• Home
  • popular
  • EVENTS
  • submit-new-event
  • CHARITY GUIDE
  • Children
  • Education
  • Health
  • Veterans
  • Social Services
  • Arts + Culture
  • Animals
  • LGBTQ
  • New Charity
  • TRENDING NEWS
  • News
  • City Life
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Home + Design
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Restaurants + Bars
  • Arts
  • Society
  • Innovation
  • Fashion + Beauty
  • subscribe
  • about
  • series
  • Embracing Your Inner Cowboy
  • Green Living
  • Summer Fun
  • Real Estate Confidential
  • RX In the City
  • State of the Arts
  • Fall For Fashion
  • Cai's Odyssey
  • Comforts of Home
  • Good Eats
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2010
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2
  • Good Eats 2
  • HMNS Pirates
  • The Future of Houston
  • We Heart Hou 2
  • Music Inspires
  • True Grit
  • Hoops City
  • Green Living 2011
  • Cruizin for a Cure
  • Summer Fun 2011
  • Just Beat It
  • Real Estate 2011
  • Shelby on the Seine
  • Rx in the City 2011
  • Entrepreneur Video Series
  • Going Wild Zoo
  • State of the Arts 2011
  • Fall for Fashion 2011
  • Elaine Turner 2011
  • Comforts of Home 2011
  • King Tut
  • Chevy Girls
  • Good Eats 2011
  • Ready to Jingle
  • Houston at 175
  • The Love Month
  • Clifford on The Catwalk Htx
  • Let's Go Rodeo 2012
  • King's Harbor
  • FotoFest 2012
  • City Centre
  • Hidden Houston
  • Green Living 2012
  • Summer Fun 2012
  • Bookmark
  • 1987: The year that changed Houston
  • Best of Everything 2012
  • Real Estate 2012
  • Rx in the City 2012
  • Lost Pines Road Trip Houston
  • London Dreams
  • State of the Arts 2012
  • HTX Fall For Fashion 2012
  • HTX Good Eats 2012
  • HTX Contemporary Arts 2012
  • HCC 2012
  • Dine to Donate
  • Tasting Room
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2012
  • Charming Charlie
  • Asia Society
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2012
  • HTX Mistletoe on the go
  • HTX Sun and Ski
  • HTX Cars in Lifestyle
  • HTX New Beginnings
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013
  • Zadok Sparkle into Spring
  • HTX Let's Go Rodeo 2013
  • HCC Passion for Fashion
  • BCAF 2013
  • HTX Best of 2013
  • HTX City Centre 2013
  • HTX Real Estate 2013
  • HTX France 2013
  • Driving in Style
  • HTX Island Time
  • HTX Super Season 2013
  • HTX Music Scene 2013
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013 2
  • HTX Baker Institute
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2013
  • Mothers Day Gift Guide 2021 Houston
  • Staying Ahead of the Game
  • Wrangler Houston
  • First-time Homebuyers Guide Houston 2021
  • Visit Frisco Houston
  • promoted
  • eventdetail
  • Greystar Novel River Oaks
  • Thirdhome Go Houston
  • Dogfish Head Houston
  • LovBe Houston
  • Claire St Amant podcast Houston
  • The Listing Firm Houston
  • South Padre Houston
  • NextGen Real Estate Houston
  • Pioneer Houston
  • Collaborative for Children
  • Decorum
  • Bold Rock Cider
  • Nasher Houston
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2021
  • CityNorth
  • Urban Office
  • Villa Cotton
  • Luck Springs Houston
  • EightyTwo
  • Rectanglo.com
  • Silver Eagle Karbach
  • Mirador Group
  • Nirmanz
  • Bandera Houston
  • Milan Laser
  • Lafayette Travel
  • Highland Park Village Houston
  • Proximo Spirits
  • Douglas Elliman Harris Benson
  • Original ChopShop
  • Bordeaux Houston
  • Strike Marketing
  • Rice Village Gift Guide 2021
  • Downtown District
  • Broadstone Memorial Park
  • Gift Guide
  • Music Lane
  • Blue Circle Foods
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2022
  • True Rest
  • Lone Star Sports
  • Silver Eagle Hard Soda
  • Modelo recipes
  • Modelo Fighting Spirit
  • Athletic Brewing
  • Rodeo Houston
  • Silver Eagle Bud Light Next
  • Waco CVB
  • EnerGenie
  • HLSR Wine Committee
  • All Hands
  • El Paso
  • Avenida Houston
  • Visit Lubbock Houston
  • JW Marriott San Antonio
  • Silver Eagle Tupps
  • Space Center Houston
  • Central Market Houston
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Travel Texas Houston
  • Alliantgroup
  • Golf Live
  • DC Partners
  • Under the Influencer
  • Blossom Hotel
  • San Marcos Houston
  • Photo Essay: Holiday Gift Guide 2009
  • We Heart Hou
  • Walker House
  • HTX Good Eats 2013
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2013
  • HTX Culture Motive
  • HTX Auto Awards
  • HTX Ski Magic
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2014
  • HTX Texas Traveler
  • HTX Cifford on the Catwalk 2014
  • HTX United Way 2014
  • HTX Up to Speed
  • HTX Rodeo 2014
  • HTX City Centre 2014
  • HTX Dos Equis
  • HTX Tastemakers 2014
  • HTX Reliant
  • HTX Houston Symphony
  • HTX Trailblazers
  • HTX_RealEstateConfidential_2014
  • HTX_IW_Marks_FashionSeries
  • HTX_Green_Street
  • Dating 101
  • HTX_Clifford_on_the_Catwalk_2014
  • FIVE CultureMap 5th Birthday Bash
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2014 TEST
  • HTX Texans
  • Bergner and Johnson
  • HTX Good Eats 2014
  • United Way 2014-15_Single Promoted Articles
  • Holiday Pop Up Shop Houston
  • Where to Eat Houston
  • Copious Row Single Promoted Articles
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2014
  • htx woodford reserve manhattans
  • Zadok Swiss Watches
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2015
  • HTX Charity Challenge 2015
  • United Way Helpline Promoted Article
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Fusion Academy Promoted Article
  • Clifford on the Catwalk Fall 2015
  • United Way Book Power Promoted Article
  • Jameson HTX
  • Primavera 2015
  • Promenade Place
  • Hotel Galvez
  • Tremont House
  • HTX Tastemakers 2015
  • HTX Digital Graffiti/Alys Beach
  • MD Anderson Breast Cancer Promoted Article
  • HTX RealEstateConfidential 2015
  • HTX Vargos on the Lake
  • Omni Hotel HTX
  • Undies for Everyone
  • Reliant Bright Ideas Houston
  • 2015 Houston Stylemaker
  • HTX Renewable You
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • HTX New York Fashion Week spring 2016
  • Kyrie Massage
  • Red Bull Flying Bach
  • Hotze Health and Wellness
  • ReadFest 2015
  • Alzheimer's Promoted Article
  • Formula 1 Giveaway
  • Professional Skin Treatments by NuMe Express

