By "Black paint can hide a multitude of sins,” says Melinda James, partner at Texas-based M. James Design Group. The offending party? A windowless primary bedroom with concrete columns, beige carpet, and exposed HVAC ducts. Part of the Houston loft she and her work-and-life partner, John Thomas James, purchased to use as a pied-à-terre, the room now boasts multiple coats of Black by Benjamin Moore, plus oak flooring, a brass-and-quartz chandelier, and—as on every other inch of wall space in the apartment—tons of art.
Situated on the 17th floor of a modern residential tower, the unit peers out on the Cullen Sculpture Garden, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, some of the Jameses’ favorite haunts when visiting the city. Says Melinda: “It’s our escape to be in the Museum District.”
Initially, though, the 1,400-square-foot rental felt like a void. “One of the biggest challenges...or maybe the most fun part...was giving it architectural details,” John says, “because, in the beginning, this was just a Sheetrock box with a glass wall.” For a more artful experience in the living room, they brought in 11-foot-tall custom bookcases and painted them Black Jack by Benjamin Moore. (Melinda, the firm’s unofficial president of paint, often seeks out a black shade with a brown undertone. “It makes black a little earthier and less intimidating,” John says.)
Two towering antique columns bookend one of the industrial-style concrete ones that are standard in the building, and the couple also installed trim and molding over mirrors “to bring more solidarity” to the room, Melinda says. “My big secret is we really just went and got some pieces of molding and trim from The Home Depot and put ’em on there!”
The couple’s own art collection, ranging from a 1960s Pablo Picasso lithograph to a painting by Houston artist John Ross Palmer, is layered overtop. Their 3D gallery walls, where paintings and charcoal sketches mingle with freestanding sculptures and busts, add dimensionality and an almost museum-like quality to the rooms. “We get so much art, it overflows the walls,” says John, who advises choosing a variety of shapes and sizes for wall art—vertical, horizontal, large, and small—and plenty of vintage pieces for a historical touch. “Search and search and try to make a collection,” says Melinda, “instead of buying everything to match the furniture.”
Living Room
“If you have eight pieces of furniture floating in a room, when you put a rug down, it all kind of becomes one,” says designer John Thomas James. “You want to be where people can just let their breath out and enjoy themselves,” says designer Melinda James.
Chandelier: Thomas O’Brien for Circa Lighting. Sofa: Lillian August. Settee: vintage, in Holland & Sherry wool.
Art: vintage French, Moxie Interiors. Pillow: Kravet. Side table: vintage. Glass display: Arteriors.
“A great non-expensive thing is a mirror, but you have to look at what it’s going to reflect,” Melinda says. Draperies: Holland & Sherry. Sofa: Lillian August for Hickory White. Chairs: Lee Industries (left); custom, in Belgian linen (right). Stool: McAlpine Home. Lamps:
Circa Lighting. Lithograph: Pablo Picasso.
Kitchen
The couple painted existing cabinets, adding new hardware, lights, and an ebonized wood top. Cabinet paint: Wool Peacoat, Benjamin Moore. Pendant light: Peter Bristol for Circa Lighting. Stools: custom by M. James Design Group. Art: Barloga Studios.
The Knoll table seats six for dinner parties and doubles as a work space. Pendants: Kelly Wearstler for Circa Lighting. Chair: Shabby Slips Home. Columns: antique, FOUND. Art: John Ross Palmer.
Primary Bedroom
“I think it’s pretty to add some clean lines,” Melinda says of the couple’s Kelly Wearstler chandelier. Silk bed: custom, Hickory Chair. Paint: Black, Benjamin Moore. Sofa: antique,
Moxie Interiors. Art: prints.
Primary Bathroom
“I looked forever for a black grasscloth for texture, because I did not want to change the tub,” Melinda says. Wallpaper: Ralph Lauren Home. Stool: vintage African Senufo. Rug: Carol Piper Rugs.
Study
“We like to designate a small, cozy TV room,” Melinda says of this interior space. Chair: Suzanne Kasler for Hickory Chair. Sofa: Thomas O’Brien for Century Furniture.
Entry Gallery
No room is too small for a copious display of art. Pendant lights: Thomas O’Brien for
Circa Lighting. Rug: Carol Piper Rugs. Mirror and chair: antique. Console table: custom, Hickory Chair.
Balcony
Leafy trees and potted shrubs soften the view of the city skyline. Dining chair: Palecek. Boxwood planter: Thompson + Hanson.
Tour More of the Home
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