Joshua Rice's Zen Retreat for Leatherology Founder Rae Liu

Interiors by Joshua Rice. Styling by Russell Brightwell. Photography by Robert Tsai.

In 2014,  Rae Liu and her husband, Kurt Johnson, were living in a high-rise, planning a wedding and a family. The search was on for a house to kick off their new

life together. “I felt strongly about finding a modern home that was a space we could grow into,” says Liu, co-owner of Dallas–based Leatherology, an online direct-to-consumer collection of personalized leather goods. Johnson is a banker, with a penchant for woodworking; he crafted their sleek dining-room table as a wedding gift for Liu.

The couple discovered their ideal house tucked among the trees near Royal Lane, in a neighborhood of 1960s modern classics. “We walked in and immediately said, ‘Yes!’” Liu says. Light flooded through floor-to-ceiling windows in every room, yet the house felt private — an oasis lush with pecan trees and cherry laurels. An avid gardener, Liu hired noted landscape architect Michael Kinler to create an enclosed garden and entertaining area.

Interiors by Joshua Rice. Styling by Russell Brightwell. Photography by Robert Tsai.

Not a mere white box, this modern house has pitched ceilings and wood beams that provide rooms with ample architectural interest. Polished-concrete and wood floors, added by the previous owners, were beautiful enough to keep. But the living and dining areas were fused into one long space that proved awkward to furnish and use. And while the couple both like a modern aesthetic, Johnson leans a little more toward traditional. The answer was to enlist the help of an interior designer to create more usable spaces and blend the couple’s design styles. Liu’s brother and co-owner of Leatherology, David Liu Jr., introduced them to Joshua Rice, a designer known for a sophisticated, meticulously curated look that is still comfortable and approachable. “We both liked his work right off,” Liu says. “It was a nice bridge between both our styles.” 

Interiors by Joshua Rice. Styling by Russell Brightwell. Photography by Robert Tsai.

Interiors by Joshua Rice. Styling by Russell Brightwell. Photography by Robert Tsai.

When Rice looked at the images of the house Liu e-mailed him, he recognized it. The previous homeowners were clients of his, and they had hired him to help with the interiors. The job had stalled when the clients moved out of town, but the happy coincidence turned out to be an advantage. “I had two years to think about that house and what worked and what didn’t,” Rice says. The beautiful natural light was a plus, so he designed each room to take full advantage. But as Liu and Johnson already knew, the living and dining areas merged awkwardly, with no clear definition of spaces. As a remedy, Rice commissioned a steel tension-rod shelving system to act as a room divider and configured it to hold books and decorative items. A young Brazilian furniture maker, Jader Almeida for Sollos, was tapped for the project and went on to produce other furnishings for the house. A fireplace, which was oddly placed along one wall in the TV room, was replaced with a floating black-ribbed steel rectangle of Rice’s design. “We simplified anything that was distracting and made the house appear more minimal,” Rice says. “That allowed us to focus on the interior design.” 

Interiors by Joshua Rice. Styling by Russell Brightwell. Photography by Robert Tsai.

Interiors by Joshua Rice. Styling by Russell Brightwell. Photography by Robert Tsai.

Interiors by Joshua Rice. Styling by Russell Brightwell. Photography by Robert Tsai.

Two children have come along since Johnson and Liu purchased their modern house four years ago. Rice, who has young kids of his own, was sensitive to creating a home that was safe and would stand up to wear and tear. “Almost everything Josh did has a rounded corner,” says Liu. “And he was able to play with silhouettes and textures to make it interesting.” Rice designed a striking round coffee table for the sitting room, which became a centerpiece for the main seating area where the family gathers to watch television. Water-cut from a slab of stone and “popped out and put together like a Happy Meal toy,” he says, the idea was born from necessity. “We needed something dramatic at a reasonable price. So I bought the prettiest piece of Brazilian quartzite I could find with a textural finish and got this very dramatic table.” Vioski’s U-shaped sectional, enticingly piled with pillows, is the perfect shape to engage with the table. Rice often uses a sumptuous Knoll Womb chair in his projects, and this one is no exception. “I try not to use things that are too ubiquitous, but it’s a hard chair to beat because it’s comfortable and looks so outstanding,” he says.

