Childhood friends Mary Lu Quick and Mary Bryan both grew up dreaming of becoming fashion designers. “Something that we all know now is how connected fashion and interiors are,” says Bryan. “When you have that love of putting together an outfit with this type of texture or material and pairing it with a pant that has a different shape, it translates very easily into spaces.” Both experimented throughout childhood with interior design—redecorating home and dorm rooms and planning spaces—and fell in love with vintage décor that combines unique sculpture, textiles, and/or texture.
Bryan and Quick reconnected as adults, bonding over their shared passion, and launched interior design company MMaison Interiors in 2020. Now, the company takes on many high-end residential projects in the Park Cities and has completed commercial projects for Western Addition, the restaurant group of five venues run by Quick’s husband Robert, including Italian standout Il Bracco in Preston Center.
Most recently, the duo received PaperCity magazine’s Best Retail Design Award for its work inside Bird’s Bookstore on Preston and Royal. “Birds is very representative of us, so it’s been really exciting for that to come to fruition,” says Bryan. The space combines Japanese, Scandinavian, and midcentury modern touches. Several curated nooks also create an expansive feel with nods to exploration and discovery. “You feel transported in that space,” says Quick.
Each of MMaison’s clients are put through an extensive intake process, in which Quick and Bryan try to understand the clients’ goals, style, and essence, making each project personal. They describe MMaison’s style as curated, modern, contemporary, and sculptural. They prioritize incorporating vintage pieces with a focal point, sourcing from auctions, vintage markets, and more. “We scour the world a lot of the time,” says Quick, “but we don’t discriminate on where we look.”
For now, Quick and Bryan hope to continue expanding their portfolio but within the next five years, they aim to launch a MMaison storefront with both curated, one-of-a-kind pieces and a retail line. They hope to achieve the latter within five years. “[To have our store] on West Lovers Lane is the dream,” says Bryan.
Sourcing Inspiration
Quick studied sculpture and fashion merchandising at Texas Christian University and takes a lot of inspiration from her family’s ranch outside of Athens, Texas. “My grandparents built it in the 50s, and the home on it is Mid-Century Modern,” says Quick. Her grandmother was a well-known art collector of 50s, 60s, and 70s art pieces. “I grew up in homes with spectacular art and design,” she says. Bryan studied aviation at St. Louis University but was always drawn to creative classes and completed an interior design program at Marysville University post-grad.
“[To have a store] on West Lovers is the dream.”