Elaine Raffel Elaine Raffel | April 15, 2021 | Home & Real Estate, Shop, HBTX Home, HBTX Collections,
Hopping the pond for its Houston debut, OKA exemplifies the art of living well.
OKA is a one-stop shop for beautiful trends and unique finds. PHOTOS COURTESY OF OKA
British design and interiors retailer OKA will open its first U.S. store this April in Houston’s Upper Kirby neighborhood. The Texas city was chosen as the first location in what will be a rollout of stores in the American South and on the East Coast, with cities and dates forthcoming.
“It’s been our dream to bring OKA to the States since its very beginning in 1999,” says Sue Jones, OKA co-founder and creative director. “And Houston was the perfect fit for us—a big city in the heart of the U.S. with residents who already live by the OKA ethos, that a beautiful home is designed to be enjoyed with friends and family.”
The 9,000-square-foot space just north of Route 69 in Upper Kirby puts OKA in proximity to the neighborhood’s dining and shopping attractions, at the doorstep of the grand, sophisticated homes of River Oaks, and in easy reach of the area’s robust interior design community.
OKA is a leading British interiors brand, creating furniture and homewares that make time with friends and family more memorable. Simply put, it’s a love affair with living well. OKA has become a destination for interiors enthusiasts, season after season inspiring people to confidently create a home that reflects their personality, a space where nothing is too precious or perfect to be enjoyed. Headquartered in Chelsea, London, the company was founded in 1999 by Jones, Annabel Astor and Lucinda Waterhouse. It was acquired by independent investment group Investindustrial in 2019. Today, Astor holds the position of chairwoman of OKA, while Jones is creative director.
OKA is an omnichannel direct-to-consumer business, operating oka.com as well as 14 stores across the U.K. This is complemented by an inspiration-packed magazine, an interior design service and a dedicated trade channel. OKA first launched in the U.S. in fall 2019 with online offerings and a seasonal catalog. Come April, patrons of the Houston showroom will be greeted with a captivating retail experience: a world of style, realized through an undeniably British lens. Upon entering, guests will look out onto a series of rooms and vignettes, each presenting an OKA specialty, be it items from the company’s well-received global artisan collaborations, or an inspirational tableau with ideas to take home and try. Fully decorated rooms include a London-inspired apartment; a breezy, resortlike villa; and a light-filled English country garden-inspired greenhouse. Each of the rooms is designed to help shoppers experience how good design can transport each of us to our happy place.
Product highlights include the Chronicle Collection, a just-launched home fragrance line featuring candles made by Cire Trudon, and OKA Icons, a group of bestselling items such as the Stafford dining chair, handcrafted rattan accessories and beautiful blue-and-white Kraak china collection. Additionally, the team looks forward to welcoming the elegant, whimsical tableware collaboration with American fashion designer Adam Lippes, which was enthusiastically received at a Houston event closing out 2019.
Above all, visitors to OKA Houston will find the very best of British living: a sophisticated approach to effortless style, the pairing of craftsmanship and comfort, and an embrace of color and pattern that’s both bold and undeniably welcoming. 3461 W. Alabama St., oka.com
Photography by: OKA