After years as a real estate agent and personal real estate investor, Jeffrey Doussan Sr. opened Keller Williams Realty New Orleans in January 1998 — growing a national brand to the New Orleans market. Today, the office continues to grow (currently with more than 125 real estate agents) under the ownership of operating principal Jeffrey Doussan Jr., who took over the business from his father in 2015.
Keller Williams Realty New Orleans moved into its current location on Leake Avenue in 2006, a modernist building constructed in 1985 for an engineering firm.
“[My father] bet on New Orleans’ growth post Hurricane Katrina; that gamble worked,” Doussan Jr., said. “When he purchased the building, he worked with Matt Voelkel of StudioMV Designs to [modify] the space as a real estate office. New Orleans had never seen a real estate office built for over 100 agents. The [idea for the design] was to elevate [real estate agents] to have a more professional and office-like environment. That turned out to be another small bet. The company doubled in size in the five years following the move.”
In the past few years, Doussan realized that the needs of real estate agents and clients were changing quickly. He decided to bring in a local interior designer to make minor adjustments aimed at a profound impact. After interviewing a few designers, Doussan awarded the contract to Nomita Joshi-Gupta, principal of Nomita Joshi Interior Design Studio & Gallery. She began the interior design work in the summer of 2021 and completed the project in the summer of 2023.
“We have moved away from the commercial feel entirely and more to the colors, textures and furnishing you would find in a luxury home,” Doussan said. “Nomita shared our vision and created a great plan. We added fine art in the building with the help of a friend and local art dealer, Jill McGaughey. Brazilian artist Rodrigo Franzão commissioned a piece specifically for our front lobby.”
According to Joshi-Gupta, the existing office space was modern but still chopped up into smaller, awkward spaces.
“The clients wanted a large, open meeting space for presentations and seminars/training sessions; co-working spaces and smaller meeting spaces; a conference room and a smaller Zoom conference room; and a large, open kitchen and dining area. The client also specifically did not want the space cluttered with logos and signs, and wanted it to have an upscale, boutique hotel feel.”
To meet their needs, Joshi-Gupta replaced two shedlike spaces that occupied the main area with two walls on either side of the large space.
“One wall anchors the stage and seminar area, and the other anchors the kitchen and dining area,” she said. “Both walls are shaped like a stylized house, which in turn resonated with the [real estate] office. [I also] used natural materials and a palette of blues and greens with occasional [pops of] red.”
Joshi-Gupta, who also served as the interior architect, removed a bank of offices on the street side of the building to create the open office space. She also extended walls on two sides of the main meeting space and opened the small kitchen to a larger space.
“The resulting space is inviting and satisfies the need for large and small gathering and working spaces,” she explained.
The new design — which Joshi-Gupta calls international modern — uses multiple examples of compression and expansion. For example, upon entering the lobby, staff members and guests are welcomed by a low space that opens to a lofty reception area. The space continues with a compressed corridor that opens to a lofty meeting area and then to a smaller compressed space that houses the perimeter offices and meeting spaces.
“This creates proportion and a feeling of varying scale as you move through the different functions,” said Joshi-Gupta.
To further elevate the office, Joshi-Gupta created a custom coffee bar to service the conference room that is now covered in shagreen leather and topped with Italian terrazzo. Other standout design elements include the meeting room’s cloudlike light fixtures, a kitchen that is now outfitted with touches of walnut, and a large green wall with a lattice design created by Doussan’s wife, Lauren.
“One of my favorite features of the building is the kitchen’s dining room table with seating for eight people,” said Doussan. “Every day from about noon until 2 p.m., it is occupied with our agents eating lunch and enjoying each other’s company. Just like at home, sometimes the topics are about the news, and at other times, there are deep organic discussions. Some of our best ideas come out of those lunchtime discussions.”
The goal of the space was to reflect the company’s focus on delivering a positive experience.
“Real estate professionals talk about first impressions all of the time, and we felt strongly that our office should be no different,” Doussan said. “We want your experience as a real estate agent with our company, an employee or a client coming for a meeting to be an unparalleled experience. That’s why we have beautiful landscaping, ample parking, water features, great art on the wall and welcoming staff, all before you are 10 feet inside the building.”
Keller Williams
8601 Leake Ave. New Orleans // careers.kwrno.com // Facebook: kwneworleans // linkedin.com/company/kwrno/
Quick Look
Number of years in operation: 26
Style of architecture: Modernist
Square footage: 6,000
Number of Employees: 128 real estate agents, and a leadership team of 5
Persons in Charge: Jeffrey R. Doussan Jr., operating principal; Cody Caudill, team leader/CEO; Holly Freas, market center administrator; Jeanne Howe, leader of concierge services; MJ Sauer, co-broker; Clayton Fields, co-broker
Interior Architecture & Design: Nomita Joshi Interior Design
General Contractor: Overkill Construction
Art and furnishings: Art selected with the assistance of Jill McGaughey at Jillian Mac Fine Art