Interiors by Joshua Rice. Styling by Russell Brightwell. Photography by Robert Tsai.

Interiors by Joshua Rice. Styling by Russell Brightwell. Photography by Robert Tsai.

Rice conceived the handsome living room as a place to enjoy a glass of wine before moving into the adjacent dining area. Like the rest of the house, it’s a collection of tonal colors and

subtle textures. A pair of rattan Poul Kjaerholm PK22 chairs is draped with sheepskin throws, and a paper Noguchi floor lamp provides plenty of design bang at a reasonable cost. Plaster-topped tables have a stained, textural finish and were handmade in Italy. Amsterdam–based interdisciplinary cooperative BCXSY designed the one-of-a-kind patchwork wool rug, which was woven by Bedouin women.

Because the walls in the house are mostly windows, the couple couldn’t hang much art. In this case, that turned out to be a good thing. “Empty walls help keep the serene feeling,” Rice says. “I tell clients there’s nothing wrong with empty walls, especially if the room has some architectural interest.” Ultimately, the refined and comfortable house works beautifully for the couple and their children. “My personal style is classic and unfussy,” Liu says. “I take a similar approach to running our business. At Leatherology we create beautifully crafted leather essentials that are meant to be timeless. Our home is a reflection of that — with the added requirement that everything in it be child-friendly. I love that Josh has helped us create a home we can live in for years."

Rae Liu and her brother David Liu, Jr. co-founded Leatherology

Historic St. Anthony in San Antonio

St. Anthony Hotel lobby

I love fascinating backstories, don't you? The historic 1909 St. Anthony Hotel's new parrot green and gold interiors were inspired by a set of china designed by Dorothy Draper, which had been long lost inside a storage room at the hotel. In the 1950s, Draper designed china for the ballrooms and the hotel’s exclusive St. Anthony Club, and a handful of pieces were discovered during its recent renovation. The inside scoop comes from Colletta Conner, an associate principal for ForrestPerkins, a design studio of Perkins Eastman, who worked on the multi-million dollar project for the hotel's new owners, The Luxury Collection from Starwood Hotels & Resorts.

The "Peacock Alley" lobby area, added in 1930,
includes an original 1927 Steinway grand piano

Lobby detail

Shades of gray throughout the hotel give Draper’s jewel tones a sophisticated edge, Conner told me. The St. Anthony’s 107-year-old footprint remains intact and public spaces have been returned to their original grandeur, including Peacock Alley, built circa 1930 as a lounge and bar overlooking Travis Park, where San Antonio’s chicest would once gather to see and be seen. And what a grand era it was. In its heyday, the St. Anthony drew such luminaries as Eleanor Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, Princess Grace and Prince Rainier of Monaco, Fred Astaire, Judy Garland and John Wayne. And, for the past 75 years the hotel has hosted coming-out balls for Fiesta debutants, as a part of the city’s most celebrated event. 

Grand staircase in the lobby

While most of the new furnishings are custom, an edited selection of antiques were kept and restored, such as a pair of gilt, carved 18th century settees and a 1927 Steinway, which was returned to Peacock Alley. All of the hotel’s original artwork was rehung, along with historic photographs of famous patrons and gloriously gowned Fiesta debs. 

Light-filled dining room off the lobby

 Constructed by a trio of Texas cattle barons, the 10-story St. Anthony was so technologically advanced that it was considered one of the world’s most modern hotels, featuring doors that opened automatically and electric lights that turned off when guests locked their hotel room doors. Newly upgraded with all of the technology you’d expect and just three blocks from the Alamo and River Walk, the St. Anthony is poised to become the glittering center of San Antonio life — once again. Check more of it out here.

BLACKBIRD FARM

The 1915 Sealy House, one of many rental properties in Fayette County owned by Blackbird Farm. 
Photo Jerry Herring.

