PaperCity Magazine

June 2014 - Houston

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W e are so in love with this magnificent Dragon rug rendered in silk from deconstructed vintage saris (9 x 12, $18,000) at Carol Piper Rugs. Piper (one of Texas' preeminent sources for antique to contemporary carpets, rugs, textiles, tapestries and more) is collaborating with Ellouise Abbott (the oldest showroom in Texas and owned by Betsie Weatherford) to produce an exclusive collection of Fortuny-inspired carpets, to be realized in the near future. It's a perfectly symbiotic move: Ellouise Abbott is the exclusive purveyor of Fortuny within a four-state area. Piper stocks a selection of her exotic antique and vintage carpets alongside newer antique recreations and more daring contemporary selections at the Ellouise Abbott showroom (to the trade) at Decorative Center Houston, as well as in her eponymous rug boîte at 1809 West Gray. Catherine D. Anspon Christopher Spitzmiller — New York–based potter to the president — is best known for the glazed lamps he handcrafts in his Manhattan studio. But his hand-glazed marbleized dinner plates have us emphatically agog. Not quite as fastidious as aptware but similar in feel, the plates have an irresistibly crisp technicality. Look for four beguiling color combinations: Delft blue and white, teal and white, brown and white, and a brown and white stone design. $95 at Found, christopherspitzmiller.com. Seth Vaughan YOU PAUSE Chelsea Dreyer JENNY ANTILL Biscuit Home owner Bailey McCarthy has moved her delicious not-yet-two-year-old shop of all things bedroom and gifts from Upper Kirby to a spacious new locale in the Montrose. Half of the 10,000 square feet is dedicated to bedroom vignettes — picture six sections of luscious fluffy beds dressed in Biscuit's own printed linens, duvets, quilts and pillows (with textile designer Isabel Wilson) and themed gift nooks stocking Smathers & Branson needlepoint key chains, flasks and cuff links; Library of Flowers Arboretum Field Kits, candles, soap and bath products; The Honest Company baby-safe goods; Jonathan Adler accessories; Kate Spade notes and letterpress cards; baby items and toys from teepees to stripy paper straws; and Mi Golondrina linens and embroidered pillows. The remaining space accommodates Biscuit's warehouse, offices and a full-design studio. But there's more: Biscuit Home now offers monogramming on all merchandise, from its own Biscuit bedding to a christening baby bib. The vibrant new Paint Wall created on the side of the building by local artist Mr. D, will, McCarthy hopes, become a Houston destination — it already has its own hashtag (#biscuitpaintwall). Anna Schuster H ome Identity design store pops up in Houston for the month of July at 4411 Montrose. Arriving via Spain and South America, Marcelo Saenz (Spain), Adrian Dueñas (Ecuador, US CEO), Francisco Araujo (Ecuador) and Vassili Tsipianitis (Greece) stock European and South American brands such as Kartell, Vibia Lighting, Nanimarquina Carpets, Tres Tintas, Elitis France and more. Look for a permanent spot on West Alabama, opening end of October. For a peek, go to homeidentity.us and homeidentity.co.ec. GET INTO BED with BISCUIT E ons before the economy went the way of the dodo then boomeranged back to life, interior design insiders hunted for bargains and antiques in resale shops with the best of them. Traipsing from one hidden honey hole to the next, they'd gather vintage wares for clients' homes or stockpile them for future projects. But who has time to stalk every shop in town? Or storage space for pieces that no longer fit one's flat? Meet White Sconce, an online go-to for fabulous furniture finds — and an easy way to sell your own gently used items. "Curated consignment" is the stock and trade of White Sconce owners Laura Singleton and Bethany Hughes: an elegant, ever-evolving collection of antiques, modern furnishings and objets d'art, all at your polished fingertips. Recent visits to the site unearthed a chaise from Roche Bobois, mid- century modern chairs by Pierre Cardin, French antiques, Persian rugs and more. Both owners bring certification from the Sotheby's program to the endeavor; Singleton was principal of her own Austin interior design firm and worked with Beverly Jacomini and Ginger Barber Interior Design firms in Houston, and Gagosian Gallery and HG Magazine in NYC, while Hughes founded Sartain Fine Art in Houston and worked with David Dike Fine Art and Hall Galleries in Dallas. Step-by-step instructions are provided online, and the WS team offers their expertise by phone. 512.201.8017, whitesconce.com. Caroline Starry LeBlanc CONSIGNMENT by COMPUTER A keen sense of style seems sewn into Chelsea Dreyer's genes. The name of her new boutique, Cuatro, is an homage to her position as fourth born in a crew already known for stylish success: Sister Christina Mitchell has kept popular West U boutique Abejas buzzing for nearly two decades, while mom Sharon Dreyer is a longtime luxury real estate specialist. Gas trader by day and locator of all things cool in her downtime, little sis Chelsea founded the eccentric online clothing and accessories outlet 77th Street Imports several years ago and later launched The Find, a weekend pop-up shop. Now she's thrown herself full-force into her first full-time retail venture. Cuatro inhabits the 3,000-square-foot Bissonnet storefront formerly occupied by Leap (which has moved to Hollywood Square on West Alabama), next to Watkins Culver and Shabby Slips. Chelsea has transformed the space into a light, open backdrop for vintage and consignment furniture, home accessories and lots of lighting. Her goal is bringing the essence of Round Top to town: a mix of modern, Country French and industrial mixed with rustic and Texana finds. Dreyer is open to any sort of consignment that will work in the store. "I'll look at anything," she says. "I love pairing different styles together, and I'm here to help customers do the same. To finish a space with a bit of vintage, some new pieces, an antique or two and a dash of modern is what Cuatro is all about." She plans to organize weekend block parties in the quaint alley out back with her fellow design-centric neighbors. Watch for a coffee bar to debut in the boutique this month, making the space part shop, part hangout and all stylish charm. 2314 Bissonnet at Greenbriar, 713.533.9030, cuatrohouston.com. Caroline Starry LeBlanc A NEW SPACE DECORATION P roprietress Jill Brown found these Flemish forefathers on a scouting trip to Belgium. The irresistible portraits now reside at her eponymous shop, Brown: five unsigned early- to mid-20th-century works that depict mild-mannered Belgian dignitaries professionally dressed in suits and ties. Yet there's something wonderfully quirky and quixotic about them. Imagine the tales one might spin. $7,900 for all five, at Brown, 2940 Ferndale, 713.522.2151, shopbybrown.com. Seth Vaughan DESIGN BUZZ FOR A FAMILIAR FACE PICTURE THIS Laura Singleton, Bethany Hughes Bailey McCarthy JENNY ANTILL JENNY ANTILL SHAU LIN HON WHEN A PLATE GIVES DRAGON RUG THE GIRL WITH THE Christopher Spitzmiller's hand-glazed dinner plate in Delft blue and white Home Identity rendering

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