid doors, period fixtures, paneling, etc… There is no way in a picture to convey the grandeur of those homes. BTW, I agree with you on the kitchen, but I suppose if you can afford 3.3million for the home, you would have a couple hundred thousand in loose change to warm it up! Thanks for sharing!
I agree with you that some of the whites are too white, especially the kitchen, for my taste. However, if I were shopping for a house like this, I would much rather think, “Where can I add some personal color”, instead of, “How can I strip this room DOWN?!”. How much do I love that art glass wall? Have. No. Words.
My husband is from New Orleans, and we lived there as newlyweds. I like the white interiors, especially for New Orleans. One reason is the heat, and the second reason is that folks constantly entertain in their homes there. As the seasons change and you’re decorating for yet another party, whether it is a Saints, King Cake(or Mardi Gras) Christmas, Halloween, birthday or Valentine’s Day party, a white background is very smart.
Dufossat is such a pretty street, too. This house will sell quickly!
I don’t watch the show, but….
When I saw that first photo of the outside with the flower adorned balconies and all the lush trees….*swoon*! That is my kind of house.
I do have to agree that I much prefer the after-show redo. That being said, I am not a fan of all that white. Some of those rooms seem so cold, harsh, sterile. I kind of actually liked the MTV Show kitchen, it looked like a fun place to hang out whilst cooking and eating.
Now THAT is the most fascinating before and after I’ve seen.
Haven’t watched that show in about 15 years, but recalling some of the great properties they took over, a look/ or even a book/ about the transformations and (following the show, resuscitations) of these properties would be a great read.
Sign my coffee table up, please!
I got to say, what the show did to the house was terrible. I’m so glad it looks much better now. Yes the home could use some color, but that could easily be changed.
Wow… I generally like the clean white look, but it seems a bit much now. (course, that is an easy fix) Loved the kitchen during filming with the dark wood mixed in, but I hate hate HATE what they did with the entry for the show.
I’m so excited you featured it! I’d never seen the inside before the MLS listing. This house is kind of unassuming from the outside, definitely not a lot of curb appeal because of the big fence, gate, and all of that foliage.
I live an hour from NOLA and I hate it there. I don’t watch MTV, the decor looked like typical NOLA kitchy trash. Too bad, it’s a gorgeous place otherwise.
Way too much white. The white doesn’t help to give the house some personality. It had a bit too much personality from the photos of the show. The art glass wall though? Wow. Beautiful pieces that my cats would knock over the first chance they had.
I wish they would have kept the exposed brick wall on the stairs. That gave it some life! The house looks lovely, but too bland for me.
What a gorgeous house! Though I agree that the white is a bit bland. Is there something in between the two?
I love the dark wood floors. Funny people like the kitchen floor cause I look at and think of one thing…ouch! It looks so sleek and slick that I’d fall on my booty! Interesting to see before and after, though.
Tracie
I do not like many of the changes they made to stage the house. Some of the woodwork they painted over will never be the same. Maybe the exposed brick in the house for the show was fake? Because they didn’t just paint over it, it’s gone.
Fortunately, the house returned to its true beauty. I see the comments about the exposed brick; however, I love the wood floor which was added.
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