Tech Bros Wells and Knox Childress Bring Your Dream Décor Into Virtual Reality
Phoebe Rourke
Nov. 28, 2022
GIVEN THEIR LINEAGE, the Childress brothers’ success may come as little surprise. Masterminds behind 3-D product-imaging company Kermit Labs, Wells, 31, and Knox, 26, got their sharp eye for design from their interior-decorator mom Kara — and their entrepreneurial spirit from Houston-Oiler-turned-auto-dealer father Ray.
They grew up interning for their mom during summer breaks. “When she would present ideas to clients, she’d show a mood board with a small, pixelated image of a sofa next to a tiny fabric swatch next to a tiny wood sample,” says Wells. “And she’d say, ‘Imagine this sofa covered in this fabric with this type of wood leg.’ This client is about to spend $15,000 on the sofa, but they still can’t completely visualize it.”
The brothers saw an opportunity and pursued the business idea that became Kermit Labs. Kermit allows clients to see products in a photorealistic way, “in the exact fabric and finish and in the exact room they want,” says Wells.
Utilizing special software, the Childresses create a 3-D model, “basically a digital twin of the product,” Wells explains. “Then we’ll also create a texture, like a fabric or wood finish.” But the real fun happens next: “We create amazing, slick, virtual room scenes that include the client’s products.” Even though the exact furniture item or floor covering hasn’t yet been built IRL, the customer still gets a scalable and interactive experience. And since Kermit Labs can swap textiles, finishes or accent pieces digitally, it saves the client from producing tangible products in multiple variations — which cuts travel and photography costs by nearly 90 percent while creating stunning product imagery. The business model has earned the endorsement of major industry players like Ashley Stark Home, Lee Industries, and Visual Comfort & Co.
“We’re working on view-in-room capabilities,” says Knox, “where you can look through your phone and picture the proportions of a sofa or chair in your own home.”
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“BURLESQUE,” PURRS DANCER Taylor Ann, aka Lady Annabelle, “is about the art of the tease."
But for Ann, and for the members of her troupe The Divine Darlings, who will strut their stuff in the “Ho Ho Holidays: The Burly Soirée” show on Dec. 11 at 8th Wonder Distillery, the burlesque genre is about more than just garters and a creatively placed feather boa.
At the tender age of 21, after an unhappy, four-year, self-imposed break from dancing, Midland-born Ann returned to the stage, this time as a go-go dancer, a gig far and away from her background in ballet, jazz, modern and hip-hop. One of the other dancers recognized Ann’s classical training, and suggested she try out for the Houston burlesque troupe The Moonlight Dolls. At the audition, Ann wowed the Dolls with her technique, but was told she didn’t know how to be sexy.
(photo by 404 Studio)
“I was like, what?” laughs Ann, who was taken aback by the critique, but admits that “burlesque is an art form, and something I did have to learn.” After a second audition, she got in, and became a member of one of the city’s premier burlesque troupes. But over time, Ann grew disillusioned with what she saw as the “cookie-cutter” look of the dancers, and the competitive nature of the performances. “It wasn’t a true display of burlesque.”
In 2018, having grown more confident in herself and her abilities, Ann said au revoir to the Dolls and opened Houston Divine Studio of Arts to teach adult women of all shapes and sizes the art of burlesque. Becoming an instructor has been life changing for Ann, who says many people come to the studio simply because “they want to feel good about themselves” and heal something inside them. “If you’ve gone through something traumatic, and you just want something to fulfill your life in a different way, you start learning how to do burlesque,” says Ann. The studio also offers classes in ballet and tap, and business has tripled since Covid began.
Ann’s onstage persona as the voluptuous Lady Annabelle is sensual and sophisticated, though not without a sense of humor. (One holiday-inspired trio at the “Burly Soirée” will involve candy canes.) She definitely knows how to be sexy, and her classical pedigree continues to serve her well. “If I go to a club,” laughs Ann, “people can tell I’m a trained dancer.”
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