Chance in Hell SnoBalls Shop
805 Louisa Street
Client: Kitten and Lou
Role: Architecture, Pre Design, Interior Design, Adaptive Reuse, Entitlements, Zoning Variances, Zoning Changes
Scope: Construction of new restaurant. The project included an extensive entitlements and zoning change process to allow for commercial use as a restaurant.
Status: Complete 2025
Size: 900 sq. ft.
Budget: $225,000
Collaborators: Arch Builders, Synergy Consulting Engineers
Set within a historic New Orleans structure that had once been home to a saloon, bakery, butcher shop, and clothing store, Studio West was challenged to reimagine the building into what it is today: Chance in Hell, a private residence and commercial space for performance artists, lifelong partners, and producers, Kitten and Lou.
Located on the corner of Louisa and Dauphine Streets in New Orleans’ Bywater neighborhood, the design for Chance in Hell focused on purposefully adapting this historic structure to ensure that it would operate as a vibrant, mixed-use hub for performance, community, and personal respite.
With the private residence above, the ground floor houses the duo’s “snoball” shop, Chance in Hell, alongside the adjacent retail boutique shop, Just Like Heaven. Kitten and Lou had long said that if they were to pursue anything beyond performing, they would open a snowball stand of their own. As the early days of the COVID pandemic unfolded in 2020, the couple realized this might be their only chance—an idea that ultimately inspired the name of the shop, Chance in Hell.
As performers, the snowball shop space was designed to allow for eccentric performances and personality, inspiring a bold yet whimsical palette and material selection, rooted in color. Concentric arches, a red-pink-yellow palette, and a slightly elevated counter reference Kitten and Lou’s theatrical roots. Every detail—from syrup reach to dog-viewing windows—was considered, tested, and refined through on-site mockups and close collaboration between the architect and the owners.
While the adjacent retail space, Just Like Heaven, retains its original tin ceiling and large show windows, each entity celebrates the building’s historic envelope while simultaneously breathing new air and color into the community.
