Building a new nest or refeathering an old one? Either way, we can probably agree that the bedroom is life’s most personal space, a retreat that should look good and feel good. After all, we spend about a third of our lives in our bedrooms. Meet Houston designer Karen Pulaski, who has devoted the last
Nosy Questions for Mariquita Masterson
Mariquita Masterson is well known to Houstonians as the designer namesake of the jewelry store/workshop nestled in the boutique shopping center at the foot of River Oaks Boulevard. The Mexico City native, who moved to Houston in 1957, says that she was first inspired to make her bold trademark jewelry while working with a glassblower
Nosy Questions for Bradley Brooks
It’s hardly possible to live in River Oaks and be unaware of the neighborhood’s two glorious house museums, Rienzi and Bayou Bend. As a new docent-in-training at Bayou Bend, I was thrilled to meet the man currently responsible for overseeing its priceless collection of early American furniture, paintings and decorative artifacts. Curator Bradley Brooks manages
Nosy Questions for Leslie Sinclair
If you love high-end interior design, you’ve probably read the words “Segreto finishes.” Maybe it was in an MLS listing or on Houzz.com or in Architectural Digest. But you might be surprised to learn that Segreto – the word is Italian for “secret” – is a Houston company founded and run by Leslie Sinclair. She
7 Nosy Questions with John Mixon, owner of Blast Trash Can Cleaners
What’s the single grossest thing at your home? Chances are it’s your garbage bin, the nasty outdoor one with the cruddy food spills, dripped paint and who knows what else in there. If you’re like me, my daily deposit of kitchen refuse into the outdoor bin is usually accomplished by lifting the lid with just
Nosy Questions with Greg Schenck
Houston’s go-to floor company – for both exquisite new floors and the restoration of old floors – is Schenck & Company. Owner/namesake Greg Schenck (photo at right) bought the fledgling company from a buddy more than 35 years ago. He had no background installing floors or woodworking, but that did not dampen his enthusiasm or
Nosy Questions for Gil Schafer
American architect Gil Schafer is known for creating personal and timeless homes that celebrate the lives of their owners. They are spaces intended for making and keeping memories. To that end, Schafer’s brand-new book, A Place to Call Home: Tradition, Style, and Memory in the New American House (Rizzoli, $55) pulls back the curtain on
Post-Harvey: 9 Questions for Leash Yu
Since Hurricane Harvey, Houstonians have had hundreds of questions about flood claims, building codes and buying up water-damaged properties as future investments. Li-Hsi “Leash” Yu, president of Agency Yu, Inc.* in West University, recently came to the Greenwood King office on Kirby Drive to talk about flooding (and its aftermath) from the insurer’s point of
Nosy Questions with John Sebastian
The eponymous founder of the Sebastian Construction Group was George Sebastian, a Dallas native and self-trained architect. Returning home from service in the Pacific during World War II, he founded his building company in 1948 in response to Dallas’ rapidly expanding population. Gradually the company transitioned from middle-market construction to high-end construction, focusing on the
A Chat with Gregg Thompson of Thompson + Hanson
Thompson + Hanson, the high-end nursery with the dreamy retail shop located on West Alabama at Joanel, first sold Christmas trees in the early 1990s, about a decade after its founding in 1981. However, the surprise success of the nursery’s on-site restaurant Tiny Boxwoods subsequently required so much space that partners Gregg and Lance Thompson stopped the