Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1354783
O KA co-founder Sue Jones has dreamed of this moment for 22 years, and Anglophiles are rejoicing at the news: The very British furniture and accessories brand's first U.S. store opens this month on West Alabama in the former Wisteria location. (OKA purchased Wisteria several years ago then ultimately sold it.) The 9,000-square-foot emporium carries OKA's full home-furnishings range, including the popular Stafford dining chair, designed by OKA co- founder Lady Annabel Astor. Also look for handcrafted rattan accessories, tableware by fashion designer Adam Lippe, and the blue-and-white Kraak china collection that's a near-exact copy of Ming- and Qing- Crosby Studios OKA OPENING C rosby Studios, the brainchild of rising design star Harry Nuriev, has established C r o s b y S t u d i o s Home, a collection of expressive home goods and loungewear. Nuriev has made a name for himself through collaborations with fashion heavyweights Balenciaga, Valentino, and Nike, as well as Rem Koolhaas OMA and contemporary artist Liam Gillick. With NYC and Moscow as his base, the architect, artist, and designer has garnered acclaim for his design aesthetic and understanding of contemporary culture — The New York Times Magazine hailed him as a pioneering voice in global minimalism. Nuriev says the debut collection for his home collection — which can be experienced in an innovative virtual showroom at BMX's online store that incorporates gaming software and AR technology — captures "what we truly crave when we enter spaces: comfort and stimulation, clarity and calm, and a sexy personal story." Offerings include small home furnishings, from velour dining chairs to rugs shaped like giant socks and shopping bags, and casual wear including overcoats, fleece jackets and sweats, and small accessories. The collection is bold, soft, and oddly inviting, blurring the line between art and design. hbx.com, home.crosbystudios.com. Steven Hempel BIG BOLD, AND BEAUTIFUL period pottery. OKA's first collection of candles and diffusers, The Chronicle Collection, debuts in the Houston store, created by acclaimed French chandler Cire Trudon and fragrance experts Robertet. The Houston store is the first in the brand's rollout of stores in the American South and East Coast. OKA, 3461 W. Alabama St., oka.com/ en-us/houston. Rebecca Sherman Tarma sofa Gonglin Memory box Adam Lippes x OKA china Calverton dining chair, Magnate console, Gradua floor lamp, Costelleni ottoman. Kraak china, Adam Lippes dinnerware collection 48