Editor's note: Another year is coming to a close! Firmly planted in the final stretch between Christmas and New Year’s Day, it’s time to glance back at which Home and Design topics readers flocked to in 2024. In a market the size of Houston, style and design tend to receive the attention they deserve, and 2024 really ran the gamut on the subject. From introducing suppliers and businesses, openings and closings, residential developments and restorations, antiques festivals, plus style forecasting from from local professionals, CultureMap covered it all.
Houston is showing zero signs of slowing down in 2025, and it’s exciting to see what the new year will bring to the city. Here are 10 most read home and design articles of the year:
1. Discount retailer Big Lots closes 4 Houston stores in bankruptcy sale. Ohio-based bargain retailer Big Lots announced that following their Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, 344 of their 1,389 stores would be closing. For Texas, that meant 16 stores — 4 of which are in Houston. At the time, the store planned to restructure, but it subsequently announced all of its locations will close.
2. Houston design expert shares 3 consignment shops stocked with premium pieces. Classic Houston staples The Guild Shop, Upper-Kirby Consignment, and Designer’s Furniture Exchange were highlighted as interior designer favorites for finding high-end furniture and accessories for a fraction of their retail prices. CultureMap readers had a lot to say about this article and sent lists of their favorite hidden-gem resale shops — perhaps it’s time to revisit this subject.
3. Meet the developer devoted to rescuing Houston’s historic bungalows. Minahil Halim and Tom Hickman, of Archive Construction and Bullethoof Homes, respectively, have turned a passion project into a thriving restoration business. Saving historical homes from demolition by relocating before they meet the wrecking ball is only one facet of their boutique restoration company. Archive Construction also runs a popular Instagram account that provides constant community engagement as well as salvage and restoration tips.
4. Meet the family business that’s successfully slated many Houston hotspots. Stuart Rae continues the legacy of Thorntree Slate & Stone. With exclusivity with multi-family housing developer The Hanover Company, as well as Berg Hospitality, Thorntree is responsible for a plethora of public-facing projects in Houston and beyond.
5. What to know about Round Top's 43-acre Marburger Farm Antique Show. In recent years, Marburger Farm and their behemoth of a quarterly antiques festival have become more popular than ever. This “what to know before you go” guide gives readers the inside scoop on planning a trip to this Round Top favorite.
6. 4 must-follow Houston Instagrammers selling midcentury modern furniture. The pandemic threw an astronomical spotlight on just how many Americans live paycheck-to-paycheck. Side-hustles became commonplace and many of those evolved into thriving full-time businesses. As buyers’ budgets tightened, the online vintage marketplace boomed — meet the top local Instagram vintage vendors.
7. Secret hideaways and sunrooms are the hottest home design trends right now. Popular Houzz searches showed that appliance garages, window seats, and wine bars tucked beneath staircases were all the rage this year. That’s not surprising with the upswing of home entertaining steadily increasing over the last few years.
8. English-style kitchens among top 10 home design predictions for 2025. Houzz listed their top 10 predictions for 2025. Natural elements and organic-modern styles, range alcoves, lots of curved soft furnishings and archways listed alongside of textured cabinet fronts, warm color palettes, Maximilist decor, and more made the list.
9. Houston designer transforms River Oaks spec house into dog-friendly home. Veteran designer Darla Bankston May transformed a soulless spec home in River Oaks into a warm, welcoming space for a family relocating from Midland with their four-legged friends in tow.
10. Design experts and real estate pros celebrate posh plumbing brand's Houston return. Waterworks returned to Houston with a fully-branded vignette in Julie Koch’s trade-only design showroom Elegant Additions in the Heights. Famed interior designer Paloma Contreras and real estate broker Caroline Bean welcomed guests to their opening brunch and book signing.
