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New Orleans architect Trey Trahan has incorporated a delta wing made of large LED screens in his award-winning design for the U.S. Pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan next April.
For residential projects closer to home, however, Trahan pays close attention to the backyard—literally.
“We call it ‘putting down roots,'” he told The Globe at his office a day after returning from Osaka, where U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel announced Trahan’s selection. “What is unique about that place? How does the water flow through the site? How does it create the site? Extracting information can inform all decisions throughout the process.”
Trahan’s firm, Trahan Architects, has been selecting one-off residential projects.
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“We’re looking for people who care about architecture and the built environment,” Trahan said. To restore New Orleans’ French Quarter, architects even hired archaeologists and paint conservators. The firm doesn’t shy away from large-scale projects; Trahan Architects recently completed the Julia Street mixed-use tower in New Orleans; St. Ignatius Church in New Orleans; and the renovation of the Caesars Superdome, home of the NFL’s New Orleans Saints.
Trahan spoke with Mansion Global about embracing imperfection, avoiding over-designed spaces and why luxury means openness.
Mansion Global: Your website states that Trahan Architects “works with sensitivity and restraint.” what does that mean?
Trey Trahan: The first thing is to think about the response when we intervene in the natural world under any conditions—urban, rural, or heavily forested areas where biodiversity is important. Can the project create conditions that are more relevant and harmonious to the natural world?
You hire an ethnobotanist for a housing project. What was that process like?
Ethnobotanists have given us a list of seeds grown in the area by early Aboriginal people. We planted these 120 seeds on 80 acres of land. Our goal is to understand these things and bring them indoors through fabrics. The beauty of it is that the home is so consistent with the feel of the place.
You talk about the role that chance and imperfection play in your designs. How well has this approach been received by residential customers?
They are all open as long as it is explained well. A good example is when we build a concrete structure and pour the concrete, it’s a dialogue between the formwork and the flow of the concrete. The form reacts and reacts in a way that has subtle changes and unpredictable movements. Think about other forms of art. When a potter puts clay into the kiln, there is a degree of unpredictability, but this is acceptable.
How can homeowners become “rooted” in their environment?
Start with the soil. Test the content of clay, sand and other materials. Can clay be used or fired? What tree species does the soil support? Wood is extracted from the site. What is the natural pigmentation of this site? All of this gives you materiality, sustainability, texture and colour. People will buy an incredibly beautiful site and then ship materials from all over the world. This is great for me.
What mistakes do you see in home design?
It’s an over-management of space and an editing of things. People fall victim to decorating their space rather than seeking out items that truly resonate with them, are a meaningful part of their journey, or are part of their family’s collective journey. It was also believed that buildings should be left in their original condition and given a fresh coat of paint. There is something incredibly beautiful when you witness the Copper Age and patina of a piece, or see the streaks and moments in stucco or stucco. Let the architecture express itself. It responds to environmental and atmospheric factors such as humidity, sunlight and wind. These elements create unique and beautiful conditions.
What meaningful objects do you have in your own living space?
I have a ceramic [hand-molded earthenware] Raku family tea bowl from 1580.This is a piece designed for [16th-century Japanese tea-ceremony master] Sen no Rikyu. It’s so simple yet timeless and complex. Hundreds of years later, it feels stunning and modern.I also have beautiful cast copper boxes and vessels [contemporary Japanese artist] Koji Hatakeyama. He finds a stunningly beautiful way to patina them in unpredictable ways. In every work, the element of chance is important.
I also have some Japanese peasant textiles that are hundreds of years old. One of them appears to be a peasant kimono. You can see where he was working in the fields and where the lower parts of his knees were starting to wear out. It has a stunningly beautiful materiality, but also something to do with age, wear and tear, and the human hand.
What is your personal definition of luxury?
Luxury is an open attitude, an invitation for everyone to participate in a dialogue. Luxury goods invite other perspectives. Luxury is traveling and learning about other perspectives. Luxury is the beauty of having the means to travel the world and learn about other people’s histories and cultures.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity
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