A decade ago, after Loeb Properties bought and renovated Overton Square, brothers Bob and Louis Loeb commissioned and installed colorful and lively public art — murals, sculpture and more — in seemingly every nook and cranny of the entertainment district.
Artist Mary Seay Loeb, Bob’s wife, has now turbocharged the family’s bent for enlivening space with luminous, often whimsical artwork.
But this time the setting is inside The Memphian, the Loebs’ first hotel.
Mary created the ideas for the interior look and feel, dismissed some out-of-town design firms reluctant to work from her vision board, selected the works of 15 Memphis artists, and created some of the art herself.
“It was a real struggle,” she said of gaining acceptance from interior design firms. “Because people don’t believe that by adding that many layers, that many colors, that you get a different energy. And it feels very welcoming and homey.