Signature homes without the stress. You grant approvals. We handle the rest.
GUT RENOVATIONS FULL-HOME FURSNIHINGS NEW CONSTRUCTION KITCHEN & BATH DESIGN
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Radical
Individuality is the Ultimate Luxury
We build legendary homes for luminaries.
SCROLL TO DISCOVER
From Boston to Houston, New York to Los Angeles, MHLI has spent 15 years working with clients who want to live in sexy, cinematic, cutting-edge homes. We're a Black-owned, queer-led interior design studio specialized in fully-customized, done-for-you primary residences, estates, vacation homes and legacy properties.
Signature is our standard.
Transformation is our technique.
RADICAL INDIVIDUALITY IS THE ULTIMATE LUXURY
GUT
RENOVATIONS
FULL HOME
FURNISHINGS
NEW
CONSTRUCTION
KITCHEN & BATH
DESIGN
MHLI is a Black-owned NYC & Houston interior design boutique specialized in fully-customized, done-for-you primary residences, estates, vacation homes and legacy properties.
SCROLL TO DISCOVER
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"THE DESIGNER IS SKILLED IN DISCOVERING THE
NUANCES OF A BUILDING AND ITS SPACES
AND USING THESE AS POINTS OF INTEREST
TO HIGHLIGHT AND CELEBRATE."
YOU DESERVE BETTER THAN STATUS QUO.
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Simpler.
Smarter.
Unmistakably better.
Convenience
Full-spectrum service from first ideas to fully-realized home.
Optimization
Visual & aesthetic cohesion informed by opportunities and constraints.
Access
An exclusive global network of elite builders, artists and artisans.
Customization
Elegantly executed, site-specific solutions tailored to your profile.
Curation
Hand selected premium finishes, furnishings, art, and decor.
Advocacy
High-touch, dedicated client care and construction representation.
Security
Expertise to mitigate the risks of navigating unfamiliar processes alone.
Transformation
Revolutionary spatial identities crafted for elevated, easy living.
We know you're out there slaying dragons, stacking accolades, and commanding your industry. And when you return from hopping time zones on red-eyes or inking that IPO, you want to drop anchor in a safe harbor. Step into a vision that fuels your ambition. Enter a castle of unparalleled distinction. Find sanctuary for your grandest dreams.
That's why we've made iconic residences for modern living our specialty, with a clear, simple, proven path to get there. We craft a fantasy of how you want to live then engineer it for how you actually live. Signature homes without the stress. You grant approvals, we handle the rest. Don't gamble with your future. Let us take you there in style.
Different from them.
Better for you.
Exclusive Access
Skip the queue to world-class artisans and dealers, limited-edition works and custom capabilities. Our creations are free of retail and wholesale, mass-produced, to-the-trade furnishings to ensure your home reflects your exacting standards, status, and sensibilities.
Expert Leadership
Align your scope, timeline, sequence, and investment from the start. Our proprietary Essence Extractor discovery system delivers consistent results and proactively mitigates endless revisions, late-stage changes, cost overruns, and unnecessary project delays.
Effortless Experience
Make informed decisions confidently while we manage project complexities quietly and throughly on your behalf. Our streamlined design phase and white-glove service are built to actively defend your time against disturbance and your investment against inferior execution.
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Boreum Hill Townhouse
Essential Value
Optimization
Visual and functional cohesion informed by opportunities and constraints.
Curation
Hand selected, premium finishes, fittings, furniture, art, and decor.
Customization
Limitless personalization through site-specific design tailored to your profile.
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Convenience
Full-spectrum service from first ideas to fully-realized home.
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Transformation
Revolutionary spatial identities crafted for elevated, easy living.
Advocacy
High-touch, dedicated client care and owner representation.
Security
Expertise to avoid the risks of navigating complex unfamiliar processes alone.
All of the benefits.
None of the friction.
Time. Privacy. Peace of mind.
Life's true luxuries.
