Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/126363
INSIDE THE NEST OF NICOLE MUSSELMAN CALIFORNIA WHIRL B Y AMY ADAMS. PHOTO G RA PHY J ENNY ANT IL L. W hen fashion designer Nicole Musselman tells you she likes the yin and yang of things, she isn't just spouting New Age babble. A love of juxtaposition touches every facet of her life, particularly when it comes to her home. Works by L.A. artist James Gilbert get equal billing with her 7-year-old son Henry's Miró-inspired school projects. Highly textured rugs punctuate the concrete floor. Vivid splashes of color contrast the sleek white furniture. Contemporary classics comfortably coexist with flea-market finds. And witty touches such as the is-it-a-goat-or-a-dinosaur? sculpture by Patrick Page Sutter cut the austerity. For more than eight years, this quintessential So-Cal blonde has owned Koch (pronounced "cook"), a line carried at both Cabana and Calypso in Dallas. Burgeoning business has meant relocation to an airy studio space in Bishop Arts, a scene Musselman favors due to its preponderance of great restaurants. Mom, son and rescue dog Murphy have been in the circa-1969 modern house for less than a year. And while it's still a work in progress, the space already exudes the kind of lived-in appeal that makes guests feel like pulling up a chair alongside Musselman's patio chaise longue. She logs plenty of hours there listening to music, flipping through magazines for inspiration, jotting down ideas in her ever-present Moleskine notebooks and keeping a watchful eye on Henry as he swims in the pool. Following, she gives us a piece of her mind. Nicole Musselman Henry and rescue dog Murphy Henry Boykin Alex Winnubst with Musselman at the Koch studio MOTTO: "DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO IN ORDER TO DO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO."