Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/594381
F or half a century, the Theta Charity Antiques Show has defined Houston's fall cultural season. Improbably, the venerable antiques show — considered among the top three in America — came about in 1952 as a response to its Kappa Alpha Theta Houston Alumnae chapter's desire to raise funds to give back to the community beyond what the Thetas were doing at the time: peddling metal polish, magazines subscriptions and chances on a mink stole. An article in American Home magazine about a Manhattan church's antique show and bazaar served as inspiration and model. Founding duo Mary Frances Bowles Couper and Mary Margaret Perry McDonald mobilized fellow Thetas for the first show, chaired by Virginia Shilstone, at the Shamrock Hilton in the hotel's Bluebonnet and Azalea rooms. The $1 admission fee yielded $1,800 for charity, whose beneficiaries included the Houston-based Foster Parent Plan and Center for Hearing and Speech. The show gradually grew to 50 dealers, returning year after year with finds for discerning clients such as first lady of American decorative arts, Miss Ima Hogg. Other notables who have shopped Theta and/or served as guest speakers include White House curator Clement Conger, museum man/ former Metropolitan director Thomas Hoving (when he was editor of Connoisseur Magazine), designers Bunny Williams and Mark Hampton, Architectural Digest's Paige Rense, and from across the pond, Lady Jane Spencer-Churchill and Viscount David Linley. Six decades after its founding and $6.7 million later, this fall's Theta Show moves to a new venue — Bayou City Event Center (9401 Knight Road) — and unfurls over four days, November 12 through November 15, with the Preview Party (Thursday, November 12) launching the splendid antique convergence. New this year is a Designers Walks, with guided tours Friday and Saturday, led by Houston decorators Lindsey Herod, Jane Osborne, Ben Johnston, Bob Wakefield, Courtnay Tartt Elias and Bill Stubbs. Pedigreed speakers include Robert Edsel of The Monuments Men, monogram expert/author Cynthia Brumback, Metropolitan Museum of Art Leonard A. Lauder curator of modern art Rebecca Rabinow, and maven of the Gilded Age Bettie Bearden Pardee. The 2015 Show gives back to seven community nonprofits, joined by its four permanent beneficiaries Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, Child Advocates, Texas Children's Cancer Center and Kappa Alpha Theta Foundation leadership and scholarship programs. Info and tickets, thetacharityantiquesshow.com. Catherine D. Anspon Pedigree + Polish: Theta Charity ANTIQUES SHOW R estoration Hardware's new collection of modern furniture — which debuted October 12 via a massive 540-page online catalog and a dedicated website — signals an entirely new direction. This is the company's first full foray into contemporary looks, and it's utterly dazzling. The line includes reissues of iconic originals from Milo Baughman and furniture collections by Barlas Baylar, Anthony Cox, Thomas Bina and Rudy Sr., Rudy Jr. and Frederick Van Thiel. There's also lighting from noted California lighting designer Jonathan Browning and the iconic Italian house Fortuny, along with modern rugs and outdoor furniture created in conjunction with high-profile contemporary American designers. The minimalist line is rendered in such traditional mid-century materials as shagreen, stone, brass, bronze, lacquer, leather, glass and aged mirror. For the launch, RH has teamed up with the legendary brander and editorial designer Fabien Baron to conceptualize its modern catalog, logo and other materials. There are also new dedicated RH Modern Galleries, including one in Los Angeles and New York City, which showcase contemporary art from artists around the globe. rhmodern.com. Rebecca Sherman REVOLUTION HARDWARE T here's no better time to start your dream kitchen remodel, as two new showrooms open their doors at Decorative Center Houston. After four years in another location, Madeval has moved into a gleaming new spot on the first floor of DCH. The custom cabinetry maker has its roots in Ecuador, where the company continues to source raw