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ART + DECORATION 66 H ome developer Carol Isaak Barden finished her last spec house just before Harvey hit. Afterwards, it didn't feel right to take contractors and builders away from residents in need of their services; the time was right for a personal shift. At dinner one evening, she spotted a mirror on a restaurant wall and had to have it. She procured the name of the manufacturer in L.A., who had also made the mirrors in the Wynn hotel in Las Vegas, and hunted him down. Soon Barden fell down a mirror-making rabbit hole, and her new business, Munson Mirrors, was born. Mirrors have been a life-long infatuation for the design- obsessed Barden — a passion she inherited from her mother, Helen Munson, the company's namesake. Barden's career Through the LOOKING GLASS I n the Upper Kirby District, BeDesign (2016 West Alabama), HQ for European luxury furnishings from Paola Lenti, Fendi Casa, Molteni&C, and Zanotta, has secured the Houston exclusive on the impressive trio of B&B Italia, Flexform, and Lema. Watch these pages for upcoming news from BeDesign's innovative CEO Adrián Dueñas and lead designer Marcelo Saenz … A game-changing gallery that was part of the downtown revival in the late 1990s and early 2000s is relaunching in River Oaks. Nancy Littlejohn Fine Art has been on hiatus for more than a decade and reopens in a prime spot at 3465 B West Alabama, around the block from Found. The inaugural exhibition, set for Friday, January 18, 2019, presents a solo for Houston painter Paul Kremer (who has his own buzz going with recent shows in San Francisco, Detroit, Brussels, Marfa, and L.A.). The gallery's 5,000-square-foot space has a modernist vibe, and its proximity to the RO collecting crowd promises to make it a player in the Houston gallery scene. Littlejohn has tapped Emily Griffith, formerly of Lynn Goode Vintage, as gallery director; her art chops include a stint at Manhattan dealer Marian Goodman Gallery. Catherine D. Anspon DESIGN + Art Buzz A rmed with 20 years' experience in the high-end European furniture industry and a bachelor's in international business, Carla Munoz will open CAM Studio in the former Jonathan Adler space at Shops at Arrive (formerly West Ave) in February. Munoz managed Internum for more than six years before the modern furniture emporium closed this summer. Italian manufacturers in Internum's stable, such as Minotti, who wanted to continue both their presence in Houston and their relationship with Munoz will be part of CAM Studio's Design Buzz CAM Studio as a contributing editor for Southern Accents, Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, and PaperCity took her all over the globe. Along the way, she scooped up ornate and delicate mirrors, from Murano and Asia. In her stately Upper Kirby townhome, she utilized them both indoors and out, making the space feel open and airy. "Mirrors can really open a room and expand it in size," she says. "They are also very sexy at night — the way the light and reflections bounce sets a certain tone." As with her development projects, Barden is committed to high- quality details. She uses glass by Tru Vu, the best produced in the United States, with higher-quality reflection and no distortion. Many of her frames are made in Italy, constructed of wood (hard to find these days, as most frames are now resin), utilizing the old-fashioned miter-box method. Some frames are hand-finished with gold leaf. A fine arts framer in Houston then assembles the mirrors. Barden has produced top-of-the- line boxes to ship her mirrors securely to clients around the world via her website. From $800, at Thompson + Hanson, Westheimer Plumbing & Hardware, munsonmirrors.com. Anne Lee Philips lineup, along with other fine European furniture, lighting, rugs, and accessories. New lines include Porro, Riva 1920 (whose wood Speed table with an asymmetrical leg is a personal favorite of Munoz's), Wittmann, Acerbis, and Draenert, along with lighting from Bocci and Lasvit. CAM Studio joins Casa and Ligne Roset at Shops at Arrive, making the center a design destination for fine modern furniture. CAM Studio, camstudioid.com. Anne Lee Phillips JENNY ANTILL CLIFTON JULIE SOEFER Carol Isaak Barden Munson Mirrors in Barden's Upper Kirby home Minotti Alexander sectional, Tape armchair and settee