Lots of people dream of ditching the big city, moving to the country and starting fresh, but few have done it as well— or on such a grand scale — as Joan and Jerry Herring. The Houston couple decided to get the heck out of dodge in 2008, when a Super Target opened next door to their property near downtown Houston, where they had lived and worked for five years. Both visual artists and photographers, Joan had a successful framing business, while Jerry owned a graphics design firm. Their search for a new place eventually pushed them an hour and a half west into Fayette County, where they purchased 38 secluded acres of rolling hills, pecan trees, a large pond and a few broken-down buildings. “The plan was to build a big house on it and live out there,” says Joan. But when the process took too long, the Herrings hired a barn-builder instead and converted the finished-out structure into a tiny 36’ by 48’ two-story farm house. They turned the sleepy property, which they named Blackbird Farm, into a working ranch with cattle and egg-laying hens. 

Custom-made cedar cabins outside Fayetteville, TX. Photo Jerry Herring.

After a year of commuting to Houston, Joan relocated her framing company to the farm, and Jerry sold his graphic design company to his son. “We never built our big house,” says Joan, without a hint of regret — and why should there be any? During the past eight years, the Herrings have bought a prime chunk of Fayette County — carefully renovating historic 19th- and early-20th-century structures and thoughtfully building new ones, which they rent to visitors from Houston, Austin and beyond. But their bread-and-butter is the dealers, designers and shoppers that frequent the twice-yearly Round Top Antiques Fair. “When we moved here, we didn’t even know what Round Top was,” says Joan. Now, their rental properties are fully booked months in advance of the shows. “Our business has grown along with the antiques fair,” she says. The Herrings’ current rental holdings include nine properties — many of them in the historic town of Fayetteville (15 minutes from Round Top) — such as the 1850 House, a home built around a mid-19th-century log cabin; the 1915 Sealy House, which is on 47 acres; and the 1835 Red & White Inn, a former commercial building on the old square in Fayetteville that once housed a movie theater. Guest rooms are upstairs, with the Red & White Gallery located downstairs, which launched in 2012 with a show by the Herrings’ friend, the respected sculptor Jesús Morales, who died last year. A subsequent exhibit by well-known photographer Laura Wilson (and mother of actors Luke, Andrew and Owen Wilson) attracted more than 250 people (most of Wilson’s work sold out during the event). The couple also built cabins and a multi-use event center, Herring Hall, on Blackbird Farm. But their crown jewel is the elegantly renovated 1898 Market Street Inn, located one block off Fayetteville’s historic main square, which is jointly owned by local Mary Quiros, a walking buddy of Joan’s. “We’d walk around town and get an hour’s worth of exercise every day, and we’d pass by this grand, beautiful old house with its shutters falling off and a For Sale sign out front,” Joan remembers. “‘Mary said, ‘If I was younger, I’d buy it and fix it up.’ So I said, ‘Let’s do it!’” 

Victorian-era Market Street Inn, Fayetteville, TX. Photo Jerry Herring.

The acquisition was a coup — beautiful Victorian-era houses like Market Street Inn have helped put the town of Fayetteville on theNational Register of Historic Places, Joan says. They closed on the property in January 2014 and opened it for guests arriving that spring for Round Top. “We modernized it with updated plumbing and electrical and air conditioning, but we were careful to keep the original old feel of the place,” says Joan. Private baths with six-foot soaking tubs were added to each of the five bedrooms, and the house’s original bead board walls, hardwood floors, carved moldings and doors were retained. The rooms are decorated with furniture and accessories found at Round Top. Quiros donated a stained-glass window that had belonged to her grandmother for one of the bedrooms, and her husband, Evan, a woodworker, built a cedar farmhouse table that seats 10 for the communal kitchen. A pair of original French parlor doors became the new back door, allowing for picturesque views, and custom leaded-glass doors were installed in the front, to give the entry a grand feel, says Joan. A large-scale photograph by Laura Wilson, Dapple Gray, hangs in the foyer. While the Market Street Inn is their most elegant property, all of their rentals are full of luxury and charm, including plush white spa towels, robes, slippers, and fine linens (garment-dyed, eco-friendly Bella Notte bedding in the 1850 House), and vintage and antique quilts and crewel coverlets. Kitchens are stocked regularly with fresh brown eggs from the Herring’s own Barred Rock Hens, along with butter, cream, fresh bread and kolaches from local Czech bakeries. To pay homage to the Red & White Inn’s movie theater heritage, they frequently show old black-and-white films and invite the townspeople; the inaugural show, appropriately enough, was Mr. Blandings Builds his Dream House. The Herrings can barely keep up with the demand for rooms, which Joan says is driven by the popularity of such HGTV treasure-hunting shows as Junk Gypsies, featuring sisters Amie and Jolie Sikes, who have a store in Round Top. “We get from 30 to 100 requests each day for lodging before and during the antiques fair,” says Joan. “We had no idea all this would happen.” To meet the increasing demand, the Herrings have just put a contract on a 600-square-foot property near Market Street Inn. “We fell in love with it,” she says. “It’s a cute little country cottage that looks out onto a beautiful pasture.”

