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    New kid on the block

    You've never seen a retailer like this: New Restoration Hardware looks more likea mansion than a store

    Shelby Hodge
    Nov 12, 2011 | 8:00 am
    • The 7,000 square foot rooftop garden features Restoration Hardware's collectionof outdoor and garden furnishings.
      Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
    • The Restoration Hardware co-CEOS were in Houston for the opening of the HighlandVillage gallery.
      Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
    • The three floors are connected by highly-decorated double staircases.
      Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
    • The ground floor has the feel of an Italian villa or French chateau.
      Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
    • The floral wall, created by David Brown, is just one focalpoint of theconservatory on the rooftop garden.
      Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
    • Home furnishings and accessories shopping never looked like this.
      Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
    • Vintage maps from iconic cities are accompanied by old style clocks keeping timein those various regions.
      Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com

    The doors, or shall we say the 14-foot gates, opened on the imposing Restoration Hardware Gallery in Highland Village Friday morning, revealing to eager customers a plush European-flavored residential setting that belies any notion of a "store," that word banned from company literature.

    The Gallery at Highland Village is 25,000 square feet of luxury and design inspiration that is so refined and casually elegant as to make one feel instantly at home. "I could live here," was the constant refrain of guests attending the opening party on Thursday night.

    From the crushed granite garden that flanks the entryway to the fluffy white robes in the restrooms to the third floor roof top garden, Restoration Hardware has created an unimagined serene environment in the midst of this bustling block of Westheimer.

    Entering through those heavy gates, shoppers arrive in the vestibule that leads to the ground floor where furnishings, accessories and lighting fixtures, all in pleasing neutrals, are assembled in vignettes so beautifully transitioned that the space evokes the esthetics of a vast mansion. Or as press material relates, the setting was "envisioned as a majestic estate with beautiful European proportions . . ."

    Indeed.

    "The customer here loves Restoration Hardware and we love that customer. There is a very strong connection and it's a very good market for us."

    The building was designed by Architectural Digest Top 100 architect Howard Backen and Jim Gillam of the California firm of Backen Gillam and Kroger in collaboration with Restoration Hardware chairman and co-CEO Gary Friedman and retail architect Richard Altuna. (It was not Backen and Friedman's first project together. The two partnered on Friedman's home.)

    "I'm just very excited about this new project and I feel that we are very fortunate to be in this particular time for the company," said co-CEO Carlos Alberini, who along with Friedman and RH board members came in for the opening.

    "We are delighted to have made this our first big, new creation in Houston. It is very much the first one with a lot of what you see here. We just opened a big store on Beverly Boulevard (in West Hollywood). But this was built from the ground up with this whole concept in mind. It's pretty remarkable."

    The Houston store features a tea "atelier" by Bellocq, a biblioteque (library) of international design publications, a floral boutique operated by popular floral designer David Brown and a rooftop garden (7,000 square feet of divine open air space) that had opening night party guests swooning. The latter features the line's extensive collection of outdoor and garden furniture in a setting of trimmed boxwoods, olive trees and trickling fountains.

    Next door is the highly sophisticated Baby & Child Gallery that continues the RH luxe esthetic translated into childhood dreams, a new view of nurseries and children's rooms. Collections are presented as installations that feature flowing fabrics, faux fur throws and crystal chandeliers in every room.

    Why put all this money and effort into a Houston product? Alberini responds:

    The customer here loves Restoration Hardware and we love that customer. There is a very strong connection and it's a very good market for us. And we had a great opportunity to do it in the best location in the city. So all the stars aligned."

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    top home + design articles of 2025

    Hidden gems, affordable finds, more top Houston design news from 2025

    Emily Cotton
    Dec 26, 2025 | 4:30 pm
    Houzz top kitchen remodel trends in 2025
    Photo by Joshua Caldwell / PureHaven Homes, Clayton Vance Architecture
    Houzz documented the latest kitchen design trends.

