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    The Round Top Life

    Houston entrepreneurs turn a vintage farmhouse into an inn — and it inspires a bustling antique business

    Barbara Kuntz
    Barbara Kuntz
    Mar 25, 2014 | 12:12 pm

    If you’re attending the Original Round Top Antiques Fair and Marburger Farm Antique Show April 1 to 5, be sure and stop by Tent C, Booth 10, at Marburger’s 43-acre field where you’ll find Houstonians Paige and Smoot Hull and their three children selling their found treasures.

    The Hulls’ repertoire this second year go-round represents a carefully curated collection of pieces they selected during across-the-state treks and on more extensive trips to Europe. Paige describes their spring offerings as "French bohemian luxe" with some industrial thrown in, plus many handcrafted goods she commissioned like aprons, candles and more.

    Even more importantly, every item is inspired by how their antiquing business came to fruition: With the purchase and remodel of a rustic home, now a cozy, funky rental escape known as The Vintage Round Top nestled in the countryside in that quaint Texas town.

    The Beginnings
    “Smoot and I went on a trip to Fredericksburg about 15-16 years ago,” Paige says. “We stayed at a great bed-and-breakfast, and together we thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be innkeepers?’ "

    Paige, a 22-year veteran employee and former vice president of Page Parkes Corp., and Smoot, owner of State Contractors whose successes include the creation of the popular Empire Cafe, felt a common calling to pursue a simpler time and lifestyle.

    “There’s something about the hills that is like the ocean,” Paige says. “That calling back to nature suddenly resonated with both of us.”

    The Vintage Round Top
    In 2011, during a casual Saturday afternoon drive in the country with their children, Paige and Smoot stumbled across a farmhouse for sale in Round Top. Sitting on one and a half acres with a detached two-car garage, the property needed plenty of updating — and was the perfect beginning for their ventures into innkeeping.

    “Practically everything in this house is on its second or third life."

    Paige and Smoot immediately purchased the house, quickly ripping out the wall-to-wall carpet, building a wrap-around porch and vaulting the ceilings downstairs and upstairs — all in all establishing a clean palette to determine the decor. After fresh coats of white-washed and neutral paints, next came reclaimed materials and found objects, showing the couple's concern for the environment — and their whimsical yet functional decorating style.

    They installed planks in varying woods from Habitat for Humanity’s Restore to bring playful color and interesting texture to many of the ceilings. Their great finds like cow-feed sifters at $10 each enjoy new life as artful sconces, complete with bonafied burlap fringe. Window screens at $5 a piece sit atop the fireplace mantel like fancy accents, a $45 bedspring Paige found makes a creative memo board and polished tin panels shine as a headboard above one of the beds.

    “Practically everything in this house is on its second or third life,” Smoot says.

    Paige adds, “We had this 9-inch-deep space cut into the staircase wall. We cut trunks and suitcases to fit here in a puzzle, like a wall of travel. Where did these suitcases go? Who owned them? You can feel that spirit throughout the house. All of the things we brought in have their stories.”

    In 2012, the couple hired Tim and Carol Bolton of Carol Hicks Bolton Antiques in Fredericksburg as mentors in their shopping adventures. With their assistance, Paige and Smoot expanded their shopping haunts to France to buy one-of-a-kind finds.

    First guests arrived in November 2011, and by March 2012, The Vintage Round Top was the word-of-mouth place to stay. The charming 2,400-square-foot abode sleeps up to six and has been reserved for everything from girlfriend weekends to an escape for couples seeking an easy getaway to a base for Round Top and Marburger shoppers. Room rates run $225 per night based on up to two guests, with high season, such as the antiques weekends, $650 a night based on up to six guests.

    And just one minute from Round Top Square, the getaway enjoys that location-location-location crowning jewel.

    On a lark, the couple sent photos of the house to Country Living magazine. Shortly after, the publication highlighted The Vintage Round Top in its February issue.

    Back to Malburger, Tent C, Booth 10
    While The Vintage Round Top is booked for Texas’ mega-antiques festival, the relaxing vacation rental is available year-round. Just check out the website for openings.

    Paige and Smoot welcome all to their booth at the annual the Marburger/Round Top antiques extravaganza, an easy day trip from Houston. They encourage bargain enthusiasts to shop online, too, at The Vintage Round Top, another natural expansion of the Houstonians’ dream.

    “We really put on a production,” Paige says with a laugh of their Marburger sale. “Our entire house in Spring right now is all ‘Marburger,’ and we’re bringing everything to our booth.

    “Of course, everyone shops for their personal style. We hope what we offer resonates with people.”

    In the main room at The Vintage Round Top, guests are treated to a fresh, open space with fireplace.

    1 The Vintage Round Top house March 2014
      
    Photo by © Haylei Smith
    In the main room at The Vintage Round Top, guests are treated to a fresh, open space with fireplace.
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    Design oasis in River Oaks

    2 Austin design darlings team up for new Houston showrooms

    Emily Cotton
    Jun 13, 2025 | 1:22 pm
    Canvas Showroom
    Photo by Lindsey Brown
    Browse exclusive sustainable products curated by the team at Canvas.

    As Houston continues to see its star rise in the world of design, the onetime cliched notion that creatives simply must flock to Austin to obtain any street cred is beginning to shift. While some still consider the capital of Texas to be the epitome of cool, the pendulum swing to the east represents a well-deserved acknowledgment of the award-winning work being done in the Bayou City. And what better proof of this than two Austin design staples, Canvas Showroom and J&L Hardware, opening locations in River Oaks.

