Brava

Brava pushes design boundaries and establishes a new, thoroughly modern architectural vocabulary for the city’s center.

It is undoubtedly destined to be one of the most recognizable buildings in downtown Houston, as well as its tallest residential building at 47 stories.

The interiors at Brava weave a bold narrative – they celebrate the legacy of the Houston Chronicle, the site’s former tenant, with numerous references to newsprint, paper, and history. The unfolding narrative is a joy for first timers and long-time residents alike.

The ground floor is an intimate lobby punctuated by a floor-to-ceiling curving plaster wall that sweeps from the motor court around the entire lobby. The gently curving and rippling wall, broken into three distinct segments, creates a visual language of creasing and curving evocative of the folds of a newspaper.

The project’s color palette is soft, comprised of neutrals, like the paper of newsprint, and punctuated with saturated blacks and crisp lines, as metals, tile, and wood act as ink marring the page. Bold splashes of color strike the eye, calling out from the quiet serenity. Inspired by the first color news, red artwork throughout completes the space.

Uninterrupted panoramic views, abundant natural light, unique unit layouts, and comfortable amenities at the convergence of Downtown Houston’s Theater, Business, and Historical districts makes Brava one of the few places in the city where you can actually live, work, and play.

• As featured in Interior Design Magazine November 2023
• Houston Business Journal Landmark Award Recipient 2023
• Paper City Best of Furniture – “Together Tables”

*Project designed by Erick Ragni while owner and principal of MaRS.