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PaperCity_September_2025_Houston

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A sculptural plaster staircase designed by Curtis & Windham Architects. Joan Miró lithographs, 1964. Custom mahogany bar with Armac Martin hardware. Vico Magistretti light pendant for Artemide, 1961, through Wannenes. Custom terrazzo flooring from National Terrazzo. W hile the architecture draws f ro m M e d i t e r r a n e a n and Spanish Revival traditions, the interiors reflect a slightly Italian mid-century sensibility, with checkerboard floor tiles, parquet wood flooring, and curved walls in walnut-hued wall paneling. "We wanted it to feel like it was built in the 1920s and remodeled in the 1940s, with some new furniture added in the 1960s," Ashe says. Among the client's inspirations were Villa Borsani and Villa Necchi Campiglio, both significant examples of Milanese residential design. "The client has amazing taste across the board. It's always been my belief that if someone is good with fashion, they are not good with interiors and vice versa. This client has it all." Together, they sourced vintage pieces from international vendors and auctions to bring the interiors to life. "The house is not large and we were so careful not to overcrowd," Ashe says. "Scale was really important, as well as choosing a few important pieces to anchor each room." Every furnishing was selected with an eye toward rarity and provenance. A shapely mid-century American desk with an inlaid top and a reeded oak exterior, sourced from Newel Antiques, commands attention in the study. In the family room, an Osvaldo Borsani armoire in sculpted cerused oak, dating to 1941 and acquired from Piasa in Paris, serves as a functional centerpiece — a nod to the pioneering Italian architect and designer whose early mid-20th-century fine cabinetry featured European Deco influences. Borsani, who designed his personal home, the Villa Borsani, in 1945, produced many iconic furnishings at his factory next door. A handful of standout pieces are found here, including Borsani-designed chairs, a side table, and mirror. There's also seating by Italian furniture designers Afra & Tobia Scarpa, whose work is held in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Louvre. The primary bedroom's lounge chairs and pouf are by Paolo Buffa, who designed furniture with opulent Neoclassical and streamlined Art Deco styles for a well- to-do mid-century clientele. Many of these pieces, such as a pair of Gio Ponti lounge chairs, were acquired through Gallery ARE in Los Angeles, a source known for its deep roster of rare 20th-century European design. The River Oaks house also features bespoke touches, including a custom coffee table by North Carolina artist Sam Stewart and a striking green marble dining table by New York's ABC Stone. Throughout, vintage French and Italian lighting adds artistic and historical depth, with chandeliers by Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte and Angelo Lelli for Arredoluce, as 93

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