Though raised in Arkansas, the Beard sisters, Laurin and Ansley, have always had a strong connection to New Orleans. Their maternal grandparents were Louisiana natives and their family never missed a Mardi Gras. The connection eventually grew deeper as both studied at Tulane University, Laurin receiving an art history degree and Ansley a law degree from Tulane Law School. They’ve traveled extensively but ultimately found their way back to New Orleans; citing their reason for return like only a local could, “New Orleans gets on ya and it gets in ya.”
Their newly opened collaborative space grew out of Laurin’s longtime work with B.Viz Designs. When it came time to relocate the B.Viz store, she began imagining something new, growing beyond a traditional showroom. Both sisters craved a space where different points of view could coexist and design, art and antiques could all inform one another. Thus, was born their multi purpose shopping destination including; B.Viz Designs, Ann Connelly Fine Art and Sister Ship Antiques all under one roof. Laurin charmingly says, “The store is your entire outfit. The antiques are the dress and the art, pillows are the shoes and the bag.”
For the sisters, the instinct for beauty and form goes back to childhood. “Our parents were always collecting and then we too became collectors, fascinated by beautiful objects,” they said. Ansley nourished this gift studying archaeology, spending time learning in Greece. Laurin earned a master’s degree in decorative arts at Sotheby’s Institute in London; then working for Guy Oliver, on projects like the rehab of The Connaught and renovation of a 50 ft. yacht…