One Arts Plaza Gets Tuesday Night Design Fever and a Flair for the Flair

Gonzalo Bueno’s Living Room extraordinaire

By now any agent with half a brain knows that to market a high end downtown condo unit, they need to bring in flair. As in, designer flair. Let’s see, we have the Showcase Residences at the Ritz Carlton which have each a Carlton Varney, Laura Hunt, Barry Williams, Ann Sutherland and Jan Showers units. Over at the Palomar, we have Mark Godson’s touches on not one but three beautiful condo homes. Over at the Azure we have, we had — which designer did we have at The Azure? Mind just went blank. Phillipe Starck is all over The House the moment you walk in and see that breathtaking silver mailbox unit. The whole residence room and pool area is like a Starck tributary. That leaves One Arts Plaza, who tomorrow night debutes two customed designed residence units, by Gonzalo Bueno and Brent McFarlain. The dynamic duo were given cart blanche to deck out and pull out all the stops on these the last remaining of six One Arts Homes left to sell.

Bueno got unit 2206, a two bedroom doll that he has jazzed up —  with exotic touches and bursts of color. He says he doesn’t want you to take it too seriously — ha! not with Museum Tower going up next door!/ He brought in a selenite crystalline mineral chandelier, vintage 1960’s mahogany dining chairs, burnt orange metallic wall coverings and a custom made sofa resplendent in vivid fabrivs.

Brant McFarlain got unit 1801, 1749 square feet with great downtown Dallas views and terraces, two in fact. In keeping with McFarlain’s style — I have seen a nu,ber of his homes — he used contrasting colors of dark and light, seagrass limestone floors, museum finish polished walls (they are like glass) and recessed aluminum baseboards. I believe the master bath was also tweaked with a new soaking tub. McFarlain said he wanted to break typical furniture stereotypes, and he did just that.

Tursday night is the grand debut at 1717 Arts Plaza… we’ll be getting you some photos in case you have prior engagements. One Arts is being marketed by the famous real estate duo/team of Erin Mathews and David Nichols, and their splendid team of agents. I know at one point David Griffin had the One Arts listing, but seems like it’s been with David and Erin forever.