Detail inside the Sealy House. Photo Jerry Herring.

My story on Blackbird Farm originally appeared in PaperCity. To see all of Blackbird Farm's properties and rooms, go here.

E.G. Hamilton Modern Masterpiece!

Photo by Blake Marvin

Architecture that endures . . . Earl Grady Hamilton recently received the AIA Dallas' lifetime achievement award for an outstanding body of work spanning his 70-year career. In 1943 when Hamilton graduated from architecture school, modern architecture was just beginning to be embraced in the United States. He worked for some of the top architects in the country, including in NYC with Minoru Yamasaki, the designer of the World Trade Center Towers and the great modernist architect Arch Swank in Dallas. Out on his own, Hamilton designed elegant modern homes and in 1963, North Park Mall (now known as NorthPark Center). He's received a slew of awards and honors, and now as he approaches 94 years old, he appears to be as enduring as his designs.

You can view the Hamilton-designed home this weekend at the 2014 White Rock Home Tour, which runs from April 26-27, 12pm-5pm. Go Here to read more about it and to buy tickets

Photo by James Wilson

Located in the Peninsula neighborhood of White Rock, this was the first Modern-Shed, prefabricated  home in Texas, and it should dispel any notion you have that prefab is bad. If you are thinking about building an energy efficient house, this one will be full of ideas—it uses soy-based energy efficient insulation, stained concrete floors and the extensive LED lighting system that is dazzling at night. You can view this home at the 2014 White Rock Home Tour, which runs from April 26-27, 12pm-5pm. Go Here to read more about it and to buy tickets

Looking Forward to Fall

ARIA STONE GALLERY IN DALLAS

COOL . . . anytime the temperature is expected to drop below 90 in September Texas, we say there's a cool front coming in. It's beautiful weather right now over most of the state, and so those of us who are interested in houses and design start thinking about what's new for fall—in the stores, in the showrooms and in the galleries and museums. I've been busy at work putting together the new fall issue of Modern Luxury Interiors Texas, and here are some of the things I'm really looking forward to showing you. It's a sneak peek, of course (subscribe to the online edition or pick up a print copy at Whole Foods or Barnes & Noble to see the full stories and photos!)

Aria Stone Gallery is new to Dallas via owner Vinny Tavares, who travels the globe hunting for perfect slabs of stone, which he brings back to his showroom in the Design District. You don't just pop into his place and ask for Emperador marble for your counters. It's a gallery, and the artwork is stone. And so he's got his most beautiful pieces displayed as you might do them in your own home. I think it's the most modern thing I've seen in years. 

Cartesian Collection by Alexander Purcell Rodrigues, at Urbanspace Interiors, Austin

These amazing Cartesian Collection chairs are what made me notice Urbanspace Interiors in Austin for the first time. Designer Emily Basham buys all kinds of stellar stuff for her store, and these are just one of the lines I'm crazy about. Designed and produced in southern California by Alexander Purcell Rodrigues, they are reductive to the max, yet there's so much going on: color, texture and shape. See editor Helen Thompson's story on Urbanspace in the upcoming edition. 

Bliss table at ID Collection

I'm not sure if this particular side table made the cut for the accessories or trends stories (it's brutal in the world of magazines) but it's a personal favorite. I love it's liquid, melting look. This looks very of the moment to me, too. Ask Jim Williamson at ID Collection more about it, he'll tell you.

