Celebrating Mardi Gras Randazzo Style!

Mardi Gras in New Orleans is all about letting loose and celebrating a good time with friends and family. During carnival season, everyone becomes family! One of the families well known here in the City is the Randazzo’s – they are known for their world-famous king cakes. Their family recipe has been a New Orleans Mardi Gras tradition for decades. Exterior Designs wouldn’t be a true New Orleans designer without having a hand in a local legend’s landscape.

We renovated the Randazzo Bakery store front in Metairie, LA by creating a Mardi Gras theme that continues year round. By selecting annuals that bloom in purple and gold, Mardi Gras colors are repeated throughout the landscape. We wanted to protect customers on those rainy days our city is known for, so we included a colorful awning that runs the length of the store front. No New Orleans landscape is complete without the addition of wrought iron and brick. By incorporating black iron handrails, we anchor the design and give visitors a clear path to the store’s entrance. The design is complete with an elevated brick landing that flanks the store front.

And we didn’t stop there! When the Randazzo’s were looking to create a comfortable outdoor kitchen, we designed that too! Here Exterior Designs delivered a relaxing, yet functional space for outdoor entertaining.

The focus of this space is the grill, so we designed a custom brick island that holds all the kitchen essentials: grill, refrigerator, ice maker, and storage. The brick counter is hallow, so it also serves as a storage area for the homeowner’s additional grill equipment; see detailed image below. Black iron columns give the space a New Orleans feel while providing a unique architectural element. The materials we selected to use throughout the outdoor kitchen – brick, acid stained concrete and granite – are low maintenance and do well handling the elements.

Laissez les bons temps rouler!