Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1468549
A s you drive into Round Top on Highway 237, p a s t f a m i l i a r meadows dotted with wildflowers and thick stands of majestic trees, something new punctuates the landscape: three bungalows reminiscent of early Texas farmhouses with pitched metal roofs and screened porches, their charcoal- painted shiplap and striking red doors, shutters, and antlers a tonal starkness against a milky blue sky. The new Red Antler bungalows — a boutique hotel of sorts — is the creation of John Cone and Greg Fourticq, both from Houston. Fourticq spent a decade in New York working for Donna Karan Home and Calvin Klein Home, opening boutiques for Carolina Herrera, and designing his own stunning apartments along the way. Cone, the managing partner for family businesses ranging from commercial construction consulting to insurance, follows art and interior design with a passion. "The bungalows started as a hobby, and we found we really love it," Cone says. Their first three Red Antler bungalows opened in March, just before the Spring Antiques Show, with three more slated to open in January in time for the Winter Antiques Show. Round Top, population 90, swells to several hundred thousand during the thrice yearly antiques and design shows, attracting well-known designers from around the world, a slew of HGTV and Bravo home-design stars, and entertainers such as Gwen Stefani. It's this influx — a design-savvy, sophisticated crowd — that spurred Cone and Fourticq. With antiques- show shoppers booking hotel rooms as far away as Austin, there was a very real need for accommodations where design is at the heart. "Round Top has some very cool boutique hotels — Hotel Lulu, The Frenchie, and the Round Top Inn, as well as some great B & Bs — but there aren't enough," Cone says. "People are booking rooms a year out." Round Top is also a very busy little town year-round, with many antiques venues testing the waters by opening Thursdays through the weekend, new retail shops open year-round, and great restaurants and live music most nights in a growing number of bars and watering holes. H olloway Homes (formerly Te x a s F a r m h o u s e Homes), located an hour away in Hockley, built the bungalows to Cone and Fourticq's specifications. "We wanted something that fit with Round Top's culture, so we kept a country aesthetic but did them a bit different," Fourticq says. The dramatic exteriors are painted Sher win Williams Black Magic with Rave Red accents and Gauntlet Gray trim; each 1,300-square-foot bungalow has two bedrooms and two baths, separated by a pitched great room with fireplace and full kitchen. Large screened porches overlook a creek with chairs handmade from bent willow branches by Rick Pratt out of Ohio, who sells during the shows at The Halles. There's also a glamorous round pool with red-and-white striped cabanas and a firepit overlooking the creek. While the exteriors are uniform, each of the interiors is a different world and expresses a mood and personality. Furnishings and accessories are a clever mix of items bought in Round Top, Houston and at auction, along with objects and art from the couple's own extensive collections. "When we started this project, we didn't know how to begin," Fourticq says. "Every time we saw something great, we'd buy it and put it in storage. We ended up with five storage units, filled to the gills." Fourticq kept a big binder with pictures of everything they bought, plus an inventory sheet of everything needed for each bungalow, from beds and sofas to glassware and drinks Red Antler Bungalows, as seen from Highway 237 into Round Top, is a stark contrast against the landscape with red doors, shuers, and antlers.