PaperCity Magazine

October 2013 - Houston

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The homeowner and his loyal canine savor the garden, which is the site of intimate, often impromptu fêtes spring and fall. ARENA'S ROOST A PEEK INSIDE THE HISTORIC MONTROSE RESIDENCE OF THE FAMOUSLY PRIVATE, PRODIGIOUSLY TALENTED RUSTY ARENA. CATHERINE D. ANSPON DELVES INTO THE DNA OF ARENA DESIGN. PHOTOGRAPHY JACK THOMPSON. The year was 1978. A promising HSPVA grad spotted a crumbling, albeit graceful, two-story stucco Montrose residence and knocked, seeking the upstairs rental for the next chapter in his life. Thirty-five years later, Arena Design is celebrating a quarter century, and its eponymous founder, Rusty Arena, now owns the handsome, restored circa-1910 residence that he entered that day long ago. Famed equally as a wizard of wallpaper and maestro of fabric, his work has graced interiors from the Kips Bay Show House to special projects for Bunny Williams, including a lavish current commission for a yacht moored in the Mediterranean. What has been OCTOBER | PAGE 58 | 2013 constant throughout has been this house, which has evolved along with Arena yet always remained a showplace for his classic and coveted textile creations and wall coverings. TELL US THE SAGA OF YOUR REMARKABLE RESIDENCE — AND HOW IT CAME TO BE YOUR OWN. My house was built in 1910, according to city records. Audubon Place was not established until 1912, so I think this was one of the first houses in the neighborhood. Due

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