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60 A STARCHITECT IN OUR MIDST LAUREN ROTTET FURTHER SEALS HER NOTORIETY WITH A NEW DESIGN BOOK. Shelby Hodge longs for a drafting table. Photography Johnny Than. S ince the publication of her first book 17 years ago, interiors architect Lauren Rottet has secured her po- sition at the zenith of the design world. As president and founding principal of Houston-based Rottet Studio, she is renowned for her office design for Fortune 100 companies and hotels (New York Stock Exchange, Goldman Sachs, The Surrey hotel, The Beverly Hills Hotel) as well as her furniture collection, which speaks to her penchant for sophisticated, con- temporary glamour. This intense productivity, she explains, is the main reason that it has taken almost two decades to complete her second book, Authentic Design: Lauren Rottet and Rottet Studio, published by Rizzoli. To celebrate the October launch of the 15-year retrospective, a coterie of designers, sophisticates, and clients gathered for a book signing at the Memorial-area home of entrepreneur Kevin Stolle. The cocktail-hour excitement revolved around both the book and the house, Rottet's first complete residential design project. Several years ago, Stolle approached her with a Mediterranean villa in mind — clearly far removed from her modern aesthetic. Rottet first turned down the opportunity, then relented. She recalled the conversation: "We'll do the spirit of Mediterranean, indoor-out- door, beautiful materials of the land, but it will be contemporary." While almost two decades between books is a lifetime in pub- lishing (her first was Lauren Rottet: The Substance of Style), for Rottet timing was everything. Rizzoli, whom she had wanted as publisher, approved of her treatise, and famed architecture critic Paul Goldberger signed on to write the introduction. "I'm so glad I waited," she said, "because, it was exactly what I wanted — Rizzoli and Paul Goldberger." BOOKED: Susie Criner, Al Ross, Anne Breux, Lynn Zeid, Anita Smith, Sir Mark Haukohl, Jory Alexander, Richard Shelley, Abbey Branch, Kevin Hamey, Ginny Hightower, Vince Flickincher, Maksim Koloskov, Lauren Loreman, Lisa Pope Westerman, Anja Majkic, Tony Gibson, and Diana Dimasi. See more Shelby Hodge at PaperCitymag.com. Ceron Lauren Rottet, Darian Ward Anne Breux, Charles Cobb Vassili Tsipiamitis Backyard firepit Victoria Keller, Mandy Smith Jennifer Grewal, Lynn Zeid Lauren Rottet with book Rene Locke, Lisa Pope-Westerman Ane Rocha, Laura Loreman Kyle Rottet, Katie Rottet Lauren Rottet, Anita Smith Marta Fredricks Diani Dimasi Sir Mark Haukohl Kevin Stolle, Melody Faircloth