    On The Market

    Home of Menil director offers modern simplicity and art gallery grandeur for $1.1 million

    Elizabeth Rhodes
    Nov 17, 2015 | 12:00 pm

    Editor's Note: Houston, the surrounding areas and beyond are loaded with must-have houses and properties for sale in all shapes, sizes and price ranges. In this continuing series, CultureMap snoops through some of the best and gives you the lowdown on what's hot on the market.

    1614 Sul Ross

    After serving as director of the Menil Collection for the past 12 years, Josef Helfenstein is leaving the museum and returning to his native Switzerland where he will serve as director of the Kunstmuseum Basel. Departing Houston in December, the modern home he has shared with his wife, Dorothee Sauter Helfenstein, and two sons is on the market — and it's located right down the street from the Menil.

    The home, which was featured in the New York Times, was designed for the Helfensteins by Nonya Grenader, a native Houstonian and a professor at the Rice University School of Architecture.

    What's inside: Featuring steel-framed floor-to-ceiling windows, white walls and white oak floors, finished in the same way as the floors at the nearby Cy Twombly Gallery, the two-story home has a distinctly modern yet comfortable feel. As the Times observed, it "has the simple grandeur of an art gallery. Ceilings are 10 feet high on the first floor, and steel-framed windows (many of them facing the garden) let in plenty of light, reinforcing the sense of spaciousness."

    The home features three bedrooms, three full bathrooms and one half bathroom, as well as a spacious living room, a study and a garage. The kitchen comes with custom-built cabinetry, a large island, Corian countertops and stylish high-end appliances. Attached to the bright master bedroom is the spacious master bath with a double-sink vanity and a large, glassed-in shower.

    A corrugated aluminum roof connects the 1,840-square-foot main house to the 360-square-foot guest quarters and 300-square-foot garage. The two sections of the home are separated by a covered double-height porch with views of the garden, making it a nice setting for outdoor entertaining.

    Situated on a 7,398-square-foot lot on a cul-de-sac just a block away from the Menil Collection, the home reflects the quiet elegance of the nearby museum and the wooden cottages that populate the area.

    Square footage: 2,500

    Asking price: $1,150,000

    Listing agent: David Houston with New Leaf Real Estate

    The 1,840-square-foot main house connects to the 360-square-foot guest quarters and 300-square-foot garage.

