January-March 2013

Issue 13

WHERE IN THE WORLD HOUSTON: OUR FAVORITE “GET FIT” FACILITIES

THE LAURA U TEAM:

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

Laura U at ONE KINGS LANE

ECO|CHIC Tips from Branch Basics

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Letter From Laura

Meet The Team

Coming Soon

Design Envy| Nautical

Design

Laura U| Look

How to get the look

IN EVERY ISSUE

03

06

08

22

10

44

Design Source| EPS Design Featuring the designs of Elizabeth Page Smith.

New For the Night We explore a unique and chic busi-ness, offering rental designer dress-es.

Art Talk: Gremillion & Co.’s

Steven Alexander

Where In the World: Our favor-ite places to get fit!

Branch Basics| Healthy Living

SHOPPING

FEATURES

18

26

30

32

40

Graphic Stripes

Emerald

Leather Forever

Laura on OKL Our boutique on One King’s Lane!

Designer Faves

Pinning and Winning

12

20

42

14

16

24

Letter from Laura Umansky January - March 2013

Laura

06 LAURAU January—March 2013 2013 January—March LAURAU 07

A blank slate, a fresh start,

resolutions galore! I love

the New Year! It is so in-

vigorating to make plans,

brainstorm for new ideas, and put our

grand intentions into action. 2013 prom-

ises to be a big year for Laura U, kicking

off with the Villa de Luxe Showhouse

(check out the Laura U| Blog for details) on February 1st.

Personally, I am tracking the renovation of my own home

via our social media. It has been a great process and I can't

wait to unveil the finished interior! The interior design team

and I are working on fabulous projects, the Collection just

saw a new shipment of vintage items arrive plus continuing

success on our One Kings Lane storefront, and we have

been hard at work to bring you the latest Laura U| Mag!

In this issue we are featuring some of our favorite Houston

businesses to inspire and transform you. "Where in the

World: Houston" showcases some of our designer and cli-

ents' favorite places to work out in the Space City. We have

also spotlighted two local up and coming companies: New

for the Night and Branch Basics. New for the Night puts

an accessible spin on the Rent the Runway model where you

can actually try on the dresses before committing (such a

great idea!). Branch Basics is an adorable local company

founded by two women committed to curing what was ailing

them by ridding their homes of harsh chemicals. We are also

pleased to introduce you to the art of Stephen Alexander an

artist that will be featured in local gallery Gremillion & Co.

in February. Of course, our reoccurring features are rich with

design tips and trends that will look great in your home and

wardrobe today.

Please stay tuned to find out what we brought back from

market (here as I type) and images of our latest interiors and

of my new home. Cheers to a happy, healthy, and beauti-

ful 2013!

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06 LAURAU January—March 2013 2013 January—March LAURAU 07

IT TAKES A VILLAGE: THE LAURA U TEAM

08 LAURAU January—March 2013 2013 January—March LAURAU 09

JENNIFER BEBEE LINHDA TRAN

AFTON BAILY

MELISSA MEYER

LAURA UMANSKY CAROLYN MIGHELL

IT TAKES A VILLAGE: THE LAURA U TEAM

08 LAURAU January—March 2013 2013 January—March LAURAU 09

AFTON BAILY

KIRSTIN TATE

FABIAN SEGURA

CATHERINE SOLOMON BLAIR FOSTER

LETECIA ELLIS

COMING SOON

More STUNNING Laura U Interiors.

Stay up to date at LauraU.com!

10 LAURAU January—March 2013 2013 January—March LAURAU 11

2 013 : A New Year

holds the promise of a new &

improved YOU!

We’ve searched the worlds of fashion &

design for some of the biggest trends for the transitional season of winter/spring of 2013: Graphic Stripes, Emerald Green, & Leather Forever. Incorporate these into your home or closet today for a classically current look!

FASHION furnishings

10 LAURAU January—March 2013 2013 January—March LAURAU 11

GRAPHIC STRIPES Mod stripes are all the rage for interior design and fashion right now. We think Marc Jacobs did it best on the 2013 S/S runways, but here are a few of our runner ups to round out your collection.

