Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1465757
A rtist Jaime Loera's b u n g a l o w i s filled with good furniture, good art, and good vibes. Nothing is off limits, and everything is there to touch, to spark conversation, to enjoy. "When you come to my house, it's like a hug," he says. "You want to sit down, maybe grab a book or pick up something on the table and study it." Even the furniture is welcoming. Drop by, and he might direct you to one of the vintage leather Cassina armchairs in the living room. "I love sitting in them because the seat just feels like it's holding you. That's the way the house feels as well." Loera, 38, moved into the old Montrose bungalow two years ago; he thinks it was built around the same time the neighborhood was developed in 1911. It's in the leafy enclave called Cherryhurst, "one of the best-kept secrets in Montrose because no one knows where it is," he says. Montrose attracts a cultured, bohemian crowd, and Cherryhurst in particular has a concentration of artistic types — interior designer Michael Viviano lives next door, and Brandon Fontenot, also an interior designer, lives a few blocks away. "The neighborhood vibe is wonderful. I walk everywhere," Loera says. When he's not at his day job teaching art to middle schoolers, Loera strolls to the nearby park with his French bulldog, Fulang Chang — named after Frida Kahlo's pet spider monkey — or he a heads to JuiceLand or Anvil Bar & Refuge on Westheimer Road. Artists often live in worlds that are contemplative and sometimes secluded, so Loera likes the interaction with people he passes on the street. "Everyone is friendly. When you get to know your neighbors, you don't feel so alone," he says. ARTIST IN ESIDENCE BY REBECCA SHERMAN. INTERIOR DESIGN GARRETT HUNTER. PHOTOGRAPHY PÄR BENGTSSON. ART DIRECTION MICHELLE AVIÑA. JAIME LOERA'S MONTROSE BUNGALOW RESONATES WITH HIS OWN DREAMLIKE ARTWORKS AND PEDIGREED FURNISHINGS (Continued) 62