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3433 WEST ALABAMA 713.522.9191; foundforthehome.com Keys to the Door: Owners Ruth Davis and designer Aaron Rambo. Stocked Goods: Found, the wonderfully curated home shop that began life five years ago in a two-story atelier tucked away on Bartlett Street, has moved into a newly renovated locale. Found's owners, Ruth Davis and Aaron Rambo, have leapt from 3,700 square feet to more than 5,300 in one expansive space: the former Etui spot on the very visible West Alabama stretch that has become known as yet another stellar design district in town. Look for room vignettes throughout the shop, stocked with new furnishings such as upholstery by John Derian and lamps by Christopher Spitzmiller, styled by the talented Rambo with large-scale vintage industrial pieces, late 18th-century European antiques and art that mixes well with it all. In addition, Davis and Rambo have an entire section devoted to the home tomes they adore, as well as an open studio where you can see the projects Rambo has on the drawing board and even hire him for something you have in mind. Laurann Claridge Wandering WASHINGTON AVENUE Above, from top: Cindy Hunter (Sugar Creek Interiors), Jennie Perry (Emmet Perry Rugs, Kathy Edwards (Savannah House). Savannah House lamp. While one side of Washington Avenue has become a hotbed for trendy restaurants, the other side has attracted some intriguing interior-design shops Sugar Creek Interiors and showrooms. In the midst of a high-rise home renovation, I was eager to explore the area, so I tripped into three neat shops, all next to one another on Washington and open to both retail and the trade on weekdays. The first, Sugar Creek Interiors (8200 Washington Avenue, 713.212.0000), is 8,000 square feet packed with furniture, lamps, artwork and accessories from La Barge, Century Furniture, Visual Comfort, Burton James and Theodore Alexander, all arranged into inspiring vignettes. For me, what sets SCI apart is how astute-eyed owner/designer Cindy Hunter has culled together all sorts of accessories, such as hard-to-find furnishings by R&Y Augousti, vividly colored Italian glass, natural minerals and crystals, boxes, mirrors and frames. Next door, rug pro Jennie Perry, owner of Emmet Perry & Co. (8200-C Washington Avenue, 713.961.4665), is a terrific resource. She has more than 800 new rugs in stock — you can purchase yours there, or special-order in any size and scale. Her inventory includes designs by Tufenkian, Nourison, F. Schumacher, Saxony and Chilewich. This 20-year veteran of the "soft-flooring sector" has literally thousands of samples, from sisals to wools to mod patterns that had me daydreaming of ways to incorporate them into my own design. Finally, light up your home at Savannah House (8200-A Washington Avenue, 713.863.2948), designer Kathryn Edwards' well-lit space. She's carrying on the lighting business her in-laws inspired her to join and is now bringing on board the third generation — her own son. Like Perry, she's an advocate of customization and can turn anything from an Imari vase to a piece of blue coral into a show-shopping lamp, sconce, hanging light or chandelier. We're guessing she stocks around 1,000 lamp shades alone. Her craftsmen can rework an old lamp you've nearly given up on, create custom shades with your fabric, add new bases and repaint or glaze a piece — it you can imagine it, she'll help you realize it. Savannah House also carries bedding by Pine Cone Hill and Pom Pom, rugs by Dash and Albert and Beatriz Ball tableware. Laurann Claridge WORTH THE DRIVE: WARHOL DRAMA at the McNay I grew up in Pittsburgh, and every visit home as an adult included a stop at the Warhol, housed in a grand neoclassical building in the shadow of downtown and looking out, appropriately, onto the Heinz factory along the Allegheny with its dual smokestacks emblazoned with the 5 and the 7. Each floor of the sevenstory former Volkwein Music store is devoted to a period of Warhol's life, allowing the visitor to commune Above: Andy Warhol's Jackie, 1964, at the McNay Art Museum, San Antonio with glittering screen gems, auto wrecks and electric chairs. Now the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio duplicates that experience, dipping into the Warhol's considerable coffers to organize an exclusive Texas presentation, "Andy Warhol: Fame and Misfortune." McNay chief curator René Paul Barilleaux digs deep into the museum's troves to serve up three decades of the Pop king's obsession with the dual side of media glitz, juxtaposing skulls and suicides with the visages of Jackie, Marilyn and Liza. Like a Star headline or a train wreck, we can't look away. Through May 20 at the McNay Art Museum, 6000 N. New Braunfels, San Antonio, 210.824.5368; mcnayart.org. Catherine D. Anspon © 2012 THE ANDY WARHOL FOUNDATION FOR THE VISUAL ARTS, INC./ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NY FOUND PORTRAIT BY JENNY ANTILL Aaron Rambo, Ruth Davis MITCHELL, BOB… Meet Hien Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams fans, we have some welcome news. The design duo who filled a storefront spot on Kirby near Richmond until recently have now taken up residence — 6,000 square feet, in fact — on the cushy second floor of Hien Lam Home. HLH can special-order anything from their collection and will keep lots of gorgeous upholstered pieces in stock, but the MGBW products are merchandised amid other case pieces by complementary lines, inspiring customers to mix and match. 2032 W. Alabama, 713.523.1558; hienlamhome.com. Laurann Claridge SARI for Yourself We're mad for vintage sari silk rugs — fashioned from repurposed saris, of course. We found beautiful examples at Carol Piper Rugs and Abraham's Fine Rugs. The process begins in India, where artisans reduce the Carol Piper Rugs garments to threads, re-dye them and spin them into carpet-grade fiber. The fibers are then woven into antique rug designs, such as the Turkish medallion pattern shown here (available at Carol Piper Rugs), which was initially designed for the Ottoman court. Since the exact color combinations are unique, no two rugs are the same — something any decorator worth his toile will be happy to hear. At Carol Piper Rugs and Abraham's Fine Rugs. Seth Vaughan Abraham Fine Rugs TIE One On Textile designer John Robshaw says his turbans are "the perfect dinner-party gift, as your host most likely does not have one." We couldn't agree more. Heck, buy one for every guest at dinner. Made in Jaipur of recycled quilt fabric, they're too chic for words. $40, to order at Alyson Jon, or at johnrobshaw.com.