1 2

3

1

Runway

Ready

Calvin Klein; Ba-

zaar.com

3

Polite Cards

Thank you Gold

Striped Cards $5.00;

Laura U Collection

2 Fendi Tote

Lea Penguin Bag,

Fendi $1490; Bar-

ney’s New York

4 Monogram

Pillow

Monogram Pillow

$60; Laura U Col-

lection

4

5 Stella

McCartney

Stella McCartney

Blouse $683; MyThere-

sa.com

12 LAURAU January—March 2013 2013 January—March LAURAU 13

G

RA

PH

IC STR

IPES

6

9

5

7

8 Saatchi

Art

The Pink Balloon

Steven Mitchell;

$1500; Saatchi

7 Jimmy Choo Clutch

Cosma Striped

Clutch; $1595;

Jimmy Choo

9

Cover me in Stripes

Striped Blanket;

$170; Amber Interi-

ors

6 Horizon

Gloves

Striped Leather

Gloves; $250 Kelly

WearstleLouboutin1

Stella

McCartney

Stella McCartney

Blouse $683; MyThere-

sa.com

8

12 LAURAU January—March 2013 2013 January—March LAURAU 13

EMERALD What’s Pantone’s 2013 color of the year? The color of the Emerald City, of course. Make a splash with this rich color in your home or wardrobe.

6

Garze Nightstand;

; Century Furniture William Haines

Mottled Lacquer

table;

1stDibbs.com

The Per-fect Table 1

Delphine Ankle

Wrap Heel; $382;

Neiman Marcus

Gucci Heel 2

Bottle Opener;

$425; Kelly

Wearstler

Poppin’ bottles 3

Beaded Bib Tie Neck-

lace $500; French

Bedroom Co.

Marni Neck-lace 4

Asymmetrical

Squares Tray ;

$795; Kelly

Wearstler

Serve With Style 5

1

2 3 4

14 LAURAU January—March 2013 2013 January—March LAURAU 15

EM

ERA

LD

6

Garze Nightstand;

; Century Furniture

Century Furni-ture

7 for all Mankind

Emerald Metallic;

$198; Neiman Marcus

Metallic Jeggings 7

Oliver Peoples

Aero 57; $450;

Saks Fifth Avenue

Shady Lady 8

Nail Colour Envy

OPI Emerald Nail

Polish; $9.50;

Sephora

9

Cocoona Wool

Blend Coat; $325;

JCREW

Wool Coat 10

5 6

7 8

9

10

14 LAURAU January—March 2013 2013 January—March LAURAU 15

LEATHER FOREVER Perhaps it was the Fonze that inspired our love of the quintessential leather motor cy-cle jacket? Regardless, nothing says timeless cool like anything made of leather.

3 Glam

Throne

Jacobean Chair

$2210; Laura U

Collection

1

2 3

Dolce & Gabbanna

jeweled button

jacket ; $3995;

Barney’s New York

Wrap

Me up 1 4

Elliot Chair; Kelly

Wearstler

Stunning Gold Chair 2

Picotin Day Purse;

$2375; Hermes

Hermes Handbag

Rag & Bone Tall

Boots; $695; Barneys

New York

Heeled Boots 5

16 LAURAU January—March 2013 2013 January—March LAURAU 17

LEA

THER

5

9

9

7

8

4

8 J Crew Skirt

Collection Leather

Skirt; $795; J Crew

Rag & Bone Tall

Boots; $695; Barneys

New York

Michael Kors Bead-

ed Leather Necklace;

Nordstrom

Leather Bead-ed Necklace 9

Metallic Iphone 4 &

4s Case $38; An-

thropologie

IPhone

Case 6

Alexander McQueen

tassle $295; FEYT

Tassle

Up 7

6

16 LAURAU January—March 2013 2013 January—March LAURAU 17

Designer Selected Source:

ELIZABETH PAGE SMITH .