    The newly-refurbished shared space is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it trade-only building nestled amongst a nest of warehouse spaces and a scuba shop, and yet, it is truly a design oasis. Houston favorite Thompson + Hanson created the landscaping, which includes a variety of pollinator-attracting plants on the exterior and an impressively-sized olive tree in the enclosed, European-style courtyard dividing the Canvas and J&L Hardware showrooms. Dramatic, yet understated, the courtyard sets the tone for the artisanal magic found inside.

    Interior designer and Houston native Christina Cole first opened her trade-only Austin stalwart, Canvas Showroom, in 2019. Since that time, the showroom has become a must-stop-and-shop for her meticulously-curated artisanal textiles, furnishings, and more. The new River Oaks showroom is shared with Austin neighbor and fellow trade-only showroom J&L Hardware, and both promise personalized service, expert consultations, and access to exclusive products that embody artistry and functionality.

    Husband-and-wife team Josh and Naleah Rygs founded Austin-based J&L Hardware in 2015 and have since introduced an abundance of exclusive European plumbing and hardware lines to Texas. The J&L space is a remarkable reflection of Naleah Rygs: elegant, sophisticated, timeless, and warmly approachable. Garishly-branded placards are absent here, replaced by a gallery of nondescript fixtures in every finish imaginable. Guests of Miraval Resort & Spa, The Hotel Albert, The Commodore Perry Estate, and more will be familiar with their work.

    Representing a curated selection of the world’s finest artisanal brands, J&L Hardware offers trade professionals access to collections from Volevatch, Nanz, Studio Ore, The Water Monopoly, Fantini, Armac Martin, Sun Valley Bronze, Samuel Heath, THG, Cocoon, Cea, Pruskin Hardware, Studio Bookmark, Toni Copenhagen, Watermark, Merit Metals, and more. That’s not to say that J&L overlook the mainstream, everyday brands as well.

    “We look at ourselves as a big box in a little box,” Naleah tells CultureMap. “Our heart is to allow for those [mainstream brands] to be foundational, then be able to layer in or customize big pieces here and there — I never want to tell someone ‘no.’”

    Prior to moving to Texas, Naleah had only lived in Los Angeles and NYC, and her taste reflects that: “I’m feeling highly influenced by the [Houston design] community,” she says. “I love their viewpoint on things. I love the things that they are focused on that are different. Houston might be a little more traditional, or have moments of it, and then it has moments of gorgeous modern. We are such a melting pot in this landscape, and I love international influences.”

    J&L Hardware is appointment only, allowing for design professionals to come in for personalized service and work without distractions. “This is just beautiful because we want for you to enjoy your time. We want you to feel comfortable and inspired — it’s just a different way to work. You want to feel like you really have a team supporting you, because our clients are the trade: your builder, your designer, or your architect. We are an extension of a team versus a shop to shop in; the trade is the synergy of our work,” she says.

    Just across the courtyard is where you’ll find Canvas. Fans of organic, sustainable living will be found flocking to this showroom, as it’s the core identity of Canvas. This jewel box showroom features a thoughtfully-curated mix of globally-sourced materials and objects, from innovative artisanal textiles by Anne Kirk, Inata Alpaca, Chapas, Designs of the Time, JG Switzer, and Karin Sajo; to textural rugs from Awanay, La Manufacture Cogolin, Miksi, and Van Ghent; as well as distinctive lighting, furniture, and decorative objects from Kaia Editions, Alinea Design Objects, Danny Kaplan, Fern, and more.

    “Houston felt like a natural choice for Canvas Showroom’s second location, not only because I grew up here, but because of the energy, creativity, and cultural depth that define the city,” Cole tells CultureMap. “Canvas was founded on the belief that luxury should feel inviting. We offer refined, exclusive furnishings with an approachable spirit, and that philosophy resonates with the most compelling aspects of Houston’s design culture. It’s a place where warmth and elegance go hand in hand.”

    Canvas distinguishes itself by offering small-batch, artisanal, handcrafted lines, making it especially appealing to a health-conscious clientele who prefer organic materials like cotton, wool, cactus, and nettle fiber materials.

    “If you have the appetite for it, we have the product for it,” says Canvas sales director Nick Lanni. “A lot of what we carry is sustainable, it’s natural, it’s organic. We don’t want off-gassing and terrible chemicals in your house.”

    Noting that the organic movement began with food and has slowly crept into the home industry, Lanni makes a compelling argument for sourcing from Canvas: “For centuries people have been using these very products to make things — it’s not brand new — but it’s brand new to modern times, where plastic is king.”

    Very big on “vibes,” Canvas curates lines that bring soul and a human touch to the market. Family sheep farms that hand craft felted wools, husband and wife ceramicists who make lighting fixtures, woodworkers’ hand hewn furnishings — these items carry on centuries of traditional crafts.

    “Someone’s soul is in it. They are putting their blood, sweat, and tears into it,” says Lanni. “All the product from here, someone has touched it to make it, and that’s really important when you’re putting together your home. You want the good energy, and when things are created with love, it’s just better.”

    Canvas Showroom
      

    Photo by Lindsey Brown

    Browse exclusive sustainable products curated by the team at Canvas.

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