By Jennifer N. Sullivan, Caller-Times

January 23, 2004

New York City chic meets Japanese Zen. Technology meets simplicity. High art meets nature. Although contradictory in theory, these aesthetics were swirled together like paint on canvas throughout Charles Baldridge’s recently completed Ocean Drive condo by Kelly Amen, Houston-based interior and art furniture designer.

“Everything in this house is subliminal because it just doesn’t knock you over. It doesn’t go ‘Whoa, I can’t bear this,’” Amen said.

When Baldridge found the 2,300-square-foot condo, he hired Amen, designer of Baldridge’s primary residence in Houston, to transform his high-rise into a home that embraces the stunning view of Corpus Christi Bay.

“We have ethereal pastels, almost pearlized colors — azure and celadon — in this space to put against the ocean. That was the whole point because if you’re here, why not have the view be the dominant force?” Amen said.

Bolder floors

White tile floors were ripped out of the living and dining space and replaced with dark oak hardwood floors in a herringbone pattern. Immediately, the space went from beachy to bold.

“The herringbone pattern increased the depth perception. The motion, the activity of it makes the room look so much bigger,” Amen said.

Dual monorail lighting throughout the living room provides ideal light to spotlight pieces from Baldridge’s extensive art collection. Bold colored portraits, a bronze sculpture of a woman with arms open wide and abstract images by commissioned artists decorate the condo’s three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms. Amen drew inspiration for each room’s composition from the collection.

“We used his glorious, wonderful collection and the pieces he loved the most and displayed them as focal points,” Amen said.

MAKING CHAIRS INTERESTING

While many of the multi-textural furnishings are new, pieces or objects that are older or with sentimental value were reinvented or revitalized. For example, instead of buying new dining chairs, artists were commissioned to delicately stencil gray leather Parsons chairs with a rich, leaf pattern.

“They sit too perfectly. Let’s make them interesting,” Amen said.

Attention to minute details makes this an invigorating, individualized space. In the middle of the living room sits a tiny pillow-like ottoman, Amen’s own furnishing design that he calls the Poof. An elephant pot bursting with dramatic bromeliads from the garden of Nelwyn Anderson add the final touch to the cosmopolitan space.

Japanese influence

Influenced by the Japanese objects Baldridge collected while living on the outskirts of Tokyo for close to five years, Amen infused the master bedroom with a West meets East nuance.

“I think that what we have is a very layered visual for the client. The furniture in here is very minimal, it’s very Zen, it’s very ‘straight lines.’ But then at the same point, it’s opulent and it’s textural,” Amen said.

A low, pared-down bed is paired with bold, geometric pillows and complemented with a huge abstract painting overhead. Views of the water and the sky blur the line between nature and the room’s interior.

“Sometimes I just sit here in the evening and look out at the water. I haven’t been here when they’ve had a big storm, but I want to be,” Baldridge said.

Japanese influences enter the master bathroom with its modernized TOTO Washlet toilet, complete with functions of a bidet, dryer and automatic cleanser available from the push of a button on its control panel.

“It’s the Japanese solution to the European bidet,” Amen said.

Like walking the halls of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, walking the halls of Baldridge’s condo evokes a tranquil vibe that comes from the individuality of the art, color and composition of its stimulating surroundings.

“I don’t think you can absorb everything when you come into the space the first, second or third time. But I don’t think it’s so overwhelming that you can’t be comfortable when you’re here. I think it’s calm and soothing, but it’s very intense,” Amen said.