Designer Selected Source:

ELIZABETH PAGE SMITH .

Mid Century Brass

Vintage Crane

1

Vintage Curtis Jere Chandelier

Vintage Accent Chair James Mont Style

20 LAURAU January—March 2013

New items added daily!

ADVERTISEMENT

20 LAURAU January—March 2013

New items added daily!

Jayson Home Knot Bottle opener

Spoonflower Fabrics

1st Dibs: The Lively Set

DESIGN ENVY:

Nautical Style

Spinnaker Lamp & Rope Rug

Serena And Lily

22 LAURAU January—March 2013 2013 January—

Jayson Home Knot Bottle opener

1st Dibs: The Lively Set

1st Dibs: “Les Voiliers” painting

Spinnaker Lamp & Rope Rug

Serena And Lily

Decanter Set: Furbish

1st Dibs: hardwood and

brass Ship Wheel

22 LAURAU January—March 2013 2013 January—

DESIGNER faves Gucci, Delphine Ankle-Wrap Sandal

Albrecht Dürer ‘Wing of a European Roller’

Large Italian Brass Floral

Sconces, 1st Dibs

Ralph Lauren Home , One Fifth Slipper Chair

Watercolor walls by Black Crow Studios

Handmade Ombre Rug

24 LAURAU January—March 2013 2013 January—March LAURAU 25

DESIGNER faves

Albrecht Dürer ‘Wing of a European Roller’

Baotou martini table with Agate top

Wallpaper by Schumacher

Coach Legacy Leather Large Clutch

Napkins by Dransfield & Ross

Jacinto Pillow, Anthropologie

Warby Parker Specs

Jonathan Browning

Calais Sconce

24 LAURAU January—March 2013 2013 January—March LAURAU 25

New for the Night features a one of a

kind service where you can rent high

quality, designer dresses (3 days at a

time) for about $60.

26 LAURAU January—March 2013 2013 January—March LAURAU 27

Your Favorite… Clothing Labels: Jay Godfrey, Parker, and Alice &

Olivia

Fashion Designers: Tory Burch and Diane von Fursten-

berg

Place to Vacation: Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

Places to Shop: Nordstrom’s, Neiman Marcus, and

Forever 21

What’s one of your dreams? Buy a house!

Trend You Want to See Come to an End: Faux Fur

Snow Boots

Restaurant?: Houston’s

Trends?: A denim button down, leggings, and boots

26 LAURAU January—March 2013 2013 January—March LAURAU 27

“What inspired Brittany to

start NFTN was growing up

with two sisters, whom relent-

lessly borrowed clothes from

each other daily. Taking this

issue seriously, they orches-

trated a system where they

paid each other to borrow

clothing. She drew up the

business idea for an entre-

preneurship class and real-

ized how successful such a

business would be and short-

ly after brought her dreams

to life.” Accessorize for the night or pur-

chase some of their jewelry. 2013 January—March LAURAU 29

“Most clients come in with a set style they are

comfortable with. We like to pull dresses per-

sonalized to each customer, almost always

something they wouldn’t have picked out. 9

times out of 10 a client will leave with a dress

that I’ve chosen for them.”

2013 January—March LAURAU 29

teven Alexander makes abstract paintings characterized by simple geometric configu-rations, luminous color and sensuous sur-faces. His work is represented by David Findlay Jr. Gallery in New York and Gre-million & Co. Fine Art in Houston. He holds

an MFA in painting from Columbia University, where he studied with Richard Pousette-Dart and Dore Ashton among others, and a BA from Austin College, where he studied with Vernon Fisher. His work has been exhibited and collected extensively throughout the US and abroad. His awards include a studio residency at P.S.1 in Long Island City, and a Belin Foundation grant for painting, as well as numerous commissions including the lobby of the Hines Building in New York City. Author of numerous pub-lished texts about modern and contemporary art, he also publishes a widely read online journal. Currently an Asso-ciate Professor of Visual Arts at Marywood University, he has been Artist in Residence at Studio Art Centers Inter-national in Florence and Visiting Artist at Parsons School of Design in New York. He maintains a home and studio in the hills of eastern Pennsylvania.