materials (maintaining two factories and five showrooms) with kitchen, bath and closet design at the heart of the company. D'Italia Stosa Cucine has opened its seventh U.S. showroom — and its third in Texas. The parent company is family-owned Stosa Cucine, headquartered in Radicofani in the hill country outside of Siena, which has been manufacturing Italian kitchens for 50 years. The numbers are impressive: Two Italian factories produce more than 30,000 kitchens a year in 40 countries. Thirty models and 200 finishes are offered, from classic to contemporary, all representing the timelessness we expect from Italian design. Making the process painless is showroom owner Elsa Govea de Panfilis, who is an architect and is happy to help with all manner of design conundrums. Madeval, Decorative Center Houston, 5120 Woodway Dr., Suite 109, 713.522.5500, madeval. com. D'Italia Stosa Cucine, Suite 207, 281.888.9350, elsag@ditaliadesign.com. NEW DESIGN DOORS T his fall, ID Collection owners Joe DeMourelle, Bonnie Martin and Jim Williamson celebrate 15 years in the showroom biz with a slew of new names, including two fabric lines from Milan: Alcantara, which is known for its luxurious vegan suede that's been laser-cut, topstitched, braided and embedded with crystals; and Kohro, whose rare double- width cashmeres and other sumptuous fabrics can be endlessly customized. Toronto-based Powell & Bonnell's contemporary furniture, lighting and textiles are hitting the floor for the first time this fall; look for unusual finishes and best sellers that are kept in stock for quick ship. 5120 Woodway Dr. #4001, 713.623.2344, interiordesigncollection.com. Rebecca Sherman T o say that London-born, L.A.– based Martyn Lawrence Bullard is a prolific designer would be an understatement. When he isn't decorating homes for rock stars and high-profile types (including Cher, Sir Elton John and Jimmy Choo founder Tamara Mellon), Bullard keeps plenty busy, producing his namesake collections of fabrics, furniture and wall coverings for Schumacher and prepping for the April 2016 launch of a second book, Martyn Lawrence Bullard: Design and Decoration (Rizzoli). This month, Bullard introduces his latest collection for The Rug Company and, true to form, these designs encompass the all- important element of exotica he insists that every room possess. Look down: Zanzibar's undulating patterns are scaled as a perfect match to the stripes on vintage zebra hides; Mamounia's simplified fretwork tile pattern was inspired by Bullard's travels to Morocco; and Samavar, an exuberant display, is rooted in an 18th-century Uzbekistan ikat fabric. Both the Mamounia and Samavar are hand-knotted Tibetan wool, and 9-by-6-foot versions are $6,966 each. therugcompany.com. Rebecca Sherman Exotica UNDERFOOT Olivier Fleury Inc. Bell and Bird D'Italia Stosa Cucine Madeval Fusion kitchen D allas-based home furnishings designer Arteriors launched its first upholstered furniture collection at High Point market in North Carolina last month. Arteriors is known for producing exquisite collaborations with top designers Laura Kirar, Windsor Smith, Barry Dixon, and Jay Jeffers among others; the new upholstery line was the missing link in a successful lineup of lighting, accessories and small furniture. The 10-piece collection includes sofas, settees, chairs and a bench, and are available in three leathers, four Belgian linens, six velvets and two wood finishes. Some pieces will be kept in stock for quick ship, and others are by special order. $2,900 to $9,550, at arteriorshome.com. Rebecca Sherman NEXT UP Lucia chair, $2,800 Duprey settee, $3,600 Arader Galleries Powell & Bonnell tufted, customizeable Kudu lounge chair Get in Line Powell & Bonnnell Shadow console Cool Roger chair in brushed brass Milo Baughman chair Theta Charity Antiques Show co-founder Mary Margaret Perry McDonald and Show chairman Virginia Shilstone, circa early 1960s Theta Charity Antiques Show volunteer, Show chairman Virginia Shilstone, Show co-founder Mary Margaret Perry McDonald, in a booth, circa early 1960s PHOTO GORDON CONNER, COURTESY THETA CHARITY ANTIQUES SHOW COURTESY THETA CHARITY ANTIQUES SHOW Mamounia Sky