Hunting for that perfect piece is part of the priceless fun.
While many of those who throng to Round Top, the antiques mecca of Texas, arrive with a purchase list in mind, you can spot the professional designers right away. They are the ones stepping back to take a sweeping look, collecting mental images that will make their way into future projects. They are also the folks who come with notepads filled with exact dimensions, a few fabric swatches and their own trusty measuring tape. A designer never leaves home without it.
The rest of us rookies are left wondering if the piece we love will actually fit in our house, and asking to borrow their measuring tape. Some things never change.
What were you on the hunt for at the Round Top Spring Antiques Show? I landed a sweet antique fireplace set that was salvaged from a Pennsylvania mansion prior to its demolition. Yes, that was on my list. Making the rounds, we noticed some cool antiques and vintage items as well as some new items that were easy to fall in love with.
Here are some top finds from the Round Top Spring Antiques Show:
Weatherford Lighting fashions many vintage items, such as old cameras, into unique light fixtures. Check out this repurposed Remington Portable typewriter turned into a light with space bar on display at Blue Hills. Now complete with an incandescent bar light, this is a conversation piece to cherish.
For more inspiring selections, check out Weatherford Lighting’s website.
I stumbled across jeweler Kate Swail at Bader Ranch, and her gleaming gold-plated designs stopped me in my tracks. The artist originally hails from Santa Fe, New Mexico and her work shows it. These days you can find her in Dallas year-round.
The show-stopper Core Turquoise Line Cuff is modern in its simplicity, but also eye popping with its blue Kingman turquoise row inset into 24-karat gold plate metal. If you got it ― flaunt it.
This art nouveau wonder had me craving pate, or wanting to learn how to make my own at home. Of course, you could just find the perfect spot on the shelf to display this stunning Majolica pate press. Julie Bailey Burns of Burns Antik Haus in Beaumont says her son has a good eye. This was his recent acquisition, decorated with pink camelia blossoms on a rich olive green background. We ran across this one at The Compound.
Round Top Ranch Antiques is still in expansion mode, adding to its barns and showrooms each year. The lovely venue is filled with top-notch antiques. Like this Baroque era chest, which was painted French blue, then lightly scraped and sanded to acquire the desired patina, exposing the natural wood underneath. From its impeccable casework to the scalloped contours of its top, which are repeated in each of the serpentine drawer fronts, this is a chest of drawers you’d never tire of.
We found Sarah Sharp Malloy at The Arbors. The bold and colorful accent pillows make a definite statement. No matter where you throw them ― beds, benches, sofas. Each handwoven frazada textile is crafted in Peru out of either sheep’s wool or alpaca.
Malloy still manufactures all of her products, including her fabulous pillows, out of Houston. But her showroom is now located in Dallas. These are truly one-of-a-kind pieces, so you won’t find a selection on her website. Malloy will work with you or your designer to find just the right textile. Just send her pics of your color scheme and she’ll get to work on some custom pillows for you.
OK, perhaps we had fire pits on the brain, but we had to investigate these round fire pits (shown in this article’s first photo) set up in a field next door to Junk Gypsy. Artist JP Morin and his wife Sunshine Day (yes, that’s her actual given name, and yes her parents were hippies), create stunning fire pits that cast glowing shadows whether they are filled with fire or light kits.
They begin with rusty, old propane tanks from the 1940s and 1950s, then stencil on the intricate designs and hand craft with a plasma cutter. From florals to geometrics and even coral structures, these fire pits are mesmerizing. Email [email protected] directly for more info.
You have until next fall to make your list and get your measurements down. Yes, it’s never early to plan ahead for the antiques bonanza. The Round Top Fall Antiques Show is scheduled for October 13th through October 30th. Don’t forget to pack your measuring tape this time.