URBAN INTERIORS is a boutique interior design firm in DALLAS that's making quite a stylish mark. They're also one of the blog's newest sponsors, and I'm excited to introduce them to you.
Founded four years ago by longtime friends Vicki Crew and Susan Smith, the pair formed
Urban Interiors at the height of the city's high rise apartment boom. "We were already doing a lot of traditional homes in the Park Cities and Preston Hollow," says Smith, a former handbag designer who cut her teeth in the business as a co-founder of the contemporary tabletop and accessories store, Translations.
DINING ROOMS
A Modern Dining Room in Preston Hollow
Designed by Urban Interiors
Crew is a licensed designer and ASID affiliate member with 30 years of interior design experience. "So many of our clients were empty nesters moving into the new high rises," she says. "Susan and I decided to do contemporary together, helping our clients transition into a cleaner look."
A Yellow Dining Room in an Apartment in the Azure by Urban Interiors
Smith and Crew have done highrise apartments for clients in the W Dallas Residences, the Azure, the Ashton, and the Residences at the Ritz-Carlton, Dallas. "People in highrises want a luxurious, easy lifestyle similar to what they might find in a fine hotel," says Crew. "They want the interior design to be simple, comfortable, and pulled together."
Tabletop Detail in a Dining Room in the Azureby Urban Interiors
Crew and Smith like to MIX HIGH AND LOW pieces together, such as these handmade porcelain plates by HERING BERLIN, and inexpensive glass goblets from CRATE & BARREL.
A Budget-Friendly Apartment at the Ashton
by Urban Interiors
"In smaller spaces, every inch and every piece counts," says Crew, who often has custom furniture made to fit specific spaces and uses. "We started off doing my daughter's apartment in the Ashton, with the idea of showing people what you could do on a small budget. We quickly started doing luxury apartments in the Azure, the Ritz and the W, where people with large discretionary income are buying. That was really how we got started, by exploring this growing highrise market," she says.
Dining Room at the Azure Pops with Lavender,
Orange and Black, by Urban Interiors
There's sometimes a lot of glare in high rises, especially the taller ones, so Crew and Smith recommend "grounding" rooms with dark wood floors, rugs, dark cabinetry, and richly colored accessories. "Rugs really warm rooms up, and a good portion of our budgets often go to rugs," says Smith.
Large scale art like this oil painting that was purchased at a local consignment store, look great in contemporary high rise apartments. Smith and Crew advise scouting for bigger works of art at affordable prices at consignment stores and at local galleries. "We've found all kinds of investment quality art, photographs and prints at resale shops. We've even been known to cover panels with beautiful fabrics on a budget," says Smith.
LIVING ROOMS
A Modern High Rise Apartment in the Azure
The best INTERIOR DESIGN FOR HIGH RISE LIVING includes select Lucite and mirrored pieces mixed with non-reflective surfaces, such as dark woods. Too much shiny furniture in a highrise makes the room feel like it's floating away and adds to the glare, especially in sunny parts of the country, like Dallas.
Living Room inside the Azure, by Urban Interiors
In high rise apartments, no matter how luxurious, space is often at a premium. SMALL SPACE DESIGN makes good use of MULTIFUNCTIONAL FURNITURE, such as a coffee table that doubles for dining. Have it custom made if you can't find something that works with the room's dimensions.
Interior Design by Urban Interiors
With NEW CONSTRUCTION finally coming back after an economy-induced hiatus, several of Urban Interiors' newest clients are building TRADITIONAL HOUSES in the Park Cities and in Preston Hollow, and asking for a more traditional look. But this time around, traditional rooms have a cleaner more edited look, they say.
Living Room Detail of a Preston Hollow Residence
by Urban Interiors
"We're helping our modern clients, who think modern means MONOCHROMATIC, to realize that what they really want is monochromatic with PUNCHES OF COLOR, even though they can't always articulate that," explains Vicki.
Sitting Room in a Preston Hollow Residence by Urban Interiors
Living Room in an Apartment in the Azure by Urban Interiors
A Glamorous Apartment in the Azure by Urban Interiors
SMALL STUDIES
A Small but Stylish Study in an Apartment in the
W Hotel Residences, by Urban Interiors
Less is more, says Smith. "Not sparse, but clean. Utilize space carefully with very special, hand selected pieces."
A Study Nook for an Apartment at the Ashton
by Urban Interiors
BEDROOMS
Master Bedroom in a Preston Hollow Residence
by Urban Interiors
Crew and Smith have a particular talent for creating dramatic and contemporary bedrooms whose overscaled and layered headboards become the focal point of the room.
Bedroom in an Apartment in the
W Hotel Dallas Residences by Urban Interiors
This elegant gray and silver monochromatic bedroom is simple yet stylish, and appeals to both men and women.
Bedroom in a Preston Hollow Residence
by Urban Interiors
Crew and Smith are known for using overscaled, bold prints and combinations of beautiful textiles. Some of their favorites textiles with large scale prints are made by Donghia and Bergamo.
Bedroom in the Azure, by Urban Interiors
A signature look for Urban Interiors is the use of luxurious WHITE LINENS, colorful throws, and plenty of luxurious white SPA TOWELS in the bath.
Bedroom in the Azure, by Urban Interiors
Guest Bedroom in the Azure, by Urban Interiors
Luxurious FENDI CASA linens and a CUSTOM MADE headboard and custom bolster in beautiful raspberry Bergamo fabric.
White Pleather Headboard in the Guest Bedroom
at the Azure, by Urban Interiors
"Our look is contemporary with a nod to Midcentury," says Smith. "In this bedroom in the Azure, we used Midcentury era night stands, which are lower than present-day mattress heights, by removing the legs and hanging them on the wall. If you want to use older pieces, wrestle with them to fit the other furniture and make them more comfortable. We often use overscaled lamps to fit the low scale of a table."
Going forward this year, Smith and Crew are excited about non-traditional color combinations such as pink and orange or plum and citrine. Says Crew: "Be bold, but do it sparingly."