    Editor’s Note: As 2025 draws to a close, it’s time to look back at which Home and Design topics Houston readers flocked to the most. Not surprisingly, articles that offered affordable finds proved popular, with the closure of a warehouse devoted to vintage home supplies taking the top spot. Other popular stories showcased local experts in thrifting, a Houston family who received a new home on national TV, and pro tips for reducing clutter.

    With sustainable living more popular than ever, we expect readers will continue to be interested in where to find thrifted and affordable items. Here are the 10 most read home and design articles of the year.

    Houzz top kitchen remodel trends in 2025
    Photo by Joshua Caldwell / PureHaven Homes, Clayton Vance Architecture

    Houzz documented the latest kitchen design trends.

    1. Houston warehouse full of historic home supplies holds massive closing sale. Historic Houston’s salvage warehouse announced in January that its rented First Ward warehouse space had been sold to developers (gentrification, we know thee). A series of warehouse sales ensued, and owner Lynn Edmunson promised to find a home for future pop-ups.

    2. These are Houzz's top kitchen remodel trends for 2025. According to interior design platform Houzz, homeowners are shifting what they want in a kitchen. The data shows a sharp decline in searches for Rustic and Farmhouse styles, while Traditional kitchens made a nice rebound. Also popular in the search bar was the ever popular “sustainable.”

    3. Houston's massive antiques mall is full of hidden treasures. The Antique Gallery in Spring offers 85,000 square feet of vintage and antique finds sold through over 240 vendors. The classic Main Street theme is anchored by Pam’s Cafe and coffee shop, a counter-service eatery that offers shoppers the opportunity to take a break and try Pam’s delicious and revolving menu items.

    4. Houston designers shop this River Oaks store for eclectic accessories. Will Hunt Lewis’ expertly-curated vintage, antique, and new accessories boutique shines as the culmination of a career spent buying and merchandising for Jonathan Adler, One Kings Lane, and Kravet — plus his own floral design and events business in Mississippi. Lewis’ keen eye and excellent taste have made him indispensable to top Houston designers.

    5. Houston family dishes on life after Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The Elrod family’s devastating house fire left them grieving a beloved grandmother as well as the family cat. This resilient family was nominated by their local community to be the recipients of a brand new Taylor Morrison home — as did all of the family’s for this year’s revival season, which was led by The Home Edit’s Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin.

    6. Houston organizational expert shares 8 tips for reducing clutter. Carroll Cartwright of Neatly & Co shared tips for getting organized in the new year. The one-time corporate hotshot turned sought-after organizer spent 2025 going viral for an over-the-top walk-in pantry and has since seen Neatly & Co become personal organizer to Kourtney Kardashian.

    7. Hidden gem Houston store offers timeless antiques at affordable prices. Frustrated by the lack of authentic antique Greek and Turkish decor to buy locally for their own home, Melis and Umit Aktura turned a personal project into a thriving import business that attracts designers and the public by the literal truckload. The Spring Valley store sells imported decorative goods from Greece, Turkey, Indonesia, and India — all 100-years-old or more.

    8. This Houston furniture store sells big name brands at deep discounts. For 35 years, everyone from college kids to design pros have shopped showroom-condition secondhand furniture at this longtime Houston staple. Proprietor Sherri Enroth, colloquially known as “Sofa Sherri,” tells CultureMap that Gen Z’s passion for thrifting has given the store new life.

    9. Houston's 'Patron Saint of Thrifting' is always hunting for fresh finds. Meet the Lady behind Houston’s popular Resale & Thrift Guides, successful weekly YouTube series, and thriving group antiquing trips. Lady Mary Beth has taken a career in corporate gift buying and used her expertise to turn her passion project into a real success.

    10. 6 Houston experts dish on their Round Top Antique Show favorites. Six stylish Houstonians shared their top picks for the fall season of the quarterly antiques fair. From Lily Barfield of The Marlene Inn, to restaurateurs like Latuli’s Allison Knight and Truth BBQ’s Abbie Byrom-Botello, readers learned some of the best places to pick up stylish home decor at the sprawling shopping extravaganza.

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