Luxe: Scene, September/October 2020

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MEET the MAKER GENEVIEVE SMITH

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1980s-inspired fluorescent spots and scribbles that cover the walls and ceiling of Dang Soft Serve Ice Cream in Park Hill. And while she’s glad to painstakingly recreate your favorite chinoiserie or chintz wallpaper pattern in a fresh new colorway or scale or faux-bois your countertops to match an antique slab of butcher block, there’s more to Smith’s work than tricking the eye. “It’s still art,” she says, “and it takes on more charm because you can feel the hand in it.” And Smith’s collaborative process allows clients to infuse each creation with their own personalities and styles. “It becomes very personal,” she says, “and I think it’s really cool to walk into someone’s space and get such a strong sense of who they are.” magpiepainting.net

photos: genevieve smith.

To whom do Denver-area designers, builders and homeowners turn when they have an accent wall just begging for an ombre watercolor mural? Or cabinets in need of a custom strié finish? Or a torn strip of handmade wallpaper that requires an imperceptible patch? Time and again, it’s artist Genevieve Smith, who has been creating interior and exterior murals, decorative paint treatments and fine art for residential and commercial spaces since relocating her studio, Magpie Painting, from San Francisco to Denver in 2010. Smith’s strength is her mastery of color and a wide range of techniques and styles, evident in a portfolio that includes everything from moody cloudscapes to ethereal forest scenes to the oft-Instagrammed,

WRITTEN BY CHRISTINE DEORIO


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POST MASTERS @annabode

WHO: Annabode, a pair of Denver-based residential interior designers—Anna Elyce Smith and Taryn Steil—is known for two things: an organic-modern style with an emphasis on natural materials and a commitment to creating environmentally and socially responsible spaces.

PAX LIGHTING

Pax Lighting’s first collection, which debuted nationally in 2019, brings a modern, minimal sensibility to earthy ceramics. Designed by co-founder Jeff Nordhues—who attended The Art Institute of Colorado’s industrial design program, then plied his trade at Dessin Fournir and Baker Furniture before launching a studio with his wife, Teegan— each fixture offers a fresh combination of textured terra cotta and refined, precision brass available in a variety of customizable finishes, including Pax’s signature crackle glazes. “We want to create the type of fixtures that people love and keep for a long time: the statement pieces over a dining table or island, or the adorable sconces that complete the look of a powder room,” Teegan says. To achieve that heirloom quality, Nordhues and his team take a hands-on approach to making each one-of-a-kind piece, from finishing the brass to kiln-firing the glazed ceramics, which, Teegan says, “by nature, will come out slightly different every time.” paxlighting.com

WHY: “In this technology-driven world, we are constantly trying to get back to nature,” Smith says, “and organic materials, earth tones, asymmetry and layers of texture give us a much-needed sense of peace.” IN THEIR OWN WORDS: “We hope our feed encourages mindfulness. Simply being aware of the impacts of our decisions—even something as simple as choosing tile—is the first step in changing the way we think about design.”

TALKING SHOP WHITE PEACOCK

Denver’s Cherry Creek North district has no shortage of stylish boutiques, but until the spring 2019 debut of White Peacock, there were slim pickings for shoppers in search of unique tabletop finds. Molly Myers, Olivia Louis and Doug Parsons noticed the gap from their vantage as operators of the Brass Bed, a local purveyor of fine linens, and decided to fill it with a sister store offering tabletop, bridal registry, and gift items diverse in style and price point and often not available elsewhere in the Mountain West. “We’re offering a young, fresh take on setting a table,” Parsons says. “You can choose a charger from Anna Weatherley and pair it with a Herend dinner plate and a Mottahedeh salad plate and play with it until you go, ‘Oh my gosh, this is it!’ ” whitepeacockdenver.com 068 / luxesource.com

launch photos: top, courtesy pax lighting; bottom, stylish productions. post masters photos: brandon lopez. talking shop photo: jess blackwell photography.

LAUNCH

WHAT: Each post shows off wares by the duo’s favorite brands, artists and makers, all of whom have been selected for their commitment to actively improving their impact on the planet and its people.


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shelf LIFE

shelf life photos: courtesy rizzoli new york.

THREE NEW BOOKS SHINE A LIGHT ON DESIGNERS WHOSE WORK IS THE DEFINITION OF STAR POWER.

▲ Designing Hollywood Homes: Movie Houses “I think he sees things cinematically, which brings a sense of narrative and drama to his work,” writes Diane Keaton in her foreword to designer Stephen Shadley’s first comprehensive monograph. The longtime friends have collaborated on numerous houses, several of which appear in the book, which is an ode to Shadley’s talent for creating homes with unparalleled allure—a skill he honed as a scenic artist for 20th Century Fox. But it is the epilogue that truly delights: a look at Shadley’s home, Potic Castle in the Catskill Mountains, which he describes as “a veritable guidebook of my travels.” rizzoliusa.com

▲ Golden Light: The Interior Design of Nickey Kehoe Todd Nickey and Amy Kehoe have had a devoted following since opening their Los Angeles studio and boutique in 2004. Their approach to design, which has attracted notable clients like Natalie Portman, is one of insatiable curiosity, and as they write in the foreword, “We are inspired by the everyday and the extraordinary…from minimal to maximal, quiet to baroque, but the real grandeur is in that ephemeral feeling that a space evokes.” The book tours homes they’ve created in Pasadena, Venice, Malibu and more, each displaying the firm’s “studied but unfussy” style. rizzoliusa.com 070 / luxesource.com

▲ A Tale of Interiors Design partners Louisa Pierce and Emily Ward are firm believers in storytelling and “the art of more,” an approach to decorating that naturally leads to a visually indulgent book. Its pages show many of their A-List clients’ homes, of course—Josh Brolin’s love of wallpaper might surprise you—but interspersed are charming antique patterns and illustrations that give it the feel of a vintage scrapbook, perhaps one found at any of the estate sales they frequent. Also throughout are tips, advice and insights. It’s a celebration of organized abundance and personal style, with more than a dash of humor. rizzoliusa.com


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