Feliciana and Paradise bring a refined hospitality experience to downtown Covington, pairing the casual warmth of a French bistro with the intimate escape of an upstairs cocktail lounge.
BRG Hospitality's Feliciana and Paradise were conceived as complementary destinations within a new mixed-use building in downtown Covington. Rather than treating the ground-floor restaurant and upper-level lounge as separate venues, the design creates a choreographed shift in atmosphere: bright, social, and street-facing below, then darker, richer, and more transportive above. In 2026, Feliciana became the first restaurant on Louisiana's Northshore to earn recognition in the MICHELIN Guide, receiving a MICHELIN Recommended distinction.
At street level, Feliciana anchors the building as an approachable French bistro, welcoming guests into an active dining room designed for everyday meals, lingering dinners, bar seating, private events, and informal gathering. Above, Paradise extends the experience into a more intimate cocktail lounge, offering a slower-paced setting for cocktails, small groups, and evening use.
The project’s design concept is rooted in movement between two complementary moods. Feliciana is open, convivial, and visually tied to downtown Covington’s street life. Paradise, by contrast, offers a sense of retreat and discovery. The transition between the two is not abrupt; it unfolds through a shared entry sequence, stair, material continuity, and subtle changes in scale, color, texture, and light.
This approach allows guests to experience the building in multiple ways. A visit may begin with dinner at the bistro, continue upstairs for cocktails, or shift into the private dining room for a more intimate event. Behind the scenes, coordinated kitchen, service, circulation, and back-of-house relationships allow the restaurant, private dining room, and lounge to operate together while maintaining their own character.
Feliciana - Restaurant
On the ground floor, Feliciana acts as an active social anchor within the building and the broader downtown fabric. Large windows and window-side seating maintain a strong visual connection between the dining room and the street, reinforcing the restaurant’s role as a welcoming, community-facing destination.
The dining room is organized for flexibility, with a mix of banquettes, bistro tables, bar seating, intimate booths, and window-side seats that support different scales and styles of gathering. Guests can stop in for a casual meal, gather at the bar, settle into a booth, or use the private dining area for more intimate events.
The interior is defined by a whimsical, airy, and rustic character. Custom window treatments, antique mirrors, patterned tile, wood flooring, soft fabrics, reclaimed wood, brass accents, and collected décor create a space that feels warm, familiar, and carefully layered. The design avoids feeling overly polished or themed; instead, it uses texture and detail to create a relaxed but composed atmosphere.
The bar anchors the main dining room and immediately immerses guests in the energy of the restaurant. Brass detailing, decorative tile, antique mirror backsplashes, and wood millwork bring richness to the space, while perforated tin ceilings and fabric-wrapped panels add visual texture and support acoustic comfort in an active dining environment.
Paradise - Cocktail Lounge
In contrast, Paradise offers a more layered and immersive environment. Inspired by botanical conservatories and curated collections, the lounge uses rich earth and jewel tones, luxurious fabrics, and carefully displayed artifacts to create a sensory atmosphere centered on discovery and intimacy. Layered patterns, warm wood tones, indirect lighting, and decorative mood lighting establish a space that feels equally suited to daytime gathering and evening use, allowing the lounge to shift in character throughout the day.
The bar itself serves as the focal point of Paradise, featuring a marble backsplash flanked by antique mirrors that add visual depth and movement. Perforated tin ceilings shared with the restaurant below provide continuity between the two spaces while supporting acoustic performance.
Private Dining Space
Set just beyond Feliciana’s main dining room, near the shared entry vestibule and stair to Paradise, the private dining room offers a quieter and more intimate experience within the larger hospitality sequence. Its placement allows it to feel slightly removed from the energy of the restaurant while remaining closely connected to the kitchen, entry, and upper-level lounge.
The room also subtly references the site’s former life as the Old Star Theatre. Rather than turning the space into a literal theme, the design incorporates historic photographs and small cinematic touches, including vintage cameras as décor. These details acknowledge the building’s history in a restrained and atmospheric way, adding another layer to the guest experience without overwhelming the room’s primary function as a flexible private dining space.
Shaping the Hospitality Sequence
The project followed a layered evolution, with early studies exploring an event space and bowling alley before structural limitations and preservation constraints led to full demolition and new construction. The resulting building was approached as a contemporary interpretation of Covington’s downtown fabric, balancing scale, proportion, and material expression with a dense mix of uses, including restaurant, cocktail lounge, office, and commercial space.
Behind the scenes, the main dining room, private dining area, shared entry, stair, kitchen, service areas, and upper-level lounge were carefully organized to support smooth guest movement and efficient service across multiple hospitality experiences. This planning allows Feliciana and Paradise to feel distinct while operating as one connected environment.
Together, the spaces move from the openness and conviviality of a street-level bistro to the intimacy and discovery of an upstairs cocktail lounge — creating a layered destination for dining, private events, cocktails, and evening social life in downtown Covington.
Key Collaborators:
EskewDumezRipple - Interior Designer & Architect
Meyer Engineers - Civil Engineering
Associated Food Equipment & Supplies - Food Service Consultant
Salas O’Brien - MEP Engineering & Structural Engineering
Southern Earth Sciences - Geotechnical Engineering
Randall W. Brown & Associates - Surveyor
McMath Construction - Contractor & Construction Manager
Client/Owner: Northstar Investment Properties, LLC
Photographer: Andrew Welch Photography
