New Chic Montrose Nail Salon’s Owners Tap an International Design Star to Create a Special Retreat

Interiors and furniture designer Nina Magon is widely recognized for her large scale works that include the WA Beijing Hotel in China; 51fifteen Cuisine & Cocktails at Saks Fifth Avenue in the Houston Galleria; and numerous lavish homes including Houston Astros star José Altuve and his wife’s manse in the Memorial area.

So it comes as something of a surprise that this international talent accepted the task of designing a quaint nail salon in Houston’s Montrose neighborhood. Of course, there is nothing quaint about Magon’s modern touch which tends to balance bold high-design concepts with a glamorous appeal. But then, it was no ordinary customer who approached the creative director and founder of Contour Interior Design.

As the husband and wife team of Quynh and Khanh Nguyen, co-owners of Gloss Nail Bar on West Gray, contemplated starting their new business, they knew that they wanted something completely different from any other salon. “Modern yet chic and edgy” is how Khanh puts it.

So the couple took an unusual path to find a design firm they felt could fill their wishes. They searched Instagram and discovered Contour Interior Design.

“We loved all of their designed spaces and knew we wanted Nina and her team at Contour to do our salon,” Khanh says. “We contacted them, gave them our design inspiration and requirements and the rest was history.

“We loved the aesthetics of our salon and we get compliments every day from our clients. It was everything we wanted in our design for our salon.”

Magon’s vision was something feminine and whimsical, something that would transport clients to an environment that was soft and sleek, yet bold and fun. The result is a tableau of curvilinear forms played out against a palette of floral pinks. And she delivered on the Nguyens’ wish for an Instagram-able area where client’s could showcase their nails for their social media accounts.

“Taking the concept of curvilinear forms, Nina wanted to reiterate this throughout the space through the use of repetition of rhythm,” notes a spokeswoman. “An example of this can be seen in the entryway seating with different heights of the custom arched seating dressed in luxurious pink velvet.”