    1614 Sul Ross On the Market
      
    Photo courtesy of HAR
    The 1,840-square-foot main house connects to the 360-square-foot guest quarters and 300-square-foot garage.
    museumshome-for-sale
    news/home-design
    news/real-estate
    CULTUREMAP EMAILS ARE AWESOME
    Get Houston intel delivered daily.

    Go fish

    Houston pop artist turns Xennial nostalgia into collectible ceramics

    Emily Cotton
    Apr 11, 2025 | 2:40 pm
    Julia McLaurin
    Photo by Gisele Morales Photography
    Pop artist Julia McLaurin with her wildly successful emoji series.

    Recently, more and more Houstonians have made a meteoric shift from the minimalistic home decor trend that held court for the better part of the last decade towards an embrace of full-on Maximalism. As stark white walls and grey flooring give way to bright wallpapers and organically-shaped tiles, it has become clear that FUN is trending.

    As always, the best way to dip one’s toe into a new personal aesthetic is through art. Over the past five years, Houston pop artist and ceramicist Julia McLaurin has created a fan base of collectors who enjoy, seek, and embrace fun. Through sculptures depicting emojis, Goldfish, Cheese-It’z, Pop-Tarts, and Lucky Charms, McLaurin’s work glazes its way into the shared experiential psyche of Xennials looking to incorporate vignettes of nostalgia into their homes.

    “It’s nontraditional,” McLaurin says of her sculptural subjects. “I like to iconicize everyday objects, which is the pop artist in me.”

    With three young children, Goldfish crackers have been a part of McLaurin’s life for the past decade. “They are everywhere, in my car — everywhere. It’s not the healthiest snack, but it gets the job done.” It’s not difficult to understand how the popular children’s food inspired her sculptures: “It’s just such a cute shape, and I love the color.”


    View this post on Instagram
    A post shared by Julia McLaurin (@juliamclaurin)


    Goldfish wall sculptures paved the way to immortalizing other iconic 90s snack foods, plus standing sculptures of Whataburger combos, Happy Meals, and larger-than-life bottles of Hidden Valley Ranch. McLaurin’s Whataburger sculptures recently landed the artist in the Whataburger Museum of Art at SXSW. Newer works in the “Neo-Pop” genre include things like bottles of Chanel No. 5, Squishmallows, and her extremely popular emoji series.

    At just six inches in diameter, the semi-spherical, emoji sculptures are wildly accessible to anyone beginning their art journey. “I think it’s a Xennial thing,” says McLaurin. “That micro-generation between 1978 and 1983, where we didn’t grow up with cellphones, but we had them in high school and college, right? I vibe a lot with that. As a pop artist, when I first started making the emojis it was like, ‘That’s so cute, Julia! What a cute little project.’ But now I have a big installation at Hobby and I sell them all the time.”

    Houston Airport System curator of public art Alton DuLaney selected 100 emojis for Hobby Airport, with 88 installed between terminals 1-5. The very public display of McLaurin’s emojis results in the works being purchased by fans as far away as Singapore.

    As for why the emojis have such a “gotta have it” affect on people: “I think people really relate to having something that you always see in the digital realm put into 3D,” says McLaurin. “In today’s world, it’s kind of a cool effect.”

    McLaurin is locally represented by Mont Art House, but maintained a separate studio and gallery at The Silos until her move to Spring Branch earlier this year. The new “JuliArt Clay Studio” space allows McLaurin to offer monthly workshops, host ceramic painting parties, baby showers, and everything between. Next month, McLaurin will launch a six week “Clay 101” course that is sure to be a hit.

    A resident of Spring Branch herself, McLaurin decided that the continuous lack of a local art scene wasn’t going to change itself. “There is not an art scene [here],” says McLaurin. “My mission is now to bring artwork to the heart of Spring Branch. Bring it here where I live and to the people around me.”

    The new studio space allows McLaurin to invite the community to participate in art and to enjoy the space for workshops and events during slower months. “It’s nice to have a sort of two-pronged business because in the summer the gallery stuff slows down, then the classes and things pick up. It works out.”

    The ink is still drying on a representation contract in a new gallery on the West Coast. The new K&K Gallery in Culver City (Los Angeles) is the first step towards artistic manifest destiny for McLaurin: “They have a huge pop art scene out there.” What’s next for this up-and-coming irreverent pop artist? “My goal is Art|Basel, that’s my dream,” she says.


    Julia McLaurin
      

    Photo by Egidio Narvaez Photography

    Pop artist Julia McLaurin with her wildly successful emoji series.

    visual-arthome-designjulia mclaurin
    news/home-design
    news/real-estate
    Loading...