Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1110880
Kristen Cole photographed at Forty Five Ten 77 Muñoz's last stop was the venerable Internum, the multi-line contemporary showroom on Kirby Drive that closed its doors in March 2018. The showroom, which she dreamed up while managing Roche Bobois, was financed by the Rangel family, owners of the Roche Bobois franchise in Houston. The showroom was a one-stop shop for just about any name in contemporary Italian furniture. While this made for a beautiful catalog of work, it was also unwieldy, and when ownership pulled the plug, it left a vast hole in the Houston market. But such holes seldom stay empty long, as Muñoz and others started planning not only to keep the important brands in Houston that were once housed at Internum, but to improve the overall experience with editing. The resulting collection of new showrooms gives our city one of the strongest lineups in the world of contemporary furniture. Enter CAM Studio. Muñoz's newest project is a first, in that it's all her own and the first time she can comfortably say that her vision for a showroom has been carried out in its entirety. Teaming with Karen Lantz of Enter Architecture, the new showroom — located in the former Jonathan Adler space at Shops at Arrive on Westheimer and Kirby — received a complete makeover. Designed in the clean, dramatic style in which Minotti presents its collections at Salone del Mobile in Milan, CAM Studio is elegant and thoughtfully laid out. Anchored by Minotti, which in the last decade has become a top seller of luxury Italian contemporary furniture, the showroom hits all the right notes. It has just enough size to experience the collection, but is not so large that it overwhelms. CAM Studio underscores Minotti with other fine lines of furniture, lighting, accessories, and rugs, including Wittmann, the Austrian furniture brand known for its fine leather and handcrafted approach, and Vancouver-based Bocci lighting, important for its customizable lighting solutions. Rounding out the collection is Porro, which has gained a strong reputation for custom closets, and Acerbis, which has classically designed sideboards and entertainment storage solutions. CAM Studio is meant to appeal to clients that have "an educated vision for design and quality," explains Muñoz. "Our clients don't like to accumulate things; they simply want the best of what they own." For Muñoz, CAM Studio represents a new beginning and a bright future. It's finally the showroom she dreamed about all along. CAM Studio, Shops at Arrive, 2800 Kirby Dr., camstudioid.com. Carla Muñoz Acerbis Creso table and Ludwig sideboard. Wittmann Merwyn armchair. Lmited-edition Prestige rug. Wittmann Cut-Grain table. LeeBroom Crescent table lamp.