Tour Tastemaker Natalie Steen's Houston, Texas Home

Natalie Steen says, “I love color, but I hate rainbows. I love three shades working together in unexpected ways, but don't give it all at once.” The Houston resident's determined eye is a feature of her weekly style newsletter, Nut Notes, which features a collage of fashion and home finds that currently pique her interest. It's a fusion like that. They come in both fanciful hues and wild patterns. Feathers, fringe and other festive trims This is a fun and free land where “More is more”.

In 2021, she and her husband, Jamie, purchased a 1951 brick ranch that was once owned by his sister and brother-in-law. When it came to decorating, Steen took a similarly free-spirited approach, taking screenshots of everything that caught her eye: “the room, the hotel, certain fabrics I saw, little vignettes,” she says. A friend and designer recalls: Lila Malone. “Natalie was a lot of fun to work with. She had lots of furniture that we reupholstered, nice mirrors, and different lamps. We called it a 'bad house.' I was calling. Every little trinket has a story to tell or comes from an interesting place. ”

The couple's art collection, developed with the help of Jamie's consultant sister, is another inspiration, from two vividly painted landscapes studded with cacti to a handmade beaded portrait of Steen's grandmother. provided a source of ration. “My husband is a seventh-generation Texan. He has a very rich and well-documented family history, but in my case, my father and grandparents came to the United States as Cuban exiles.” says Steen. “When they left Havana, they could only take the bare minimum with them and had to start all over again. What I do when I think about our home and what to fill it with I found myself trying to tell my family's story while also honoring my husband's story, because ultimately it's my child's story.”

Malone metabolized all of that, just as Steen intended, into a hyper-personal haven where friends love to come for parties and families love to stay. “I have a selfish motive of wanting my kids to like being here,” she confesses. “I know visuals don’t create a home-like atmosphere, but I can’t help but think that for someone like me who seeks beautiful surroundings, it might be helpful.”

Adopt maximalism in your entry

Although the entryway is only a momentary passing point, decorators saw it as an opportunity to instantly set the tone for the rest of the house. “When you walk in, you know it's Natalie's house,” says Malone, who has wrapped the walls in Brunschwig & Fils' Katibi in Multi, a paper hand-picked by Steen. Portraits depicting Jamie's grandparents add saturated tones and intergenerational lore.

Refuse to be restrained in the “fun room”

Given its location right next to the entrance, formal living spaces cannot be avoided. So lacquering it with Look at Me Pink (Benjamin Moore's Milkshake, 1165) seemed like an obvious move for both the designer and the homeowner. “He knew this had to be a party lounge,” says Malone. I chose a muddy shade of paint to avoid making the color too precious. “This is where we put up our Christmas tree, where we entertain, where people want to sit and have a drink and chat. It's certainly a room where we can have a good time,” Steen says. Punchy abstract art pieces freed up the palette to roam freely across the spectrum. The emerald velvet chairs have cerulean vinyl piping, the glossy paprika lamps have lime and white striped hues, and the graphics by UK-based textile designer Christopher Moore His chartreuse her print cushions sit next to her coral cut velvet on the couch.

texture mix toys

“We don't usually spend a lot of time in the dining room, so every time we're there it's special, and we wanted it to feel that way,” she says. Steen talks about the meeting place he was at. Oscar de la Renta's work gives the walls a warm, earthy feel. She's “so perfect for a fashion queen,” says Malone, who paired a burlwood dining table with vintage dining chairs (made from Schumacher green mohair velvet) that she found at The Collective in Dallas. Palecek's large natural woven chandelier softens the dressy factor.

loosen up a little

While Steen was happy to incorporate some “no-touch” elements in entertainment areas, he was adamant about child-friendly comfort and livability in a space that would see a lot of daily traffic. . “Everything is starting to become a little more casual and a little more cozy in these areas,” Malone says. The family room features a comfortable sofa in Galbraith & Paul's Lotus fabric, providing a soft spot to land on and a stress-free splash zone for those inevitable spills. “If you have kids or drink red wine or coffee, incorporating print is the smartest thing to do. You can't always blame the kids and the dog,” Malone says with a laugh. “It's like a camouflage pattern. You just don't notice the little water droplets falling here and there.” The custom-cut polypropylene rug adds an easy-to-clean layer underfoot.

Use a different playbook

The breakfast area took creative cues from the adjacent study, favoring a different color palette than the living and dining spaces. “It was an opportunity to use new color schemes, different textures, and design elements,” Steen says. “When it came to decor, I wanted it all.” Malone delivered warm caramel, deep berry blue and rusty red, with Schumacher's Dianthus hand block print on the Roman shades and seat cushions. chose Rapture & Light's Moorish maize fabric. This photo of cowboys participating in the San Antonio Chareda (a Mexican-originated rodeo-like event) is by Minta Maria.

Read your own version of Calm on Kindle

The master bedroom is the only living area on the second floor. “It feels like a little treehouse with vaulted ceilings and really fun round windows that let in lots of natural light,” Malone says. She created an otherworldly atmosphere by wrapping the walls in Thibault grasscloth and hanging Sister Parish window treatments in coral walding fields. The couple's bedding (including pillowcases from famed New Orleans brand Leontine Linen) is layered with shades of red, white, and blue, oozing plenty of old-school nostalgia. “This space has a lot of character, but it still feels peaceful,” Steen says.

turn on charm

Due to its proximity to the formal living room, the children's bath could not be added as an afterthought to the home's design. Instead, Malone treated it like a second powder bath, surrounding the tub with a scalloped valance, coordinating the curtains with Morris & Co. fabrics, and plastering the walls with Civil Home prints. The emerald-cut glass mirror from Worlds Away, which Steen already had on hand, will give your guests the glow they deserve.

Beat the main product

“Don't forget the mudroom, because you'll be looking at it 20 times a day,” advises the designer. Here, we've outfitted our Roman shades and benches with his cushions in Quadrille's Albre de Matisse print, and introduced Lisa's pomegranate bolster pillows from Fine Textiles, perfect for hiding stains from dirty cleats or juice spills. That meant rolling out a fun vintage Ushak runner. “These rugs are perfect for high-traffic areas,” explains Malone. “They stand the test of time, are made from natural fibers and are easy to care for.”