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PaperCity_Houston_June_July_August_2020

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OBSESSIONS. DECORATION. SALIENT FACTS. R ana Argenio hopes to make us rethink the way we buy luxury bedding. The 32-year-old Houston native launched the e-commerce website 10 Grove after struggling to fi nd authentic Italian linens at a price she could afford. "So many brands offer mediocre quality at a really high markup," she says. "You're often paying for the brand name." Argenio — a graduate of The Kinkaid School, The Wharton School, and INSEAD — worked for two years in New York and London focusing on consumer retail. She left to pursue her dream of making luxury Italian-made bedding more easily accessible and affordable; 10 Grove sells direct to consumers without the built-in supply-chain costs that drive up prices. Argenio may be disrupting the status quo, but she's no newcomer. She hails from a family with fi ve generations in the luxury textiles industry. Here's how 10 Grove works: Argenio buys 100 percent extra-long staple Egyptian cotton fabric in bulk from the same Italian mill that produces sheeting for Frette, Sferra and others, and ships the yardage to a warehouse in Houston. Once an order is placed on the website, bedding is handcrafted at the company's Houston factory and shipped out, often the same day. Offerings are refreshingly simple. Choose from fi ve colors in four styles of sheets, pillowcases and shams, blankets, duvet covers, and bedskirts in percale or sateen; purchase them individually or in sets. There's also a quilting collection. This streamlined process eliminates the need for inventory, which can be costly. Also, manufacturing in-house means Argenio can control the quality and the speed with which customers receive their SHEET MEDAL orders. It all shows in the bottom line: A set of queen-size 10 Grove sheets costs about $200. "To me, this is about introducing my generation, which has grown up with the Internet, to an appreciation of quality at an honest price," she says. 10grove.com. Rebecca Sherman CHINESE LAUNDRY T hese clever vases pay homage to the banality of washing up while honoring thousands of years of craftsmanship. Made by artisans in workshops near Beijing's original imperial kilns, the pastel-hued porcelain Laundry vases are part of Middle Kingdom's Bottle Vases collection. Artists Bo Jia and Alison Alten, founders of Middle Kingdom, are keeping China's distinguished legacy of porcelain making alive using traditional methods and lighthearted modern designs. Make no mistake — these pieces are also works of art. Find Middle Kingdom represented at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the Baltimore Museum of Art. Laundry vases, $47.50 each, through The Grand Tour, Palm Beach; a portion of the proceeds go to the COVID-19 response fund; grandtourhome.com. Rebecca Sherman 10 Grove linens Rana Argenio Middle Kingdom's Bottle Vases PINEY POINT VILLAGE

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