No matter what you had on your shopping list from antique canoes to centuries old American flags, from sparkling lighting, silver or crystal to American and European furnishing with a real pedigree, you could find it at the Round Top Spring Antiques Show.
The Spring Show was a delight. After being canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19, Round Top’s beloved antiques show rallied this spring. Fresh air, miles of bluebonnets and coral pops of Indian paint brush were all in bloom. Thoughtful displays of the fine antiques from around the country and from across the pond abound. It was just what we needed.
No matter what you had on your shopping list from antique canoes to centuries old American flags, from sparkling lighting, silver or crystal to American and European furnishing with a real pedigree, you could find it at the Round Top Spring Antiques Show.
Here are a few of my favorite finds from the spring fling:
Some items on display at the Original Big Red Barn required a crane to take home. Like these show-stopping fountains, which combine two historic elements ― millstones and cane syrup kettles by Millstones.com out of Conyers, Georgia. The creative repurposing creates a one of a kind fountain.
The syrup kettles are rusted cast iron, agrarian relics that can also be used to create eye-popping firepits. This stacked 500 gallon specimen costs $27,500. Plus, that crane.
Henri and Annika Delclaux’s imported items for their Atlanta-based Antiquaire De France speak with a French accent. And so do they. Some of the most intriguing items they brought to Blue Hills were behind glass. Annika restores centuries old botanicals and herbs, framing them for view, and preserving them for future generations. The panels are both delicate and timeless. From $2000 and up.
Vibrant hued seltzer bottles for $100 caught my eye at Marburger Farm Antiques Show. Some bottles from Bella Antiques are made of etched glass. All have stylish shapes and utilitarian appeal. As a collection, they make for bold and colorful display, perfect for bar tops, kitchens, bookshelves or just about anywhere they can catch the light.
This Liberty Café neon sign, that Tennessee-based PROPS Antiques showed at Market Hill, makes a real statement. Its authentic rust and 1930s deco edging transform this vintage signage into something truly special. Retrofitted with new neon, this sign costs $4900.
Tobacco heiress Doris Duke was once America’s richest woman. Her 65,000 square foot estate in Hillsborough Township, New Jersey was erected in 1893, but by Duke’s death exactly 100 years later (in 1993), it had fallen into such disrepair that all that was left to do was salvage the best architectural pieces.
This carved marble mantle, found at Recycling the Past, once sat in the mansion’s Crystal Room. It can be yours for a mere $28,500.
This mid-century decanter set with butterflies ($325) is designed by George Briard. The designer hit his zenith between 1950 and 1970. He is best known for his signature dishware and glassware ― much of which was decorated with gold-plated accents and unmistakable flourishes.
Any of the sets on display at Houston’s Seeing Pink Elephants, which was set up inside The Compound, would elevate your cocktail hour to Rat Pack or Mad Men status in a hurry.
We found owner Amie Sikes manning the hat display at Junk Gypsies. Hats are back in a big way, and strolling around Round Top proved it. Sikes tells RoundTop.com that hats have not sold this well since when Junk Gypsies first opened in the 1990s.
The Stardust Rancher starts at $130. It is made from 100 percent soft Australian wool. The classic fedora shaped hat is trimmed and edged with tonal grosgrain ribbon with bow ribbon detail.
If these finds do not already have you anticipating the fall antiques show, I don’t know what will. The Round Top fun is fully back — and so is the magic of discovery.