The Superstar Czar of Style

Gregory Gordon has style. And it's pretty obvious, considering he and partners Brad Plumley and Lew Gallo are the triumvirate of taste behind Haus Modern Living, one of the premier urban furnishing stores in the nation. Besides being lauded in the pages of influential shopping mag Lucky, Gordon and company have also attracted legions of adoring fans.

The store is a showcase of Gordon's innate and effortless style, the kind that a fortunate few have encoded into their DNA. Clean lines, blinding whites, eye-popping colors, and a playful edge so sharp it rides the line between genius and gut-busting laughter. Being at Haus feels like you've been invited into Gordon's world — it's fun, engaging, and drop-dead gorgeous.

The boutique, which draws its name from the founders' shared love of the Bauhaus movement, opened in 2002 after Gordon relocated to the Valley from San Francisco. "I just believed in the potential that exists in Phoenix," Gordon says.

The cat may have something of a Midas touch going for him. The downtown Phoenix strip mall where Haus originally was located until 2004 (when it moved to the Biltmore) is now considered hip, home to several successful businesses. Haus' recent move earlier this year to new digs near Central Avenue and Camelback Road has sparked a renaissance there as well. (Haus' current digs: haus scottsdale, 4821 North Scottsdale Road, 480-423-5444; haus phoenix, 4700 North Central Avenue, 602-277-0111, www.hausmodernliving.com).

A one-time personal assistant to the late Elizabeth Montgomery (of Bewitched fame), Gordon's used his organizational skills and P.R. savvy to help throw some chic affairs at both locations, all done with a wink, of course. Like in-store appearances by cheeky designer Jonathan Adler (a regular on Bravo's Top Design reality show), and modernist Karim Rashid.

In addition to hosting such design glitterati, Haus stocks some beautifully modern and mid-century furnishings and home accessories that might break the bank (that is, unless you roll in Shaquille O'Neal's tax bracket). But it ain't all about selling bookends to billionaires for Gordon (the stores also sell the far more affordable — and fun — "I'm Not a Republican" novelty candy), as he admits some of the best parts of living in the PHX come without a hefty price tag.

"I know it sounds almost cliché and cheesy to even say this," Gordon admits, but with "the sunsets, the storms, it really is beautiful here."