British-born, Sudanese artist Huda Hashim is a 3D architect, painter and interior designer with an impressive list of accomplishments in every field of endeavor. The founder of two 3D printing companies, HudArts and Manzili 3D, Huda has also found success as an artist with prints of several of her works available through Crate & Barrel. She brings her talent with interiors to the fore in the design of her four-bedroom home in Plano, Texas, which she shares with her husband and two sons.

Like many people in 2020, Huda and her family found themselves moving into a new home. And like many, they found that the process was different than it had been in the past. "We got lucky," the designer explains, "We bought our home June of 2020, right in the middle of COVID, and so we didn’t get the opportunity to see it in person." Having to endlessly scroll through listings and magnify photos to see every corner as the only way to select her new home, there was more than a bit of trepidation on closing day. Fortunately, crossing the threshold for the first time was a happy ending to a long process. "It was extremely clean, renovated with marble floors in the kitchen, breakfast area and laundry room, and freshly painted walls in a gray-blue tone," she says.

As the family settled and the move-in progressed, Huda’s designer eye kicked in and took a critical assessment. "At first I wasn’t too sure about the paint," she confesses, "so I got part of the house painted a warmer color." But as time went on and she took stock of the home’s architectural features and how they interacted with the design, she found herself reconsidering the paint job. "A few months later I realized that the cool gray-blue was actually the perfect choice due to the house getting tons of natural light from our large windows," she says. "The sunlight was giving the perfect natural warm tones and so a cool color balanced out the home."

Huda’s living room is a perfect blend of modernity and elegance, neutrals and bold pops of color. "The curved sofas are in close proximity to each other to create the effect of sectional seating, and the red sculptural chairs elevate the look from neutral to the right amount of color." Yet more than just a pretty room, for Huda, the living room is both a book that tells her story and a trove for housing the objects that remind her of the best parts. "I call it the collector's room," she laughs. "My cabinet holds the richest of items from my travels around the world."