We loved being a part of this unique and very custom home with designer Nicholas Proietti at the helm and Allan Edwards Builder coordinating the team!

Published in Architectural Digest and well written by Amy Bradford with lovely photography by none other than Douglas Friedma, we were challenged artistically to achieve Nicolas’s vision! I wanted to share some excerpts of the article with a few behind-the-scenes comments!

The secluded, leafy enclave of Memorial Park in Houston, Texas is probably the last place you’d expect to find a grand Moroccan-inspired home, which lends this opulent 13,000 square-foot residence an extra frisson of maximalism. Designed for an entrepreneur couple with a young family, it had already been lived in for several years before Nicholas Proietti, of San Francisco interiors studio Nicholas Vincent, gave it a complete overhaul. The centerpiece of the house is the formal living room, with its sweeping purple drapery and a handcrafted ceiling featuring neon accents.

Using Nicolas’s inspirations of his many trips to Marrakech, together we stylized a design full or color and enhance with gold leaf details fitting for this entrance into the primary bedroom suite.

There was some serendipity at work: the house already had various Moroccan-inspired details that informed the new design (including arches, columns, ceiling beams and limestone floors), and Proietti, having spent time in Marrakech, adored the city’s style. “The clients wanted a big change, which meant a lot of layers and vibrant colours,” he explains. Proietti, who has a flair for custom-designed elements, set to work commissioning his network of artisans to create ornate plasterwork, hand-stencilled walls, fretwork screens and intricate tiling, all rendered in a jewel-box palette of inky black, deep purple, sapphire blue and ruby red. Highlights of gold and white bring the interior to life, but the mood is predominantly dark and seductive.

One thing I adore about my job is to be able to work alongside some incredibly talented people! It was amazing to watch the artisans place each metal detail by hand individually perfectly lining them up!

The blue principal bedroom wows with its tent-style velvet ceiling canopy, and there are two cocktail bars – one in gold for large gatherings, and another more intimate tented area. “The owners love to entertain, which was key to the design,” says Proietti, who ordered all the tilework for the project directly from Morocco and tapped suppliers in LA for decorative lighting and accent furniture. “With all the drapery layers, they can enjoy spaces that are private when closed off or opened as ‘reveal’ rooms for maximum dramatic effect.”

This space really has such a majestic depth to it, using its different textures and rich tones to tantalize all of one’s senses.

Walls upholstered in Chivasso velvet and a tented ceiling in Dedar silk evoke the ambiance of a Bedouin tent. The bed (by Noir) and oak and marble nightstands by Holly Hunt over a vintage Moroccan rug by Stark. The day bed is by Sloan Miyasato, Peacock mirror by Moxie and the chandelier is a vintage iron and glass piece by Design Mix.

The brass wall to the right is the entrance into the bedroom, the fretwork is the entrance to the bath and one the left we continued the designs from the entrance of the primary suite on panels which hid an upstairs coffee bar and storage.

A custom wooden fretwork divider flanked by a hand-painted wall. Antique Punjabi chair and footstool.

The primary bath was our biggest challenge. Embedding mosaic mirror into venetian plaster on the underside of the arches framing the vanity was a first for us. It took many trial runs in our shop to figure out how to flush out the thickness of the Indvidual mosaics with the thin layers of venetian plaster. The end result achieved an amazing effect. We also plastered the shower in a tadelakt plaster, creating a serenity to the space allowing your eye to focus on the inlayed mosaic floors and posts.

The primary bathroom features custom Moroccan tile-clad columns and floor. The archway is finished in mirror mosaic in plaster. Dornbracht plumbing complement the Bizazza tub.

The walk-in wardrobe features a vintage brass chandelier by Badia designs. The cabinetry is finished with shutters decorated with mirror covered with custom fretwork screens.

A Syrian-style brass chandelier with custom hand-beaded shades in the bar on the upper floor, where bespoke screens inspired by Moroccan archways and traditional tables with mother of pearl inlay are paired with a custom banquette and leather ottomans.

A bespoke wooden fretwork screen frames the garden lounge that features a velvet banquette in fabric by Jab and a swing by Allan Edwards.

This artwork is super cool, it not only reflects images of everything around it but also the pattern from within looks like it goes on eternally. If you look down, up, or to either side you can see never ending pathways of lights shapes and patterns.

The dramatic décor is signposted in the entrance hall, where an illuminated icosahedron sculpture by British-American artist Anthony James holds court.

This space was previously the dining room, where we had distressed and aged beams. With the new direction our team gold leafed the beams. I was initially worried the gold leaf would not read well on a distressed surface. It honestly added a been there character which would not have been relayed as well on a super slick surface.

The garden lounge features a velvet banquette in fabric by Jab, custom rug by Woven Accents and accessories by Moxie and House 2106. The custom swing by Allan Edwards is finished in Nobilis fabric. The doors and screen are by Certafied.

The cabinets, which were light and aged before, transformed dramatically with a rich teal paint. To bring in the feel of Morrocco, we stenciled the beams with complimentary colors and patterns.

Hand-painted ceiling beams by Segreto and vintage brass lanterns by Badia Design and Living Morocco bring regional flair to the kitchen. Counter stools by Moxie and dining chairs by Minotti around a vintage pedestal table

There are so many unique and beautiful elements in this home like this wooden fretwork screen which frames the garden lounge! Nicolas and his team have allowed me to travel vicariously through his vision of this incredible home and learn the artistry from another piece of the world with very diverse cultures. For that, I and the entire Segreto Team are grateful!! check out the rest of the home in AD and also look at the incredible projects from designer Nicholas Proietti of Nicolas Vincent Design and builder Allan Edwards. Till next time! xo Leslie