Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1044932
ART + DECORATION 68 W hat better way to celebrate 20 years in business than to expand. Interior designer Cindy Witmer Olrik of Cindy Witmer Designs has done just that, with the opening of her new store, CWD Studio & Home, in the Spring Branch area (near IKEA). Equal parts home-and-gift boutique and design studio, the 2,000-square- foot space stocks hard-to-find work from local pop artist Reagan Corbett of ReagART and luxury jewelry by Bella Madre, alongside furnishings, hostess gifts, lighting, and accessories. Look for the cute white brick house with the CWD Studio & Home Arrives A n 80th birthday is always a big deal — especially if you're a Rome Prize painter at the top of his game. Cue t h e f o u r- day pop-up exhibition "A Celebration of the Houston Art Community: Earl Staley 80/80 Vision," opening at Deborah Colton Gallery Thursday, November 1, 6 to 9 pm (through November 4). The title refers to 80 portraits by the senior master — likenesses of Houston art-world notables FACE OFF D utch design company Moooi amps up the evening atmosphere with its new Meshmatic chandelier, which casts an elaborate net of shadows on the ceiling. Designed by Rick Tegelaar in galvanized steel and brass, it's the latest from the company co-founded by Marcel Wanders. Moooi Meshmatic chandelier, $3,886, available at Light, 4202 Richmond Ave., thelightcompany. net. Rebecca Sherman DESIGNING WOMEN ON FERNDALE F erndale's lineup of fabled shops just received a dose of fresh energy. Three charming, knowledgeable women are bringing their distinctive vision to the district: Upper Kirby Consignment's Colleen Smith and Peggy Strode and Courtney Barton of Mela & Roam. Friends for seven years, the trio has exhibited together at The Arbors during Round Top's antique fairs. Now they've beautifully integrated their wares within the expansive interiors of The Gray Door; Gray Door owner Donna Brown CASTING SHADOWS black-and-white-striped awning and chic metal roof. CWD Studio & Home, 1403 Whispering Pines, cindywitmer designs.com. Anne Lee Phillips including artists, gallerists, critics, and curators. The visages are rendered in Staley's inimitable expressionist style that made him one of the most sought- after artists of the scene, with a resume that boasts two Contemporary Arts Museum Houston solos, inclusion in the American Pavilion at the 1984 Venice Biennale, and a Houston Grand Opera commission for the set and costumes of Faust. Paired with the portraits on canvas are works on paper featuring a mythological cast of Staley's signature mermaids and satyrs, alongside a selection of ceramics bearing dragon heads, iconography gleaned during his time at the American Academy in Rome in the early 1980s. Prices for this historic show, which doubles as a birthday bash for Staley, are affordable, with watercolors starting at $100, ceramics at $45, and portraits a mere $500. deborahcoltongallery.com. Catherine D. Anspon runs her design business in a boutique space carved from the 2,100 square footage. "We make house — and storage — calls," says Strode laughing. Pedigreed pieces from owners downsizing from their John Staub and Birdsall Briscoe homes, caught our attention: a handsome English Carlton House desk circa 1880, an antique suit of armor, and a Gilbert Rohde for Herman Miller credenza set up as a cocktail bar. All were affordably priced, between $1,500 and $3,200. Adding to the mix is a wall of cotton dohar blankets, antique textiles, and pillows, personally sourced and designed by Barton. Upper Kirby Consignment and Mela & Roam at The Gray Door, 2912 Ferndale, melaandroam.com, ukconsignment.com. Catherine D. Anspon COURTESY THE ARTIST AND DEBORAH COLTON GALLERY Earl Staley's Richard Stout, 2018, at Deborah Colton Gallery Upper Kirby Consignment's Peggy Strode and Colleen Smith and Mela & Roam's Courtney Barton at 2912 Ferndale KERRY KIRK PHOTOGRAPHY JENNY ANTILL CLIFTON Moooi Meshmatic chandelier