Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1094653
58 people didn't have fences and didn't have to lock doors." Almost as unique as the development is the decision to lease the buildings to creatives. But it's unsurprising if you know Esfahani and Tringhese, who own additional properties long-leased to creative types, like the Persa compound across from St. Anne's that houses 20th- century furniture store Galerie Novella and Meg Lonergan Interiors. "Somebody special has to be in there. That's kind of how I feel about all of my spaces," Tringhese says over coffee at Giacomo's, her go-to meeting haunt. Of the cottages, she says, "We really wanted to create a creative community, so we were very selective with the tenants to foster the vibe that we wanted — to make it special and feel different." Retail offerings include interior design shops Paloma Contreras and Devon Liedtke's new Paloma & Co, a second location for Renea Abbott's Shabby Slips, Suzanne Duin's Maison Maison, and Roseanette Navarro Interiors; and fashion boutiques Alchemia and Cooperativa. On the wellness front is Restored Motion Pilates + Yoga. Interior design firms Jennifer Barron Interiors, Jackson Warren Interiors, and Tokerud + Co., and marketing agency Swiggard Creative maintain offices in additional cottages. "We want a village, community-like feel," Tringhese says. "Jennifer Barron is able to walk to Matt Camron to select rugs and to Paloma & Co for accessories for her projects. Hannah Swiggard does social media for some of the tenants. It's nice that everyone can collaborate." Further enhancement of the block is to come. After the seven relocated cottages joined the existing buildings on site, the exteriors were unified with a crisp coat of white paint; interiors are left up to the tenants. Abbott added historic dentil molding to her cottage, and Duin wallpapered hers to the hilt in all the right ways. Giacomo's, which will be refaced with white wood siding, will have potted olive trees and outdoor seating on the newly constructed back patio — the ideal spot for an aperitif after shopping. The Matt Camron cottage fronting Westheimer will be painted white with a new awning, and the warehouse will be repainted also, likely in a shade of gray. Tringhese also plans to add plaques telling the histories of the buildings, which are as diverse and charming as the cottages themselves. Two are originals from West University Place, one dating to 1927, the other to 1931. (West University, the oldest residential development on Houston's West side, was subdivided in 1917 and incorporated in 1925.) One building was a humble garage apartment from the 1930s; another originally stood on a strawberry farm in Pasadena. The Balaban house, built in 1928, was owned by a Ukrainian immigrant and father of five — the family had many income sources, including a small dairy operation in which the children delivered milk to the neighbors. "There is so much development going on in Houston, and this is kind of the opposite of all those high-rise projects," Tringhese says. "We will continue to add to this project and hope that it will be here for a long time." KERRY KIRK PHOTOGRAPHY KERRY KIRK PHOTOGRAPHY KERRY KIRK PHOTOGRAPHY Paloma & Co Paloma & Co Paloma & Co Shabby Slips Shabby Slips (continued from page 56)