A lucky investment banker in Houston’s soaring Museum Tower acquires every asset he sets his sights on. Located in a luxe building in the Museum District, this open industrial space had exposed ceilings and wall-to-wall windows, but lacked comfortable, inviting touches, especially for entertaining clients and friends. “I designed intimate vignettes for the bachelor who lived here,” explains Margaret Naeve Parker, founder of M Naeve in Houston. “The new warmth and texture contrast with formerly sterile white walls and concrete floors.” Bonus: One of the bachelor’s guests in the stylish space became his fiancé.
AN EYE FOR ART | Under the tall ceilings, the designer brought in two larger-than-life oil-on-canvas paintings (above, in the formal dining room) from “The Strangest Fruit” 2013 series by Vincent Valdez. Each painting measures 92 inches by 55 inches.
MAGICAL THINKING | M Naeve touches (she also runs a popular home design store with new and old items) include a vintage coffee table and two Box Chairs in the living room designed by Lawson-Fenning of Los Angeles, with fabric by Zak + Fox. The sofas feature the designer’s own custom upholstery in a Holland & Sherry linen. And that Wiggle Side Chair? It’s a Frank Gehry cardboard favorite. Talk about thinking outside the box.
WINDOWS ON THE WORLD | No window treatments were necessary because privacy was not an issue at this lofty height with few high-rises surrounding the apartment. The design plan combined quality modern lighting with unique retro pieces, a stamp the designer often puts on her work.
PLUM REAL ESTATE | “This great corner floor plan overlooks the downtown Houston skyline,” she notes. “Most of my projects are residential homes, so it was nice to have an open-loft concept to design. I enjoyed breaking up the large room sizes into set areas based on furniture placement.”
DINING IN | Dinner at home is a great investment in the quality of life after a harried workday – especially in a dining room with this sweeping view. Vintage Spanish chairs from M Naeve; table from BDDW.
Photography by Max Burkhalter.
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