Light It Up

Above: A Spanish tribute to a friend: “You only live once”

This is no ’80s flashback. you really are seeing more neon around town—from the restored “Pillsbury’s Best Flour” sign atop the rehabbed Pillsbury A-Mill to “The World is Yours” at Aria in the North Loop. It might be premature to proclaim a trend, but neon is undeniably fun, playful, and entirely customizable. Local makers like Neoneon Art & Design can create any message or symbol you dream up in whatever font you prefer. Interior designer Brooke Voss requested “You only live once” (in Spanish) for this long, lean, and bright wall display in her loft’s living room. She also specified the font and the color. The only nonnegotiable: the cord. As Brooke discovered, neon’s continuous circuitry requires a cord coming out one end and returning to the other. She also installed a neon sign in her studio and for a client. “I think it’s really fun,” she says.

By Chris Lee
Photo by Corey Gaffer