Elevated luxury defines the designs of the award-winning interior duo Wilbanks Mackay (The WM). Based in Houston, their residential portfolio boasts beautifully modernized spaces alongside customized furnishings throughout. With a stellar reputation in the design world as well as a shared love for personalized luxe spaces, The WM is in the business of creating clients’ forever homes.
Collaborating both personally and professionally, LeTricia Zogheib (formerly Wilbanks) and Selena Mackay believe working together only enhances their friendship – and their projects. By allowing each other’s individual strengths to shine, their design firm continues to thrive and produce innovative interiors.
With a varied range of interior requests, Zogheib and Mackay are ever excited to envision transformed home environments unique to the owner. “As designers, we live for the opportunity to test the limits of our creative ability and find that clients are also ready to test the boundaries of design,” they say.
With the summer season nearly upon us, The WM founders share a few insider tips on how to elevate your interiors today:
USE COLOR & TEXTURE TO YOUR ADVANTAGE
For an added WOW factor in the home, consider adding contrasting colors and mixed materials to a room. “We’re seeing a return to vivid color and rich combinations of complementary hues,” says the co-founders. The WM recommends wallpaper for your underwhelmingly plain walls and ceilings.
Headboard walls are the latest design trend The WM and their clients are loving. By using mixed materials, upholstery and bespoke wall coverings, bedroom suites achieve a further modernized feel. “Our clients require layers of luxury that allow a space to feel both modern and rich simultaneously,” they say. This added accent enhances one’s aesthetic, drawing the eyes to the bedroom’s centerpiece.
ENTERTAIN AT THE BAR
A coveted entertaining space, the home bar is a hub for lively conversation. “Our current projects have enormous bars connected to expansive wine collections,” says the design duo. When designing the ultimate bar, The WM recommends integrating multiple drinking areas with modular seating to provide your guests with ample space to have intimate or large group conversations.
One of The WM’s signatures is using avant-garde lighting imported from Italy alongside a mix of fun and funky fabrics to give the bar ambiance an edge. “We have the chance to be playful, creating a spot that we’ll hopefully be invited to share with our clients for years to come.”
INTERNATIONAL INFLUENCE IS ENCOURAGED
The WM has seen an uptick in clients finding Parisian apartments as a chic source of design inspiration. “We’re seeing a return to boiserie and parquetry flooring foundations filled with modern furniture and punctuated by extraordinary accessories.”
For the quintessential French look at home, embrace the old world feel through ornate ceiling and wall panelings as well as wooden mosaic floors. These details are reminiscent of Paris’s famously aged apartments, which can then be juxtaposed with contemporary furnishings and art.
INSIDE A WM-TRANSFORMED HOME
One of the duo’s latest projects was a mid-century modern ranch renovation for Laura Rathe, an industry peer and beloved friend. “It was fun to create an entertaining home for her to use that highlights her expansive art collection, while also being infused with her fashion-forward personality and energy,” they say.
Purchased in its original condition, Rathe’s ranch provided the designers a blank canvas to transform the space into a luxury home for entertaining. Drawing inspiration from the color palettes of her renowned art collection, the designers created custom rugs, new seating areas and a revamped primary suite to bring the home to life. It is said this home now hosts some of the summer’s most opulent parties in Houston.
To learn more about The WM, visit online at the-wm.com or on Instagram @wilbanksmackay.
