The Setting

Poplar Grove

A historic Mississippi River property — and the home where Lauren fell in love with wallpaper.

The Property

Just over the river from Baton Rouge.

Perla Wallpaper School is set on the historic grounds of Poplar Grove Plantation. The front of the property overlooks the Mississippi River, just across the bridge from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Poplar Grove in spring — pink and white azaleas in bloom in front of the gingerbread porch and brick foundation.

1884 — New Orleans World's Fair

A pavilion built to be looked at.

The main house was built in 1884 for the New Orleans World's Fair by the famous architect Thomas Sully — designed to showcase the new Arts and Crafts movement alongside Asian-inspired motifs.

The house is ornate by design. Spindles along the front porch are cut to resemble an abacus. Carved dragon corbels perch above the banisters. Stained glass fills the front parlor windows.

It is the only remaining building from the 1884 Fair.

Sepia photograph of the 1884 New Orleans World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition grounds, where the Banker's Pavilion was first built. — The 1884 World's Fair grounds in New Orleans, where the pavilion stood.

1886

Up the Mississippi by barge.

In 1886, the pavilion was dismantled and floated by barge up the Mississippi River to where the property sits today.

The river still forms the far edge of the front yard. The tops of barges drift past behind the levee, just as they did when the building first arrived.

Poplar Grove today — the wraparound porch and brick foundation, surrounded by mature trees on the historic Mississippi River property. — Poplar Grove today — West Baton Rouge.

Six Generations

A family home — and a love affair with wallpaper.

Poplar Grove has been home to six generations of the Wilkinson family.

When Lauren married Steele Wilkinson Buckholtz and moved to Poplar Grove, she fell in love with the parlor ceilings — adorned with the most beautiful Bradbury & Bradbury wallpaper.

That's how she fell in love with wallpaper. That love became Perla.

The front parlor at Poplar Grove — Bradbury & Bradbury wallpaper on the ceiling and frieze, with the original 1884 stained glass windows. — The front parlor — Bradbury & Bradbury wallpaper, original 1884 stained glass.

Detailed view of the Bradbury & Bradbury ceiling pattern in the front parlor at Poplar Grove. — The ceiling, looking up.

On the Grounds

The character of the property.

Garden view of Poplar Grove at golden hour — sun filtering through the oaks, the wraparound porch beyond.

A sprawling moss-draped live oak shading a building on the Poplar Grove grounds.

Across the Grounds

The carriage house pavilion — the school just beyond.

The depth of the property reveals itself slowly. Mature oaks shade a carriage house pavilion in the foreground; the wallpaper school sits just beyond it, glimpsed through the trees.