Fort Worth's Omni highrise penthouse, designed by Adrienne Faulkner. Photo by Paul Finkle.

I can't wait for you to see this highrise in Fort Worth. Designer Adrienne Faulkner had so many challenges to work around, including view-obsuring pillars, yet she managed to provide outstanding views from just about every space. Jason and Signe Smith of smitharc architects worked with Faulkner on the interior architecture. It's just a spectacular space and writer Melanie Warner captured it all beautifully, to go with Paul Finkle's photos.

Chic, to go. Zebra rug/blanket for fall tailgating, from Neighborhood in Dallas

Editor Nadia Dabbakeh turned me onto Neighborhood, Dallas's up-and-coming new cadre of designers who do it all—they run a store, they design interiors, they do graphic design. What I like so much about what Erin and John Paul Hossley are doing at Neighborhood is that they're doing it all their own way. That inspired a story about young designers doing it their own way, so I asked writers Carla Jordan and Melanie Warner to tell us about the Hossleys and about Houston designers (and sisters) Saba and Sarah Jawda (pictured below), of Jawda and Jawda. I hope you'll read about all of these young entrepreneurs.

Saba and Sarah Jawda of Jawda and Jawda, Houston

Janus et Cie, Houston

Janus et Cie's large new freestanding showroom in Houston is in the middle of River Oaks, where it ought to be. I'm always inspired by the company's fresh take on outdoor furnishings, and of course as a magazine editor, I love their great photographs. Check out editor Helen Thompson's story on their new, big digs. 

Jeremy Cole in his workshop

New Zeland ceramic artist Jeremy Cole uses high technology, along with hands-on artisan work,  to create his beautiful and luxurious lighting. He's making a public appearance—the first Texas appearance that I know of—in November in Houston at the Inernum showroom, who just picked up his line. Cole's work is in museums, along with Harry Winston and Bulgari stores. Pay attention—his lighting is going to be very collectible.

Interior by Chandos Dodson

Writer Carla Jordan brought us this story and I'm so glad she did—Chandos Dodson is a Dallas- and Houston-based interior designer, whose own home in Houston has the kind of pedigree design editors dream about. Her house was once occupied by a movie star and a U.S. president, and now's it's as stylish as ever, thanks to Dodson's cultured eye.

Hotel ZaZa's new bungalows

First, there were the bungalows at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Now there are the bungalows at Dallas' Zaza hotel. Owner Benji Homsey caters to visiting celebs, so its' natural he wanted to create something more private and permanent. The locals in Dallas couldn't agree more. See writer Carla Jordan's story on ZaZa's new expansion into the city's historic State Thomas District.

Room by Specht Harpman, Austin

Editor Helen Thompson brought us this story—the Austin- and NYC-based firm of Specht Harpan is generating buzz for its modern renovations and contemporary interpretations of architecture from Connecticut to Manhattan to Austin and beyond. Talent worth noting, wouldn't you agree?

Lee Cullum's Chic Townhouse

Photo by Steve Wrubell

Perfection . . . Lee Cullum is one of the most talented and respected journalists around. I've always been in awe of her interviewing skills and her ability to elicit fascinating stories from her subjects—Now I'm in awe of her Turtle Creek townhouse (SmithArc in Dallas recently renovated it). I'm only showing enough photos here to get to you excited enough to read my full story in this month's issue of Modern Luxury Dallas. You can read it online here (turn to page 54). Steve Wrubel shot all of the perfectly composed photos for the story. Thank you, Steve, for letting me post a few here...

Photo by Steve Wrubell

The need for an elevator prompted Cullum to begin renovating her townhouse, a process that went room by room over many years. In order to put in an elevator, the entry had to be expanded and opened up... 

Photo by Steve Wrubell

Adding an elevator shaft provided a lot more wall space to hang Cullum's striking collection of art. Also, take a look at the glass ceiling. It's also the second floor walkway—Cullum told me that when she first stepped out of the elevator onto that glass floor she gasped and called the architect, telling him she didn't think she could ever get used to it. He persuaded her to live with it for a couple of weeks. Now she loves it...

