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as Sandy shared that most of her inventory, dating primarily from the 18th and 19th centuries, hails from the Old Dominion and other East Coast locales, along with some European antiquities that speak to her. "When I see something I've never seen before, I gravitate towards it," she says, referring specifically to a very unique console that was originally a cargo saddle for a camel. A hunt board from Virginia, an 18th-century mourning embroidery painting, vintage toy horses and a painting of Winchester's dogs dubbed "The Boys" all caught our eye. For Worrell, antiquing is practically her birthright. Her family moved to Bellaire when she was three, and her mother, June Worrell, joined the trade after meeting Martha Beard, an antiquarian originally from Virginia, at the grocery store. One of the original dealers at the Round Top Antiques Fair, June became known as the Windsor Lady, the go-to for seekers of those coveted chairs. She was in the business 55 years with an impressive list of projects and clients — including Andy Warhol and Ima Hogg. Worrell worked alongside her mother for three decades and inherited her love affair with fine old things. Her house in Montrose dates to 1901, built five feet off the ground by a family fleeing Galveston post-hurricane, and her warehouse dates to 1906. It was condemned a mere month after she bought it, so she had to quickly begin restoring it, which has turned into a 38- year labor of love. She recently retired from traveling to antique fairs across the country — you can now catch her only in Round Top and at the Vintique Flea. Better yet, call her for a visit and a history lesson. Sandy Worrell, 713.529.2875, by appointment. Anne Lee Phillips DECORATION D esigner Randy Powers discovered Sandy Worrell at the Big Red Barn at Round Top Antiques Fair and told us we just had to see her Montrose shop. "Are you sure this is it?" we asked as we pulled up to a somewhat tattered single-story dwelling. The ebullient Worrell came bustling out of the adjacent house on Welch Street and hurried us (as a thunderstorm was brewing) inside what does indeed function as her warehouse, which is "always open by appointment," according to her card. Upon entering, I was struck by that antique smell of my native Virginia. The building was a treasure trove, filled floor to ceiling with riches of bygone eras. My nose was on point, K elly Wearstler is redesigning the world one product at a time. Furniture, fabrics, dinnerware, jewelry and carpet crowd her résumé, and now the L.A.- based design mogul adds lighting to the list. She has teamed up with Houston- based luxury lighting manufacturer Visual Comfort for a 60-piece collection composed of contemporary pendants, chandeliers, ceiling mounts, sconces and floor and table lamps in mixed metals, stones and unusual textures. The look is totally Wearstler, with warm brass and carved bronze; rich natural quartz, alabaster and fractured glass; and geometric and sculptural styles, such as her Cubist and Cleo collections, which play off all the angles. This collaboration is a good fit — 28-year-old Visual Comfort also produces lighting for some of the most influential names in design, including Aerin Lauder, Alexa Hampton, Bill Blass, Ralph Lauren and, in Texas, J. Randall Powers. $275 to $7,350 at Circa Lighting, 2427 Westheimer Road, 713.526.4100, circalighting.com. Rebecca Sherman ILLUMINATI I t's an alliance Française at the newly minted al fresco nook Jardin de France in the West End. International proprietors Gloria and Patrice Watine — she hails from Venezuela; Patrice and his frère, buyer Nicolas Watine, grew up in a small French village in the Picardy region near Belgium — started out with a commercial plant-care business in Houston in 2002. They expanded this spring into the retail world, purchasing the former site of a Mexican folk-art shop. The new garden/antiquarian stop is sited on a 5,000 square- foot lot with an apt Blossom Street address. Two 1,200-square- foot buildings comprise a well-edited antiques store tilted to French and continental treasures, as well as an open-air plant conservatory. A fern- and topiary-filled courtyard wraps both structures with a verdantly natural vibe; faded green shutters with charming peeling paint make a perfect backdrop for a vignette of a wrought-iron cross, native succulents, a curvaceous Nouveau metal armchair, antique stone putti and a collection of 19th-century glass bottles. Inside, Louis XVI revival chairs with their exquisitely faded original tapestry ($3,600 for the pair) hold court with delightful patinated pottery terrines (incredibly priced from $75) and vintage silver and chrome champagne buckets, which the Watines will happily fill with the plant of your choice. Also stocked are design books, La Lavande soaps, Nouvelle candles, a cache of vintage porcelain tureens, 19th-century oyster plates and all manner of handsomely aged cafe chairs and tables. 4819 Blossom, 832.746.8606, jardindefrance tx.com. Catherine D. Anspon C reated by Parisian furniture designer Cédric Ragot, Roche Bobois' new lacquered Sismic ottoman throws off conventional seating with a stacked, off-kilter base. It doubles as a side table or highly functional sculpture. Available in red ombré effect or metallic mouse gray, white and taupe. $2,300, at Roche Bobois, rochebobois.com. Rebecca Sherman TWISTED ALL PICTURES JENNY ANTILL CLIFTON GALLICGARDEN HIDDEN DOORS: SANDY WORRELL ANTIQUES IN MONTROSE Jardin de France Patrice and Gloria Watine at Jardin de France Sandy Worrell Antiques The reticent Sandy Worrell Kelly Wearstler Cleo lamp, $630 – $2,100 JENNY ANTILL CLIFTON JENNY ANTILL CLIFTON Strada oval pendant, $1,575 – $2,100 Halcyon desk lamp, $1,470 Wearstler's Precision floor lamp, $1,890