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of them. "Much to my disappointment, I found bland, lifeless interiors inside the lovely structures," she writes. Rottet's antidote has been to imbue her projects with exciting interior architecture that manipulates space and light. In Rottet's world, hotels, boardrooms, office lobbies, and penthouses become unexpected platforms for theater, where drama is woven into the design. As Goldberger notes, Lauren Rottet has a gift "for bringing spaces alive in unexpected ways — for making the simple seem rich and complex, and for making the ornate seem cool and serene." Clockwise from top left: Hotel concept, Mexico City. New York residence. Montauk house. Left: Lauren Rottet. Lauren Rottet's debut line of furniture, Rottet Collection, made a splash this summer in New York City at NeoCon, where it earned the Houston-based architect four gold medals, including Best of NeoCon. Rottet is used to the limelight: She's a member of the Interior Design Hall of Fame, joining design heavyweights Frank Gehry, Vladimir Kagan, Art Gensler, and Andrée Putman. And she's sought after by such high-profile clients as Bill Gates, Goldman Sachs, the New York Stock Exchange, and United Talent Agency. Out of necessity came invention. "These are pieces I was looking for, but could never find," she says. "So I made them." For the past 25 years, Rottet has created bespoke furniture for the international luxury high-rises and hospitality projects she designs. Highly sculptural, minimal, and refined, highlights of the collection include the Float series of hardwood and acrylic seating and tables that are visually delicate but pack a big design punch. The Dichroic table incorporates sheets of glass and micro-layers of metal oxide to refract light and produce multiple colors. Her geometric Powerful tables discreetly conceal charging stations and cords. Rottet Collection $800 to $11,000, through rottetcollection.com; to the trade at Lauren Rottet showroom in Chicago Merchandise Mart; and, starting next year, at retail stores and showrooms in Houston, Dallas, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Toronto. ROTTET COLLECTION TAKES TOP PRIZE AT NEW YORK'S NEOCON. 70