Photo by Steve Wrubell

Cullum's second favorite color is green, so she had SmithArc paint the inside of the elevator this high gloss hue. She loved it so much, she painted her laundry room the same color. Can you guess which color is her very favorite? It's a color that Jason Smith says he noticed that Cullum wears a lot (read the story to find out!).

Kitchens, Baths, Limited Edition Gio Ponti, a Dixie Chick's Amazing Abode and More!

Spring 2013 edition of Modern Luxury Interiors Texas
Cover Photo by Stephen Karlish

Splish Splash . . .  The spring issue of Modern Luxury Interiors Texas celebrates our one-year anniversary with a wonderful feature on kitchens and baths, written by Executive Editor Connie Dufner. The cover story, photographed by Stephen Karlisch and written by Carla Jordan, just happens to have a gorgeous kitchen, but you'll love the rest of the house, too. It's the work of Dallas architect Jason Smith of SmithArc and Dallas interior designer Ashley Tripplehorn-Hunt. 

To read the terrific story and see more of Stephen's stellar photography, go here and flip through the digital edition. The kitchens and bath story begins on page 102. Here's a peek inside:

Bathroom by Waterworks, turn to page 105

Crystal bath and kitchen containers by Saint Louis, at Hermes; turn to page 103

Don't you just love the idea of storing leftovers in the fridge in these glamorous new containers? The tops come in a graphite gray color, too. What a great housewarming gift! 




Living with Geometry. . . 

Romeo Sozzi's Aziza armchair at Promemoria, turn to page 66

Read about how Promemoria designer Romeo Sozzi took some of the company's best-selling furniture and re-imagined them in a whole new way with optical illusions and geometry and angles. Here's a few pieces from the new collection that are my favorites. Turn to page 66 in the magazine for the story.

Two-toned velvet Bilou-Bilou chair, turn to page 66

Leather Scarlett table on hidden casters, turn to page 66

Signed and limited . . . 

Limited edition Gio Ponti collaboration with Molteni & C, at Smink

Gio Ponti is one of the most celebrated designers of modern time, so I loved working on this story about Molteni & C's collaboration with the Ponti family to produce a collection of signed and limited edition pieces—including those once in Ponti's own home. Smink in Dallas is one of only a handful of showrooms in the world to carry it, and one of three in the U.S. where you can buy it. Click here and turn to page 40 to read the story.

Gio Ponti limited edition table

Gio Ponti limited edition rug

Pitch Perfect . . . 

Dixie Chicks' Martie Mcguire at home
Photo by Colleen Duffley

This story is hands-down my very favorite this month. Photographer Colleen Duffley and I have worked together off and on for 15 years and when she brought me the idea of photographing her longtime friend and Dixie Chicks member, Martie Mcguire, at her cool Austin abode, I was thrilled. The photos are jaw-droppingly beautiful, as are the rooms. Senior contributing editor Helen Thompson, who wrote about Martie's sister Emily Robison years ago for Metropolitan Home, wrote a fabulous story to go with the stunning images. Mcguire loves interior design and she not only talks about how her house came together, but where she loves to shop. You'll hang on every word, I promise. Click here and turn to page 50 to read the story.

The breakfast room inside Martie Mcguire's Austin home is a contrast of shadow and light, with great views.
Photo by Coleen Duffley.

A peek inside Martie Mcguire's recording studio at home, which she designed herself
Photo by Colleen Duffley

New Issue! Modern Luxury Interiors Texas

Cover photo by Charles Davis Smith

It's out! . . . my first issue as editor-in-chief of Modern Luxury Interiors Texas is landing on doorsteps and inboxes this week. We have three gorgeous houses featured throughout Texas, including this cover story, which is a stunning redo of a midcentury modern in Dallas. Before architect Bentley Tibbs and homeowners Michael Thomas and Philip Groves got their talented hands on it, neighbors referred to it as the "Frank Lloyd Wrong" house. Now, it's simply magnificent, with lots of light and glass and beautiful materials such as rift-cut white oak paneling, big slabs of original terrazzo tiles, and Thassos marble. 


Here's a peek inside, but to read the whole story Click here (turn to page 80). 

Photo by y Charles Davis Smith

Photo by Charles Davis Smith

Photo by Charles Davis Smith