Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1420844
T he new studio space for Sees Design i s m o o d y a n d mysterious. Located next door to The Charles — an Italian re s t a u r a n t a n d lounge designed by brothers Corbin and Ross See — the 800-square-foot studio is where the Sees design team works and meets with residential design clients. Like The Bar Charles, which was a garage before it was transformed into a glamorous eatery SEES DESIGN'S NEW STUDIO IN THE DALLAS DESIGN DISTRICT IS A CREATIVE WORKSPACE WITH A SMOLDERING EUROPEAN VIBE. and champagne bar, the studio space has undergone a dramatic transformation from its previous life as a locksmith storefront. "The space itself was nothing special, so the idea was to make the walls disappear with black paint and let the furniture and lighting do the talking," Corbin says. Antiques and contemporary furnishings mingle in a fascinating push-pull of styles, eras, and provenance. An ornate Louis XVI-style desk, made in France in the 1950s, is juxtaposed with several Anglo-Indian hammered-metal chairs covered in Perennials tiger velvet, along with a mid-20th-century George Nelson Bubble light pendant. Russian- red leather chairs, made in Italy by Cassina, join a polished French 1940s dining table that was once in Corbin's house but now serves as a conference table. There's a seating area with French Art Deco leather club chairs, a footed plaster table by John Dickinson, and a stunning inlaid veneer armoire made by Dallas artisan D.H. Phillips. Michael Eastman's large photographs of grand and decaying interiors and façades in Cuba lend a mysterious air. Cassina table. Vintage Anglo-Indian chairs in Perennials fabric. Nelson Bubble pendant from DWR. Dessin Fournir bookcase. Sees Design principals Ross See, Corbin See Vintage club chair and ottoman. Rug from The Rug Company. Custom cabinet D.H. Phillips. Dessin Fournir chinoiserie panel. John Dickinson side table from David Sutherland Showroom. PHOTO GREER INEZ. (Continued) 107