good will hunting

Houston designers shop this River Oaks store for eclectic accessories

Tucked away in an adorable collective of jewel box boutique spaces for local independent businesses sits Hunt & Bloom. This blink-and-you’ll-miss-it shop is a fantastical emporium of all things kitsch. In just under three years, proprietor Will Hunt Lewis, with his encyclopedic knowledge of all things interiors, has made himself indispensable to Houston’s top designers — the designer’s designer, if you will.

A long and storied career in buying and merchandising for top brands like Jonathan Adler, One Kings Lane, and Kravet, as well as a successful store and events business in his home state of Mississippi, primed Lewis for his current position as the authority in well-curated taste. Lewis is often called upon to contribute to blue chip design media outlets such as Martha Stewart Living, House Beautiful, Architectural Digest, Veranda, Southern Living, Forbes, and more, and Houstonians should revel in the thought that we get to keep him right in our backyard.

A single visit to Hunt & Bloom will make any and every maximalist feel right at home. The shop is a delightfully-tiny wonder, but hours pass like minutes while discovering everything from majolica oyster plates to weathered vintage garden gnomes. One thing’s for sure: this shop is no sparse, gallery-chic showroom, and Lewis wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I’m more, is more, is more, is more,” Lewis says of his quirky, off-the-beaten-path boutique. “I love color! I am the opposite of that kind of ‘California Cool’ aesthetic, even though it’s gorgeous. I love a beautiful, natural linen sofa, and I love neutrals and that sort of thing. I tried to be a minimalist, and sleek and cool in one of my NYC apartments. That lasted for about five minutes — and that’s just how it is.”

A designer’s designer

Antique and vintage finds nestle among capsule collections from makers both stateside and across the pond. Stately coffee table books, candles, trays, matchbooks, and a plethora of beautifully-made ceramics and barware fill every nook and cranny, floor-to-ceiling shelving, and antique buffets and tabletops in this classically-moody space.

“I love to mix in new with old,” Lewis tells CultureMap. “That’s what I wanted this store to be about, mastering the mix of incorporating old pieces with new pieces.”

This masterful mix of old and new is what keeps top Houston designers clamoring for Lewis’ wares. Taking place quarterly, his wildly popular Tastemakers on the Hunt series invites in-demand designers like Creative Tonic’s Courtnay Tartt Elias, Kara Childress, and former Luxe Interiors editor Paulette Pearson to curate capsule collections from the store’s inventory that fans may then shop online. Lewis’ next tastemaker is none other than Nashville-based designer, author, and internet personality Stephanie Sabbe, who has over 80,000 Instagram followers.

Helping homeowners

Those familiar with the successful Hunt & Bloom website can attest that the store carries decor, gifts, and trinkets for any budget — the same can be said for the store.

“As a merchant or courier, I want to have things that anyone can come here and buy,” says Lewis. “So whether you’re looking for aspirational, or entry-level, I’ve got a price point where you’re not going to come in and say: ‘This is not for me.’ I never want someone to feel like that. There is really a reason that I have the things that I have; I want someone to come in and pick up anything.”

All too often, homeowners struggle with the task of filling shelves, bookcases, China cabinets, and even coffee tables in a way that appears studied, thoughtful, and well-traveled. Hunt & Bloom offers shoppers the opportunity to have Lewis curate these spaces in a way that appears both lived-in and personal, finding the perfect pieces to complement cherished family heirlooms and collectibles that may have lost their pride of place.

An advocate for what he has coined “the art of slow decorating,” Lewis laments that homeowners feel pressure to buy items for the sake of filling spaces as quickly as possible: “If you have built-ins, they don’t have to be full right away.” The all-too-common practice of making a Supermarket Sweep through the local Home Goods is not something that Lewis believes benefits anyone, much less a home’s interior design goals.

“What does that do besides fill space,” he says. The notion prompts Lewis to recall a quotation that was displayed in the corporate offices of Jonathan Adler in NYC: “Don’t buy it if your heirs won’t fight over it!” So, filling spaces with meaningless items is deemed a bad investment of both time and resources. “Who’s going to be fighting over all that stuff,” asks Lewis. “Nobody. So take your time and find pieces that you love, not pieces that you have to have right now because it has to be done — because you don’t actually have to.”

In addition to furniture and decor for every day, Lewis goes all out for the holidays. While Christmas is when holiday staples such as Spode and Radko are out in full force, he makes sure to stock party supplies, gifts, and decorations for shorter-lived celebrations like Valentine’s Day. Currently, the shop is full of fervor for Fall! Velvet pumpkins, pheasant feathers, and a dedicated “Spooky Shop” of vintage-inspired table decor are ready to adorn new terrains.

Hunt & Bloom welcomes the community to enjoy their recurring book signing events, artisan pop-up shops, and floral workshops. Also worth checking out is their new collaboration with Helenita Home. The store is also a top three finalist for a coveted ARTS Award for Best Home Accents Store for the Western US Region — impressive!

