Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1488935
L os Angeles interior designer Natasha Baradaran's new upholstery leather made from cactus is an industry-first alternative to conventional animal leather — and there are a lot of reasons to love it. Soft and sturdy, Baradaran's trademarked Livwell Cactus Leather is cultivated from native cactus species on a USDA Organic- certified ranch in Central Mexico, grown without herbicides or pesticides and sustainably nurtured by natural rainfall, earth minerals, and natural techniques to stimulate the micro-flora in the ground. Unlike many animal hides that are tanned with harsh chemicals, Baradaran's cactus leather is produced with nontoxic methods and is biodegradable. The vegan leathers come in 17 subtle, earth-inspired colors and textures. At Alan Knight & Associates, 150 Turtle Creek Blvd., allan-knight.com. Rebecca Sherman Cactus Flower L ast year, two of Austin's l o n g t i m e p i o n e e r s o f cool joined forces. Larry McGuire's MMH (Perla's Seafood & Oyster Bar, Elizabeth Street Café, Josephine House) welcomed Liz Lambert (Hotel San José, Saint Cecilia) and officially became MML Hospitality. The partners' first major collaboration (along with MMH co- founder Tom Moorman) was the Hotel Saint Vincent, a 19th-century New Orleans infant asylum turned design- forward oasis attracting a starry clientele along Magazine Street. Now there's a stable of buzzy MML projects — several hotel and dining concepts have been quietly announced — extending the firm's unique vision well beyond Austin city limits. There's Mountain Chalet, a 1950s-built lodge at the base of Aspen Mountain (acquired for $68 million) to be preserved and rejuvenated by the MML team. Aspen recently welcomed the second Clark's Oyster Bar (Houston will receive the third) and a new concept, Las Montañas, offering elevated Tex-Mex at 7,910 feet. Of course, there's still plenty of MML magic in the works for Austin, a city whose modern image both Lambert and McGuire have helped define. The upcoming Sixth & Blanco development, located at the intersection of West Sixth and Blanco streets, will be designed by powerhouse Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron (it's their first project in Texas) and built from mass-timber, occupying a city block of existing shops and homes built in the 1920s. MML also announced that three new restaurants — Rosie's, Howard's, and Pecan Square Café — would join Swedish Hill and the original Clark's Oyster Bar, ensuring an aesthetic foothold along an evolving West Sixth Street. mmlhospitality.com. Caitlin Clark MML: Austin & Beyond Above: Natasha Baradaran's Livwell Cactus Leather. Below: Baradaran at the ranch where organic cacti are cultivated for her vegan leathers 78