Luxe: Art & Soul

Art & Soul International modern and Pop art inspires a Houston-area home’s eye-catching interiors.

Interior Design: Nina Magon and Nataly Montoya, Contour Interior Design, Inc.

W R I T T E N BY C H R I S T I N E D E O R I O P H O T O G R A P H Y BY D O U G L A S F R I E D M A N

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hile this home with a soaring, prow-like form punctuating a landscape east of Houston is a recent addition to its neighborhood, its genesis began decades ago—when the owner’s mother, a patron of the arts, began purchasing modern and Pop art pieces by up-and-coming artists destined to become household names. When those works were passed down to family several years ago, one son and his wife gave a design team the assignment of a lifetime: incorporate his share into a residence honoring the art while making a bold statement about modern design. “Deciding which pieces to put in the house was like shopping at an art gallery,” says interior designer Nina Magon.

In collaboration with her lead designer Nataly Montoya, Magon worked within a sleek shell designed by architect Rob Clark of Architectural Alliance, Inc. and built by Michael Jenkins of Jenkins Construction, Inc., adding finishes and creating a spare yet livable backdrop for works by Willem de Kooning, Jim Dine, Robert Kushner, Jim Sullivan and Andy Warhol, among others, as well as acquisitions made by the owners. In the living room, for example, one of de Kooning’s vibrant and loosely rendered depictions of the female form pops against a fireplace wall clad with dark porcelain slabs. An adjacent wall accommodates a diptych by Chinese-born American contemporary artist Hung Liu. “I wasn’t sure I wanted it in the new house,” the wife notes of the evocative piece, “but Nina hung it here and I love it now.”

Magon’s keen eye produced a similar result in the dining room, where she centered a more understated abstract work by American artist Philip Smith on the wide white wall behind the dining table. “It was one of the pieces that spoke to me most,” she recalls. “I said, ‘I want to see that when I walk into the house.’ ” The wife had similar convictions about Warhol’s iconic Marilyn Gray hanging above the main bedroom’s channel-tufted headboard wall. “My husband bought that for my birthday because I’ve always wanted a Marilyn,” she says. “I didn’t receive it until after we had chosen everything for the bedroom, but I think it looks like the space was designed around it.”

These aren’t the only stars in residence. Striking architectural details—including a monolithic stacked-stone wall that slices through the house— and a mix of classic modern furnishings also vie for the spotlight. In an intimate seating area just beyond the tower-like entry, a colorful rug anchors an arrangement of curvy, velvet-upholstered seats and nesting tables finished in black glass and ebony wood. In the adjacent living room, a brass lamp, custom leather benches and a pair of handforged iron coffee tables—one topped with Carrara marble, the other with glass—mingle with sleek, white-leather sectional sofas. And in the dining room, an illuminated sculpture David Cargill made for the husband’s family in the 1950s presides over an heirloom table and chairs. “It didn’t quite hang straight and was too small for the space,” Magon says of the unique light fixture, “but the client said, ‘This has to be the chandelier,’ so we created that step-up in the ceiling to really show it off.”

Equally thoughtful design moves define the kitchen, where the owners wanted “a clean, modern space with plenty of seating for entertaining,” Magon notes. Richly grained eucalyptus cabinetry panels conceal the refrigerator and adjacent walk-in pantry. A white porcelain slab countertop, which wraps seamlessly up onto the walls, creates a clean backdrop for yet more art—this time colorful zinnias by Puerto Rican painter Rafael Ferrer. A dining table crafted from a rounded slab of oak cantilevers out from the 16-foot-long island to accommodate a quintet of sculptural chairs that swivel to take in views of the property’s resort-style pool and grounds.

Those views were of utmost importance to the owners, who tasked Magon with creating seamless connections between interior and exterior. “One of the ways we accomplished this was with glass,” she says. “There is very little non-transparent wall space on the back side of the house, so from the moment you enter, there’s a strong connection from the front door all the way to the backyard.” Even in the main bathroom, where the soaking tub’s dramatic stage—wrapped top to bottom with gray-striped marble tile— could easily steal the show, Magon directed the eye to the outdoors, where a granite sculpture

by John Van Alstine stands sentinel, offering yet another reminder that this is a home shaped by a lifetime of passionate collecting.

A living room fireplace wall clad in dark porcelain slabs emphasizes Willem de Kooning’s Marilyn, which is suspended from the ceiling. The Roche Bobois Calisto sofa tops a custom Source Mondial rug.

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Above: RH Thaddeus coffee tables anchor the living room’s leather sofas and channel-tufted custom benches, which wear Pindler faux leather. A diptych by Hung Liu and Jim Dine’s My Big Head with a Heart for a Nose, located near the dining room entry, infuse color and energy.

Opposite: Family heirlooms star in the dining room, which includes a client-owned table with chairs reupholstered in a red velvet by Symphony Mills, all sitting below an illuminated sculpture artist David Cargill made for the homeowner’s family decades ago. American artist Philip Smith’s Untitled (Mystic) adds visual interest to the expansive white wall.

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Interior designer Nina Magon collaborated with Snaidero to create the white-laminate-andwood-veneered kitchen cabinetry, punctuated by a Rafael Ferrer painting. Faux leather-upholstered counter chairs from Moe’s surround the custom oak dining top, which cantilevers out from the Casalinea porcelain-topped island below Buba pendants from Viso Lighting.

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Above: The homeowner marvels that the main bedroom seems to have been designed around Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Gray, though in reality the custom bed and wall-mounted headboard, walnut Diamante nightstands by CFC from Noir and Gotham rug from Madison Lily Rugs had already been selected. RH Glass Globe Mobile pendants add extra glamour.

Opposite: Porcelanosa’s Blanco Andes Classico stone surrounding a freestanding tub from Coburn’s with Kallista hardware creates a dramatic focal point in the main bathroom, which overlooks a granite sculpture by John Van Alstine just outside the window.

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“Deciding which pieces to put in the house was like shopping at an art gallery.”

– N I N A M AG O N

The living room opens to an outdoor dining area and swimming pool located just beyond on the property’s resort-like grounds. RH’s Aviara aluminum rectangular dining table and Havana armchairs set a sophisticated tone. In the background is a trio of RH Paloma chaises.

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