S

ART TALK | Stephen Alexander Exhibit at Gremillion & Co. February 21 - March 17, 2013

1.

2.

3. 30 LAURAU January—March 2013 2013 January—March LAURAU 31

2.

1. TERRAPLANE #6 (54X48)

2. MOTHERS TONGUE #4 (36X20)

3. PASSENGER (72X54)

4. TERRAPLANE #4 (IS & WAS) (72X36)

5. INFILTRATOR (60X48)

6. VIBROLUX II (32X24)

4. 6.

30 LAURAU January—March 2013 2013 January—March LAURAU 315.

WHERE IN THE WORLD: HOUSTON LAURA U’S FAVORITE PLACES TO BREAK A SWEAT

Fit is the quintessential ‘fun gym’ accord-

ing to many reviews from the Laura U

Team. We love the atmosphere and peo-

ple at Fit and encourage you to check

out their advanced facilities. We look for-

ward to upholding our ‘Get Fit’ New

Years resolution here this year!

# 1 FIT 1532 West Gray

# 4

QUALITY LIFE FITNESS 4150 Westheimer Road

One of the high points of Quality Life Fit-

ness is the staff. Not only are the trainers

and employee’s helpful, but friendly and

attentive. Another aspect we love about

this gym is it never seems to be too crowd-

ed to work out. There always seems to be

enough machines to go around.

34 LAURAU January—March 2013 2013 January—March LAURAU 35

# 3

DEFINE 1945 West Gray Street

We particularly love the gym Define. Define

body & mind’s mission is to educate people

on how to become their absolute best! It’s

also the most efficient total body work out in

town.

34 LAURAU January—March 2013 2013 January—March LAURAU 35

# 2 BELLA BODY FITNESS

2621 South Shepherd Drive, #230

Pretty in Pink, Bellla Body fitness is an extremely

‘feminine’ fitness center. We love the idea of

being surrounded with motivated women at our

fitness destination! They are the place to check

out when it’s time to get fit for your big day!

36 LAURAU January—March 2013 2013 January—March LAURAU 37

We consider Pilates a fantastic alter-

native to running, biking, & lifting

weights. But don’t be fooled, Pilates

is a very intense & exhausting activity.

All you need is a proper instructor,

Find them at Green Park Pilates.

# 5

GREEN PARK

PILATES 415 Westheimer Dr. , Suite 207

36 LAURAU January—March 2013 2013 January—March LAURAU 37

hat inspired you to start your successful business and blog?

Well, to start, Branch Basics is much more than a blog. I, Allison, was stricken with

terrible back & neck pain, numbness, neurological symptoms & loss of motor skills

while in college. I went to dozens of doctors & found no agreed-upon diagnosis. I began

working with my aunt who has been a dietary & environmental consultant for over 20 years.

She explained how toxins in our food & air can chal-

lenge our immune systems & have a profound effect

on our bodies, so I began purging my life of pro-

cessed foods, synthetic fragrances, toxic cleaning

products, etc. In a matter of months, my pain was al-

most gone! Kelly was witness to this & her interest was

piqued. Interestingly enough, Kelly’s seemingly unre-

lated symptoms of dry skin, menstrual cramps, itchy

eyes, & so on, all vanished when she switched to us-

ing Branch Basics instead of the conventional detergents & cleaners she had used her whole

life. So, we worked with a biochemist to come up with the formula for Branch Basics, a non-

toxic soap concentrate. We believe this product is the perfect place to start in your healthy

living endeavors because it replaces virtually all chemical cleaners.

“Kelly’s seemingly

unrelated symptoms ...

all vanished when she

switched to using

Branch Basics.”

Out with the old….

In with

the New.

38 LAURAU January—March 2013 2013 January—March LAURAU 39

Can you give us a peek into what your dream home would look like? What style and

tone would you want to come across?

