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OBSESSIONS. DECORATION. SALIENT FACTS. 22 B eauty is in the details: hand- embroidered monograms, thank-you notes penned on engraved stationery, a personalized gift tag tied with silk ribbon. It's this obsessive dedication to the power of a personal touch that inspired Ellis Hill co-owners Margretta Wikert and Kerri Davis to open their business in 2013. Soon, their darling shop established the chicest reputation in town, with a lengthy list of devoted clients. In just five years, Wikert and Davis have outgrown RETURN ADDRESS N ewly reopened downtown hotel The Statler's nostalgic American r e s t a u r a n t S c o u t serves more than fried- chicken sandwiches. You'll also find vintage bowling lanes, pool tables, foosball, and Ping-Pong — one of the chicest social sports of the '60s and '70s. To restore table tennis to its former glory, Frederic Gasser, the Paris-born, Dallas-based president of luxury timepiece company BRM Americas, took on the role of Dallas Ping-Pong ambassador, having spent many years as a member of Los Angeles Ping-Pong club, Spin. All of Scout's Ping-Pong tables, balls, and paddles are by European label Stiga. Throughout the week, play singles and doubles ($10 for 20 minutes during peak hours, $5 for 30 minutes during non-peak). Wednesday nights, Ping- Pong tournaments come with a side of champagne. Scout at The Statler Hotel, scoutdallas.com. Linden Wilson Where It's All FUN and GAMES T exas Two-Step: T e x a s - b a s e d talents take over the galleries. At Ro2 Art, Susan Roth Romans and son Jordan Roth co- curate "Chroma-Chameleon" — featuring Adam Palmer, A u s t i n S p a r k s , R a c h e l Fischer, and Betsy Gravatt — at the gallery's pop-up in the Deco-era Dallas Power & Light Building (through May 26) … At Holly Johnson Gallery, Houston painter Geoff Hippenstiehl continues his tussle with oil on canvas, aided by palette knife, spray gun, and an arsenal of industrial materials. While his compositions begin with photographic images, the viscous results signal an important path for abstraction (through June 16). Asia on My Mind: Fort Worth is HQ for important blockbusters that illuminate the present and past of the Asian continent. At the Kimbell Art Museum, the epic collection of Sam and Myrna Myers is highlighted in a sumptuous survey of 400 objects, artifacts, and artworks from the Neolithic to the modern. "From the Lands of Asia" includes sections on costumes, Buddhism, porcelain, and jade (through August 19). Next month, the Modern Art Museum of Forth Worth rolls out "Takashi Murakami: The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg," a retrospective that will be one of the must-see Texas shows of the summer (June 10 – September 16). Look for more about the three-decades spanning survey in our June issue. Outsider Parade: Stock your library with a bounty of Texas-centric art books this spring, beginning with William Middleton's Double Vision biography of the de Menils. The tome from Knopf continues to rack up national praise, and brisk sales are making it the book of the season for the art set. For visionary- and folk-art fans, Houston-based curator, collector, and writer Jay Wehnert makes an impressive debut with Outsider Art in Texas: Lone Stars (Texas A&M University Press). Rather than going for an anthology, Wehnert hones in on 11 talents. Read our review, at papercitymag.com. Catherine D. Anspon ART NOTES their Highland Park Village storefront and are now on West Lovers Lane with double the square footage. Cheery sky- blue French doors mark the spot, and on the far side of the sunny shop is the holy grail of paper — a trophy wall of fashionable party invitations. Peppered about are tables with Julia B. dinnerware, Walker Valentine towels, and linens in every color under the sun. Few will make it past without placing orders to personalize their lives — from salad forks to pajamas. The move to Lovers feels a bit like coming home. Just a few steps down is the spot where the Ellis Hill brand was born — behind another happy door, this one purple, belonging to Merry Vose's boutique, Cabana. Ellis Hill, 5001 W. Lovers Lane, ellis-hill.com. Lisa Collins Shaddock COURTESY THE ARTIST AND RO2 ART TONY KRASH Kerri Davis, Margretta Wikert Ping-Pong at The Statler Rachel Fischer's Obelisk, 2018, at Ro2 Art