PaperCity Magazine

April 2014 - Houston

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THE VINTAGE In speaking with Paige and Smoot Hull, it's readily evident that The Vintage is a work of love and passion, an emotional commitment to the idea of imbuing meaning into everything they do. It began with a fortuitous sighting of a for-sale sign on a return trip to Houston. This kindled an image of a country home that could consolidate a yearning to express the authenticity of what it means to look at your surroundings — to find, to collect, to bring together and reuse objects of the past with an economic spirit of recycling. In the Hulls' case, every aspect of bringing this B&B to life reflects this spirit, from the elderly couple from whom they purchased the farmhouse to the dining table top found in a field and carried home to resume its integral purpose of bringing together family, to the visitors who stay within the home and enjoy the comfort of a place designed with care. The Hulls made structural interventions to open up the 2,400-square-foot space and allow for a flood of natural light, and to insert necessary modern conveniences. A charming and chic convergence of rustic simplicity and modern airiness, The Vintage is one mile from Round Top Square and sleeps up to six. If you're at the fair, don't miss the Hulls' installations at Marburger Farm — elaborate thematic sets where they sell their repurposed vintage objects, lighting and furniture. Rates start at $225 per night. 1450 North Highway 237, 713.859.5993, thevintageroundtop.com. THE PRAIRIE BY RACHEL ASHWELL Rachel Ashwell, the lauded international designer and creator of Shabby Chic, first came to Round Top from her home in London to revel in the plethora of quality antiques and vintage finds. She consistently stayed at a then-family- owned B&B, created by Lenore Prudhomme, that she would later purchase and transform into The Prairie by Rachel Ashwell, both to continue its history and to acknowledge the unlikely consonance of her personal style in the Texas terrain. The expansive property is comprised of five farmhouses and two barns from the mid- 1880s, set on 46 acres. The most prominent is the two-story Liliput Lodge, the farm's original homestead, where each room takes on an individual air through distinct color palettes and furnishings, but together they maintain an overall design scheme indebted to the charm of rustic living — or at least as Marie Antoinette might envision rustic living. Ashwell's signature comfy cotton- and linen-upholstered furnishings, fluffy beds dressed in down duvets and washed cotton, and vintage chandeliers juxtaposed with hints of peeling paint, heavily patinated doorknobs and fixtures and tattered lampshades all contribute to the awareness of the home's history through the lingering presence of its past. Aside from Liliput Lodge, there are Cornflower Cottage, Faith Cottage, Meadow Manor and Blue Bonnet Barn, all varying-sized farmhouses (and one barn) with distinct personalities, mixing vintage wallpapers with Farrow & Ball paint colors, utilizing original floorboards and ceilings, all terribly luxurious with claw-foot tubs, ample showers, Ashwell's divine down-filled furnishings and duvets, flat- screen TVs and iPod docks. The success of the compound is also a result of the deliberate orientation of each structure on the property, situating wraparound porches and sunny windows to capture the magnificent vista of the natural landscape of trees and rolling land. Ranger's Lodge is where to go for a divine country breakfast prepared by Danny Riebeling, and to commingle over libations in the evenings. Don't miss the Shabby Chic store — another farmhouse, this one filled with Ashwell's couture furnishings, bedding, table linens, dishes, accessories and books. And The Pearl Barn, transformed into a wedding and special-event venue. Rates start at $185 per night. 5808 Wagner Road, 979.836.4975, theprairiebyrachelashwell.com. Round Top, a single-mile stretch along Texas 237, may have an official population of 77, but in April and October, thousands of collectors descend upon this hamlet and adjoining towns for the Round Top Antiques Fair. Known worldwide, the fair has sparked some stylish new spots. B Y M A R Y L A M B R A K O S Round Top ROUND ABOUT & JENNY ANTILL JENNY ANTILL JENNY ANTILL JENNY ANTILL JENNY ANTILL JUNK GYPSY Junk Gypsy consists of mom Janie Sikes and sisters Amie and Jolie Sikes, who left tiny Overton, Texas. in 1998 and took off for the wild blue yonder to procure the world's finest junk. An HGTV series resulted, Junk Gypsies, then gigs designing Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton's wedding reception and Dierks Bentley's Airstream — resulting in lots of press — then this amazing barn in Round Top, filled with the self- proclaimed world's finest junk. And it's pretty great stuff. This fun-spirited, no-fuss style is a mix of vintage velvet sofas, Greek replica statues draped in beaded necklaces and original lamp assemblages suggesting the feverish accumulation of this country-version Xanadu. The creative reuse of old items to new ends exemplifies the originality that runs rampant in this family. The store also fleshes out the necessary accouterments of a vintage way of life: stacks of cowboy china, perfectly faded bed linens, scents and lotions of natural composition, fringed jackets and y'all-printed shirts, all inciting rustic hysteria at fair time. 1215 South State Highway 237, 979.249.5865, gypsyville.com. APRIL PIZANA APRIL PIZANA APRIL PIZANA APRIL PIZANA APRIL PIZANA Pearl Barn at The Prairie Shabby Chic dressed bed Smoot & Paige Hull Dining area at The Vintage A living room at The Prairie The Vintage Liliput Lodge at The Prairie Amie and Jolie Sikes Meadow Manor at The Prairie Reclaimed wood ceiling at The Vintage Junk Gypsy Junk Gypsy Kitchen at The Vintage Junk Gypsy

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