We guard yours fiercely while delivering all the perks you never even considered. Here's what you can expect with an MHLI partnership.
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"HE IS A VISIONARY, AN ARTIST, AN EXECUTOR
WHO DELIVERS RESULTS BEYOND ANYTHING
YOU COULD HAVE IMAGINED."
HILARY P., BROOKLYN, NY
I'm here for the renegades.
The mavericks.
The rebels.
Marc Houston
Founder + Creative Director
The spaces you see here are alive in my imagination long before they take shape in reality. And over the past 20 years in this industry, what I've learned from hard work, grit and fearlessness in the face of risk is that the rewards captured in the unknown far exceed results achieved through convention. I'm undeterred by the limitations of tradition, possibility, or expectation. That's why I'll always confidently swing for the fences and zealously hunt the rare and exceptional. My instincts have been honed by charting a course before others can envision and enduring the resistance of the current. And that's exactly how I bring your wildest fantasy to life.
Our signature style is the one we design exclusively for you.
More than our decades-honed expertise, obsession with quality, and daring perspective, it's the deep bonds of trust we form with each client that allow us to capture their most authentic expression and tailor their homes to the unique contours of their lives.
![[CLAIRE-ESPARROS]_StudioMHLI_75ABond5927.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7ec4a2_d5a956ed241e4f058f3057332f5294da~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_3622,y_439,w_3840,h_5179/fill/w_78,h_105,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/7ec4a2_d5a956ed241e4f058f3057332f5294da~mv2.jpg)
Boreum Hill
"Marc Houston Designed This Brooklyn Townhouse with a Focus on Art, Color and Whimsy"
Our Signature Service
We do more than design homes. We define spatial identities.
Our brand of luxury merges function and fantasy in one-of-a-kind homes that capture your most authentic expression from the moment you cross your threshold until your head touches your pillow. Success for us is elevating even your most mundane routines into rituals of ease and delight.
Central Park Pied-à-terre
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How do we build iconic homes?
By sticking to our guns.
Who we serve
We partner with high-net-worth homeowners who value clarity, artistry, and ingenuity. We work best with those who:
• Recognize design is an investment
• Seek elevated, custom interiors over trends
• Respect expertise, trust and decisive leadership
• Have a significant project and thoughtful timeline
• Share our values and confident, cosmopolitan aesthetic
Our clients are doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, hedge fund managers, TV and film producers, C-suite executives, and other professionals with full lives who prefer to delegate their project to an expert who'll orchestrate all details on their behalf.
What we do
We provide bespoke, done-for-you, high-end residential design and full-scale implementation for renovations, new builds, and full-home furnishing of primary and secondary homes, penthouses, pied-à-terres, estates and legacy properties.
Why we do it
We crave magic or over mass appeal, imagination over imitation, and quality over quick wins. We dream of immersive, transportive experiences that stimulate the senses, summon emotion and stand distinctly above the crowd. We're compelled to bring them to life.
"MHLI TIES ALL THE DAUNTING
PIECES OF DESIGN TOGETHER TO
TURN THE ORDINARY INTO
TO HIGHLIGHT AND CELEBRATE."
MHLI TIES ALL THE
DAUNTING PIECES OF
DESIGN TOGETHER TO
TURN THE ORDINARY
INTO EXTRAORDINARY.
Back Bay
Boston, MA
Windsor Hills
Los Angeles, CA
Courthouse
Washington, DC
Marina Bay
Boston, MA
West Village
New York, NY
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Central Park Pied-à-terre
View Before
Every experience with us guarantees:
Transformation is our technique.
Signature is our standard.
View Before
You're running a multi-million dollar investment fund, but your home office is more college student than CEO. We've got power moves for power brokers.
View Before
A primary bathroom with a miniature tub, finishes from 1998, and a shower stall that attacks your forehead every morning. We're your best line of defense against bad design.
Our only style is the one we design exclusively for you.
