The walls and tables are adorned with houseplants meant to recreate the “backyard” feeling of the lakou, the Creole word for yard. Holding the light bulbs are sconces modeled after pearls, a nod to Haiti’s “pearl of the Antilles” moniker. And abutting the doorway is a shelf holding more than 40 books ‒ free for the taking to anyone who swaps with a book of their own.