Although the three of us have different styles, it’s safe to say we’re all about natural

light, clean lines, lots of color, open spaces and – of course – fresh, clean air! We want

people to walk into our homes and feel indescribable warmth mixed with a feeling of

being outdoors. As we’re always cooking, the kitchen is the integral room for all three

of us and we love lots of counter space, high ceilings and an openness that makes this

room feel like it’s a part of the action.

Branch Basics is versatile enough to replace all your previous cleaners…

What keeps you inspired?

Our main focus is helping people - we want to get the word out - we don't want any-

one to suffer needlessly as I did, & as many people do. We want to show that simple

choices we make everyday can make a wonderful difference in how we look and

feel.

38 LAURAU January—March 2013 2013 January—March LAURAU 39

What are your must have products for 2013?

Not surprisingly, most of the products on our “must-have” lists are health-related! We think every-

one should save up for a VitaMix...from smoothies to soups, this machine makes everything easy

and delicious! And, the newest version is BPA-free. We are also huge fans of the AustinAir air puri-

fiers and Nilfisk HEPA vacuums, both of which promote a clean, healthy home. Oh, and have we

mentioned Branch Basics?

While in college, Allison Evans

(left) went from a vibrant, active

20-year-old to a pain-stricken girl

whose health was quickly deteri-

orating. Allison has experienced

the drastic benefits of a healthy

diet and environment, and her

commitment can be detected

quickly as Allison loves nothing

more than to educate others on

healthy lifestyle choices. Kelly

Blackstone (right) She has a

deep fascination for the body’s

innate ability to heal when giv-

en the right tools, so the oppor-

tunity to share every-day lifestyle

choices that help put those

wheels into motion brings her

great joy.

Vita Mix

Nilifisk HEPA Vacuum

Austin Air

SPECIAL ORDER THROUGH LAURA U, INC.

2012 October-December LAURAU 51

Can you say... Conversation

Starter?

Bowery Settee

Delft Scarab by Magnus Gjoen

Two Horses Table Lamps, One Kings Lane Lit de Jau Daybed, 1st Dibs

Mouth blown Antler Chandelier,

Scenic Mesa

Horse Paper sculptures by

Anna-Wili Highfield for Hermès

42 LAURAU January—March 2013 2013 January—March LAURAU 43

Pinning & Pining

What Our Client’s

Love

Now

2012 October-December LAURAU 51

Can you say... Conversation

Starter?

Pair of Gustavian Neo-Classical Tub Chairs, 1st Dibs

Sculptural Bench with Brass Base by Pace Lucite End Tables, One Kings Lane

Mouth blown Antler Chandelier,

Scenic Mesa

42 LAURAU January—March 2013 2013 January—March LAURAU 43

Follow Laura U on Pinterest!

pinterest.com/laurauinc

LAURA U| GET THE LOOK

Laura U’s latest project

in the Houston Heights

is an excellent example

of a perfect mix of mod-

ern lines with a tradi-

tional touch. The clean

lines of the sofa con-

trast with the warm

tones of the wood

floors and soft lines of

the custom bar stools.

See more images of

this project here.

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Villa de Luxe

Preservation Houston is proud to announce a

very special February event.

Villa de Luxe, a historic Houston estate, will

be transformed into a stunning design show-

house from February 1 until February 17,

2013. The house, designed by William Ward

Watkin, was built for hardware magnate F.A.

Heitmann in 1924. It stands on two acres in

historic Shadyside, a private neighborhood

adjacent to Rice University.

Luxe Interiors + Design is the premier media

sponsor of this event, which will benefit

Preservation Houston.

Tickets $30 at the door

$25 in advance

Follow the Showhouse on Facebook! Showhouse Dates

Feb. 1 through February 17, 2013

Showhouse Hours Saturdays, Feb.2, 9 and 16: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays, Feb. 3, 10 and 17: noon to 4 p.m.

Laura U’s “Writer’s Cottage” Rendering

See you in

April 2013!

“Although no one can go back and make a brand new

start, anyone can start from now and make a brand

new ending.”

― Carl Bard