Five Rising Stars
From modern to traditional, these five style gurus are the future of Dallas design.
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MICHAEL SOLIS
Age: 33
Occupation: Capitol Designer, Neiman Marcus, and Furniture Designer
Known for: Innovative, modern, museum-quality furniture. His work is currently being shown at the Denver Art Museum. Michael is one of four American furniture designers asked to participate in the Idee show in Tokyo and is part of G7, a group of Americans who show in Milan. He designs for Totem and Dune in New York City. His work has been published in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, House & Garden, House Beautiful, New York magazine, I.D. Magazine, and Dwell. In 1996, he received the Best New Designer Award from the International Contemporary Furniture Fair. He’s designed retail stores in New York and Dallas, including Kirna Zabete, R 20th Century Design, Stussy, Umlaut, and Starcat.
What caught our eye: See above.
Inspired by: Everyday objects, like a blender or a stack of boxes. Anything with shape and form.
Professional must-have: Butcher paper and felt-tip pen. Michael does not keep a sketchbook.
Personal must-have: Arne Jacobson’s Swan chair, a gift from his wife.
Favorite thing on the market: Rhino liner. It has a beautiful texture and comes in so many different colors. I’d like to design a really cool shape and then spray it with Rhino liner. So far, I’ve only used it in the back of my truck.
Design philosophy: Design is an expression of pure creativity; it expresses who you are.
Design tip: Measure twice; cut once.
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MERSINA STUBBS
Age: 39
Occupation: Interior Designer, Mersina Stubbs Interiors
Known for: Her understanding of color. A fresh approach to traditional French and English interiors.
What caught our eye: Her first major project, 4400 St. Johns Drive, where she mixed the perfect blue.
Inspired by: The beautiful architecture of old hotels in London, New York, and Paris.
Professional must-have: A cell phone.
Personal must-have: White sheets, white towels, and natural light.
Favorite thing on the market: Rose Tarlow’s Melrose House Chippendale dining room chairs.
Design philosophy: Architecturally and spatially, homes from the 1920s and 30s were built for the way we live. I don’t believe in the ballroom bathrooms that are so common in today’s homes; they are a waste of space and essentially incorrect.
Design tip: Mix moderately priced and expensive silk fabrics together: Silk is silk, and sometimes the moderately priced fabrics have more unusual colors. But you can only use this trick with silks, not anything else!
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CATHY FREEMAN-PHILLIPS
Age: Timeless
Occupation: Interior Designer, Catherine Enterprises
Known for: Glamorous Hollywood upbringing and eclectic sense of style. Studied with Bob Denning in New York. Published in Southern Accents.
What caught our eye: Her current project: a 20,000-square-foot house on 40 acres in Cedar Creek Lake.
Inspired by: Italian and French architecture. Rich, vibrant colors: yellow, red, and green. Paris, Capri, and St. Tropez.
Professional must-have: Charles Birdsong lampshades. The first thing Cathy sees when she enters a room is lampshades (Charles Birdsong makes the best).
Personal must-have: Vintage designer dresses, especially Chanel and Halston. She’s wearing her aunt’s dress, an original Coco Chanel.
Favorite thing on the market: Hand-painted Venetian furniture.
Design philosophy: Take your time when decorating. Spend years, not hours, on the process. Pick up pieces from your travels. Buy objects that you love: this is how a house becomes a home.
Design tip: Use a vintage scarf to cover a lampshade lined with white or pink satin. The lining softens the light.
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DAVID DROESE
Age: 36
Occupation: Architect, Droese Raney Architecture
Known for: Droese Raney is all about intellectual, modern spaces: the Zodiac Room in the downtown Neiman Marcus; the Art of Shaving in Bal Harbor, Fla.; the R Room in Washington, D.C.; 4340 Rheims Place; the Dillon residence on Turtle Creek Drive.
What caught our eye: Actually, it was our ear. Ask anyone in design (residential or commercial) “Who’s making a difference in Dallas architecture? and the answer is Droese Raney.
Inspired by: Rudolph Schindler. Steven Holl. Louis I. Khan.
Professional must-have: Custom metal work.
Personal must-have: Eames aluminum Group chair.
Favorite thing on the market: Corian. Especially in white, for kitchens. Very cool.
Design philosophy: Clean. Simple. Pure. David prides himself on not choking clients on what he thinks design should be; he is responsive to clients input and ideas.
Design tip: Make sure you’re working with a good contractor. This will make or break a job. For commercial projects, David likes Wm. C. Welch Contractors, and for residential projects, he likes Travis and Travis.
LANCE RANEY
Age: 38
Occupation: Architect, Droese Raney Architecture
Inspired by: Post-war modernists Rudolph Schindler and Richard Neutra. Comments or
gestures from clients. The way people walk, talk, live, feel.
Professional must-have: Hand-blown glass. Laser-cut metal. There must be a human element or craftsmanship in all spaces; this keeps the interiors real and warm.
Personal must-have: George Nelson desk.
Favorite thing on the market: iPod by Apple.
Design philosophy: Simplicity. Honesty in materials.
Design tip: Relax. Don’t be afraid to use a rock or a piece of rusty metal as an accessory. Find inspiration and beauty in the small things.
