Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1533677
Clockwise: Original beadboard was salvaged and repainted in Farrow & Ball Joa's White. Vintage kitchen sink and plumbing from LooLoo Design, Round Top. Grace Mitchell, Leanne Ford. I nterior designer Brandon Fontenot arrived mid-project to assist with the gut renovation of his clients' 7,000 square-foot 1970s Memorial-area house, where he found cavernous rooms with soaring ceilings. "The husband wanted it to be very contemporary, and she wanted it to be a little sweeter," Fontenot says. The designer warmed things up by lowering the ceilings and adding "wing" walls to create designated living spaces. "It was still quite open, but it also felt more traditional," he says. The entry gallery sets the tone for the rest of the house, blending vintage and modern influences. A '70s travertine center table pays homage to the architecture, while a massive white oak front door leans slightly farmhouse. A circular lighting pendant by Josef Hoffmann, originally designed in the early 20th century, "is very clean but with decorative embellishments," Fontenot says. Nearby, a minimalist wall sculpture by Donald Judd hangs above a scroll-arm chair by George Mulhauser, an industrial designer known for his innovative use of molded plywood in mid-century modern furniture. A 100-year-old Turkish rug with a geometric pattern feels modern, paired with the wife's unadorned 17th-century Tuscan cabinet, which is crisp enough to hold its own in a contemporary setting. "I wanted everything to have some history to it, but still be respectful of the modernist nature of the house," Fontenot says. In a lounge area that opens off the entry, the designer chose a sculptural sofa by Pierre Augustin Rose and a low coffee table by Axel Vervoordt, made from a chunk of slate. "Without a wall, everything is kind of floating in space, so I wanted the furniture to feel solid with strong architecture," he says. Two vintage 1940s Otto Schultz chairs are tufted in chenille, lending the softness that the wife desired. "That's why we also have chairs in the dining room with seats that are tufted," he says. The fabric is a modern version of a traditional checkerboard pattern, which the designer had woven by the historic French textile maker Le Manach. The bright, gallery-like interiors are filled with collectible, refined furnishings. In the study are a vintage Jules Leleu rug and Pierre Jeanneret desk, and in the living room, a vintage Franco Albini chair and ottoman. Draperies throughout the house were made from "hundreds of yards" of exquisite Holland & Sherry sheer wool. Fontenot countered any hint of preciousness with warmer, rustic elements, such as a coffee table he had made in Belgium from a slab of 17th-century chestnut. The study's ceiling is covered in planks of white oak, and a saw-cut edge was used on the Belgian bluestone countertops in the powder bath. "It's something you might see Custom sofa, after Jean-Michel Frank, in Rose Uniacke corduroy. Coffee table made from 17th-century chestnut. French 1950s magazine stand, after Jacques Adnet. Holland & Sherry wool drapery fabric.