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Hunt & Bloom is located at 2600 Persa Street, Houston, TX, 77098.

Courtesy of Hunt & Bloom

Lewis has stocked every nook and cranny with gifts and home decor.

home-design shopping hunt & bloom

Marburger Farm updated

Round Top's 43-acre antique show unveils renovations for spring 2026

Courtesy of Marburger Farm

Visit Marburger Farm March 24-28.

The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus believed that the only constant in life is change. Since 1997, the Marburger Farm Antique Show, which typically closes out both the spring and fall editions of the Round Top Antiques & Design Show, has largely remained unchanged. As enthusiastic Marburger tailgaters listen for that opening triangle to ring, everyone has their well-established and particular beeline-paths prepared in advance. But this year, change is a’comin’.

When the fall show closed last October, Marburger began a huge renovation project that included the full restoration of its historic buildings, including the original Marburger Farmhouse, Legler House, Coufal House, Zieger House, Silver Dollar Saloon, Gulf Warehouse, Dance Hall, Bingo Hall, Blacksmith Shop, and the General Store. Notably, the restoration has made it possible to add heating and air conditioning to these structures.

New additions debuting this spring include The Canteen, which is a large food pavilion overlooking the previously-underutilized pond; The Parlor, a design showcase space; a live music stage; enhanced pathways; and a communal green space designed for gathering and celebration. Over the summer, the addition of two large climate-controlled sheds and updated seating and lounge areas throughout the grounds will complete the project.

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“This is a much more intentional undertaking to really breathe life into those buildings,” Marburger CEO John Sughrue tells CultureMap. “It’s going to be very obvious — when on the property — what we’ve done. The vision for what we’re doing was establishing a greater sense of place, and a greater sense of community.”

While fans may worry that these improvements may impact the charming and rustic aesthetic that shoppers have come to expect at Marburger, the overall experience should remain the same. Once randomly strewn across the 43-acre property, the historic structures have been gathered together around a newly-hardscaped central square. New green spaces are intended to evoke a sense of nostalgia, the layout inspired by the Texas Courthouse Square. At one end, the western-facing pavilion will overlook the pond and rolling hills, and adjacent to that, the familiar 90,000-square-feet of tented shopping remain unchanged.

“One thing that is apparent about Marburger is that people have a real sense of connection with it, a sense of history, and take a personal interest in it,” says Sughrue. “You’ll see that in the level of craftsmanship, the placemaking, and how we have, in essence, redeveloped the existing historical buildings.”

One of the things Sughrue is enthusiastic about is the ability to participate in the winter show, as well as inviting exhibitors who left for climate-controlled venues to return home to Marburger. Improved facilities for their local and beloved food and beverage vendors make for expanded offerings and shorter lines — a notion sure to please even the most staunch Marburger purists.

“We are trying very much to maintain the Texas heritage of Marburger,” Sughrue says. “I consider us guardians or stewards of the brand. I consider Marburger a brand like Blue Bell Ice Cream or the State Fair of Texas. There is something very much rooted in the land, very much rooted in how generations now have engaged with Marburger and in Round Top. We are trying to hold tight to being a heritage brand, while positioning for the future — that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Sughrue is all too aware of some of the sentiments that were shared five years ago when Marburger was purchased by “these Dallas guys” [real estate development firm Brook Partners]. In the last four years, they have listened to vendors and guests alike to learn how they can improve the show experience for their core audience: top exhibitors, designers, architects, and vendors. While he finds the relatively-recent glitterati element in Round Top to be amusing, it’s not something he’s interested in attracting or catering to specifically. So, everyone can let out a sigh of relief on that concern.

“These are designers who come into Round Top, and to Marburger in particular, and they are very important to our success. We attract some of the best exhibitors in the country, if not the world,” explains Sughrue. “Day one they meet with designers who have flown in from all over the country. Our focus is being a resource to those designers and architects — that’s what’s driving our business. We are not a lifestyle offering, and we are not trying to be all things to all people.”

At the end of the day, Sughrue’s overall goal is connecting the best exhibitors to the best buyers. “Everything else that happens in Round Top is just noise.” He loves the generational aspect of Marburger, oftentimes noticing three generations shopping together in the tents.

“Y’all make a tough crowd, I’ll tell you that,” Sughrue says with a laugh. “I think we are going to get more of it right than wrong, and what we get wrong — we are going to listen very hard to people — we are going to make that right. I promise you that. Marburger captivates me. It just devours all of my time and attention, but how lucky am I?! All these issues surround purpose-driven lives, and we get to work on Marburger to bring a community of people together to celebrate design, antiques, Texas. It’s like the American Dream is alive and well on the Round Top fields during Marburger. It’s just an incredible collection of people.”

Visit the refreshed Marburger Farms from Tuesday, March 24 to Saturday, March 28. Purchase tickets at marburgerfarm.com.

Courtesy of Marburger Farm

Visit Marburger Farm March 24-28.

marburger farm round top shopping