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68 F or interior designer Jean Liu, blank walls and uncluttered surfaces are just as meaningful in a room as the arrangement of the furniture, acces- sories, and art. Well- considered emptiness creates energy, the yin and yang necessary for harmony. "Negative space is important," she says. "Beautiful things need to breathe." Liu — who was born in Dallas, grew up in California, and returned to Dallas after Harvard grad school in 2002 — derives her preference for disciplined spaces from her Chinese heritage and from her mother, who "loved a Spartan look." In the designer's own work, a little austerity goes a long way. "My aesthetic leans towards a modernist approach," she says. "But I love a mix of styles." The development of Jean Liu Design, founded in 2009, was organic: A friend had enlisted her help in redecorating her house and insisted on paying her. "After that, I was hooked," she says. "One job turned into another, and another." Last year, the company moved into a sunny, spacious studio in the Dallas Design District — command central for Liu's design projects. Liu doesn't shy from bold statements. For the 2017 Hampton Designer Showhouse, she tackled an uninteresting basement by covering its walls with shiplap, giving the space a sense of geography. "It was expected that I'd do a blue-and-white room," she says. "But I wanted to fi gure out a way to modernize it and make it my own." So, she painted the room, with its one window, black. "People said I was insane," she says. "But the black m ade it feel bigger and made the window a focal point. I contrasted it with light-colored contemporary furniture, and antiques purchased from the East End of the island." Several side businesses also keep Liu busy. Six years ago, her family acquired the publicly traded Craft Made furniture company, and she serves on its board. In 2015, Liu founded e-commerce brand Stori Modern, an innovative outdoor furniture company that sells directly to consumers. It's a labor of love that she clearly enjoys. Later this year, she will launch her newest collection, Script, geared to the hospitality sector. "I refer to myself as chief storyteller," says Liu, who reinforces the collections' themes with amusing photography and ART COLLECTOR. INTERIOR DESIGNER. MASTER OF BALANCE. INSIDE THE STUDIO — AND THE YIN AND YANG — OF JEAN LIU'S CREATIVE WORLD. BY REBECCA SHERMAN. PHOTOGRAPHY PÅR BENGTSSON. PRODUCED BY MICHELLE AVIÑA. Andy Singer in his Houston offi ce. The nuts and bolts ROOM TO BREATHE Jean Liu's offi ce is enclosed behind sliding doors made from vintage windows from a Deep Ellum warehouse. On the wall, a framed limited-edition scarf designed by Jonas Wood for Massif Central. Designer Jean Liu (continued on page 70)