Each of our unique creations reflects decades-honed expertise, dedication to detail, and deep bonds of trust built with our clients to excavate their most authentic expressions in the spaces they hold sacred. We know that these life-changing transformations demand mastery of infinite calculations, anticipation of opportunities and challenges, unwavering focus, and a proven strategy. And just like a couturier structures and stitches with artistry and authority, we tailor your home to the unique contours of your life.
Interested? Let's discuss.
Begin with your Discovery Profile.
Click below to share your details.
Before we begin...
WORKING WITH MHLI
We specialize in high-end residential interiors, including primary residences, vacation homes, penthouses, estates, and legacy properties. Our work primarily involves full-scale renovations, new construction, and comprehensive furnishing projects, though we selectively accept furnishing-only engagements when aligned.
We work in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Long Island, Boston's Beacon Hill and Back Bay neighborhoods, Brookline, Newton, Wellesley, Cape Cod, and throughout Greater Houston in River Oaks, Tanglewood, the Memorial Villages and the Heights. If your project is outside of these areas, please share your location details in your inquiry form. Our portfolio includes residences from Washington D.C. to Los Angeles, and we'd be happy to discuss how we can work together.
Our approach is rooted in exceptional craftsmanship, definitive artistry, and the pursuit of innovation. Every project begins with understanding how you live, entertain, and retreat, resulting in interiors precisely calibrated to feel both elevated and deeply personal. We favor longevity over trends and believe true luxury is as radically individual as it is effortless.
While our work is recognizable for its refinement and attention to detail, we don't impose a signature look. Each home we design is a distinct reflection of its owner, architecture, and setting. Our role is to translate your vision into a cohesive, enduring environment.
We value mutual trust, decisiveness, and open communication. The most successful projects are true partnerships built on shared vision and respect.
PROCESS, EXPERIENCE & COMMUNICATION
Clarity, efficiency, and excellence at every stage are our ultimate aims. We understand the demands of busy professionals and our priority is to ease rather than labor their existing commitments. Our process is highly structured and fully managed for the full project life cycle, and we act as your single point of oversight to coordinate with architects, builders, and artisans. You can learn the details of our process here.
Our clients value a concierge-level experience, where decisions are streamlined and thoughtfully curated. We act as owner's agent to guide you through key milestones while handling the details and managing complexity behind the scenes on your behalf. Protecting your time, energy, and peace of mind is our priority. You can learn more about our ideal partnerships here.
You can expect clear, concise, and timely communication throughout the project whether through written updates, mutually scheduled meetings, or direct contact. Emergent communication is made through a private, team-managed digital forum while weekly updates are furnished via email.
INVESTMENT & FEES
We believe transparency and alignment are essential to a successful partnership. Our fee structure reflects our experience, access and results and are customized based on project scope, scale, and complexity. These design fees are clearly outlined in your Proposal for Services prior to engagement, and are separate from an established minimum investment for furniture and materials purchased through MHLI which is a condition for our engagement.
Our clients understand that thoughtful design is an investment in quality of life, property value, and longevity. During our consultation, we discuss expectations, priorities, and typical investment ranges to ensure alignment. We establish financial allocations early and manage them proactively throughout the project while carefully tracking expenditures as the project evolves. Our team provides clear guidance on where to invest for maximum impact and long-term value.
PRIVACY & DISCRETION
Yes. We regularly collaborate with estate managers, personal assistants, security teams, and household staff to ensure smooth execution with minimal disruption.
Discretion is fundamental to our practice. We don't publish client identities or information without explicit permission, and we are happy to work under NDAs. Many of our most notable projects remain entirely private.
GETTING STARTED
The process begins with a brief questionnaire, Clarity Call, and paid consultation with Marc to align on your goals, timeline, and scope. We want to ensure mutual benefit, an experience that exceeds expectations, and results reflective of our portfolio. You can begin the process here.
Radical Individuality is the Ultimate Luxury
MHLI is a full-service, Black-owned interior design boutique specialized in luxury residential renovations, new builds and comprehensive furnishing projects. Read more
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