Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/562658
GEORGIA BROWN HOME HAS BLOWN IN FROM LOS ANGELES, SAN FRANCISCO, SEATTLE AND ASPEN, OFFERING A RICH, DEEPLY TEXTURED EXPERIENCE. Antique volumes and rustic crockery GEORGIA BROWN TAKES THE TOWN CATHERINE D. ANSPON SHOPS WEST ALABAMA'S NEWEST ANTIQUES AND DESIGN DESTINATION. PHOTOGRAPHY JENNY ANTILL CLIFTON. Owner Shane Brown has built an empire around a love affair with the past, beginning with parent company, Big Daddy's Antiques, headquartered in L.A., which counts Diane Keaton among its clients. The more intimate spin-off shop, Georgia Brown Home (named after his younger daughter), first opened in Aspen — and the second has opened in Houston in the former Jas Gundry space, adding energy to the West Alabama design corridor. Brown's keen aesthetic makes an impact in the reborn 4,000-square-foot interiors, with a nearby warehouse of equal size to open soon for private shopping; both store and warehouse will be retail and to the trade. While you'll find decorative accessories and books here (tomes perfumed with age, including some 18th-century editions lining ample bookcases), the emphasis is on a larger-scale catholic approach to decorating. Brown has moved the shop's entrance to the Edloe Street side, and a pair of dramatic jars, which held vinegar back in the day, now greets visitors. Other finds are equally fabulous, from cast-iron peacocks for a garden ($840 for the pair) to a highly carved, circa-1900 swan bench ($13,000), and 19th- century riding boots that can now be appreciated as sculpture. On a wall, an imposing 18th-century tapestry ($35,000) takes a regal stance. There's a pair of towering doors that reportedly graced the outside of a European prison, along with a pair of marble sphinxes, both handsomely installed in the front courtyard. Joining Brown in this endeavor is wife Kristine; the family divides time between Texas, Aspen and the West Coast. The well- rounded Houston team consists of creative advisor Donna Parker, store manager Chris Clifton and design consultant Saul Pontifes. To celebrate its grand opening, Georgia Brown Home hosts a casual reception Friday, September 18, 6 to 9 pm; if you're reading this page, you're invited. Georgia Brown Home, 3502 W. Alabama St., 713.492.0475, bdantiques.com. An eclectic vignette Centuries and continents mingle at Georgia Brown Home. At the shop's entrance, Texas artist Paul Meyer's Burro, 2015 A swan bench evokes the surreal. Kristine and Shane Brown with Georgia and Raleigh COURTESY ASPEN PEAK MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER | PAGE 62 | 2015 HOUSTON DESIGN CENTER SPARKLES AT BACCARAT ANNE LEE PHILLIPS TOASTS TO THE HDC. PHOTOGRAPHY JENNY ANTILL CLIFTON. F orget about diamonds: For its 30th anniversary, Houston Design Center wanted Baccarat crystal. Baccarat manager Vicki Rusca celebrated the milestone by inviting HDC habitués into the Baccarat boutique in the Galleria for a champagne reception and to view the recent collection from the hallowed French house. In three decades, Houston Design Center has amassed an impressive 280,000 square feet of showroom and office space occupied by more than 45 showrooms. It also serves as a communal meeting place for the interior design community and is host to the PaperCity Design Awards. Guests sipped Napa Valley Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc from Flora Springs Winery while catching up on design news. In the crowd: HDC's Todd Mason, Sheri and Grant Roane, and Denzil Hollingsworth; interior designers Anne Breux, Suzanne Duin, and Mary Wilson; and designer/ASID Texas Gulf Coast prez Letecia Ellis-Haywood. For more party coverage, visit papercitymag.com. Corbin Young Mary Wilson Donae Chramosta Denzil Hollingsworth Marsha Cross Beeson Janice Anderson Rob Chramosta Sheri Roane Aaron Laine Mindy Carter Todd Mason Grant Roane Natalia Blachuta Alton LaDay Anne Breux Vicki Rusca Baccarat Chandelier Punita Valambhia Letecia Ellis- Haywood Kathryn Wilson Suzanne Duin