Contemporary furniture store opening in Southdowns Village

Monochrome, a contemporary furniture store, is opening today in the Southdowns Village Shopping Center. The store will take up the last space available in Southdowns Village, behind Ann Connelly Fine Art. Monochrome is a joint venture between Dwayne Carruth, an architect, Carol LaCour, an interior designer, and Mitchell Naquin, an industrial designer. Carruth, who owns The Front Door Design Studio in Southdowns Village, says Monochrome will sell works from local artists and furniture makers, along with international lines such as Camerich, Cierre and Magis. The goal is to sell comfortable, well-made contemporary furnishings, filling a void that Carruth says exists in Baton Rouge. “This is a tremendous little design area,” says Carruth, noting that a number of businesses have moved into the Perkins Road area recently, such as Stafford Tile & Stone. “We think we’ll do real well.” —Timothy Boone