welcome to the dollhouse

8 Houston designers craft intricate dollhouses for charity fundraiser

Welcome to the dollhouse(s)! That’s right, the third annual La Petite Maison Gala and charity dollhouse auction is back. The always fantastic designer dollhouses are officially out for display in their temporary exhibition locations around town for those who love to participate in their ever whimsical “scavenger hunt” of sorts in the lead up to the big event on Wednesday, December 4 at Hotel ZaZa Museum District.

Photo by Kelli Durham

Kristen Leigh’s exterior from “The Hamptons.”

This year eight designers were chosen to participate in this charitable cause, and, in an interesting, albeit unintended twist, the stakes have seriously increased. While the dollhouses themselves are desirable enough on their own, they now include custom, miniature paintings from some of the country’s top artists, including mega-famous multimedia artist Donald Robertson — talk about a collectible! But, more on that later.

The La Petite Maison Gala has chosen Family Houston as beneficiary this year. Founded in 1904, Family Houston is a philanthropic organization that provides crucial support to some of Houston’s most vulnerable communities through financial support, education, career coaching, food security assistance, and more.

“We are so pleased to be connected to La Petite Maison Gala this year,” Ken Sheirr, president & CEO of Family Houston, adds. “Our focus is helping Houston families who need it most and I know this will bring immeasurable awareness to our cause. Fundraising events like this help power the programs Family Houston provides throughout the year. It brings real tangible change to this community, both financially and through the exposure to attendees and thus, throughout our great city.”

The pre-decorated dollhouses were designed by Reagan & André Architecture Studio and built by Alair Homes before heading to their respective interior designers. Many interior design trade partners participated in this project by creating scaled down versions of their products such as wallpapers scaled to 1:12 of their original patterns, tiny tiles, and more.

Read on for a guide to all of the dollhouse locations, a statement from the designers about their inspirations, and other items of note presented in logistical order if planning a full tour. (There are no spoilers for the scavenger hunt — not sorry, it’s fun to try and spot each item in the individual houses!). Designers and dollhouse locations are also available here.

Designer: Jean Liu Design
Location: South to North (3711 Autry Park Drive, Suite 100)
Theme: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Description: The program of the rooms is based loosely on the movie and set design, including a double height ceilinged lobby, a tiled natatorium, and a historic bakery (Mendl’s). The style of these spaces is carried out in the similar 1930s décor as the film’s setting, which proved a fun and delightful departure for our studio, as we mainly work in a modernist and minimalist vein.
Items of note: Schumacher wallpaper, Ann Sacks tile, and miniature marble fireplaces by Materials Marketing. Additional thanks to Benjamin Moore and Tom Freeman.

Designer: Avery Cox Design
Location: Foltz Fine Art (2143 Westheimer Road)
Theme: Villa Mare the “Grecodeco” Dollhouse
Description: This opulent, jewel toned villa evokes the splendor of ancient Greece, designed for a couple residing on an idyllic island in the Aegean Sea. The home offers a delight around every corner from a serene indoor soaking room to a grand ballroom and a two-story gallery of curiosities.
Items of note: Kendra Scott - Jewelry as lighting: “Beau” earrings in His Bedroom, “Marina” earrings in the Spa, “Shea” Necklace in the Music Room. Additional thanks to Benjamin Moore, Hector’s Modern Plaster, Growler Domestics, Porter Teleo, and George Cameron Nash.

Designer: Wills Design Associates
Location: Valobra Master Jewelers (2150 Westheimer Road)
Theme: A holiday in Cabo
Description: Wills Design Associates’ mini Cabo retreat celebrates color and culture, where modern Mexican architecture meets global design influences. The striking pink stucco exterior immediately sets a whimsical tone.
Items of note: The intricate rooftop terrace and flamingo banister. Contributions by Helenita Home, Jordan Geibel Creative, Modern Muse by Lizzie, John Robshaw, Schumacher, Holland and Sherry, Wallshoppe, and Benjamin Moore.

Designer: Courtney Barton
Location: Courtney Barton (2940 Ferndale Street)
Theme: Teeny Tiny Tassel Castle
Description: A tangible expression of everything we stand for—craftsmanship, community, and shared stories, and we hope it brings you as much delight as it has brought to us.
Item of note: Exquisitely executed miniature upholstered furniture by Coley Home. Additional vendors and collaborators: Beata Heuman, Andrew Martin, The Lawns Co, and artists Rebecca Rebouché, Asley Givhan, MIchelle King, and Lauren Clyburn.

Designer: Amy Kummer Interiors
Location: Moreau Paris (4444 Westheimer Road, Suite 145)
Theme: There’s no place like home for the holidays.
Description: The AKI team hopes this dollhouse fills everyone who views it with the warmth of family and the joy of the holiday season.
Items of note: The ladies closet and rooftop pickleball court. Notable vendors and collaborators: Fleur Home, Lee Jofa, Schumacher, Scalamandre, Benjamin Moore, Phillip Jeffries, Thibaut, The Modern Dollhouse, Creative Style Furniture, Pierre Frey, Itsy Bitsy Mini, Galbraith and Paul, Vanessa Walton with Jacquelyn Reese Linens, and artist Mariel Sawicki.

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Designer: Kristen Leigh Studio
Location: Back Row Home (8570 Katy Freeway, Suite 111)
Theme: The Hamptons
Description: Kristen Leigh’s Hamptons-inspired dollhouse is an ode to the beauty of everyday life. Incorporating many of her own line’s fabrics and wallpapers, Kristen aimed for the house to mimic a traditional, yet lived-in, home.
Items of note: The ART! Wow. Miniature original works by Erin Donahue Tice, Lynn Sanders, Hilary Howarth, Blakeney McGee, Lily & Rose Studio, and a set of six custom original works by Donald Robertson. Additional thanks to The Decorated Wolffe and Mike Norfleet.
Side note: Robertson tells CultureMap he was impressed by the design of the living room where these “six awesome little paintings” now call home, especially since he never spoke to the design team.

“It was a cold call [email], it’s not like it was a meeting,” Robertson says. “It was a trust fall and I’m amazed by who did it!”

Speaking of the Hamptons-inspired dollhouse, Robertson conceded that “it takes a lot for me to be surprised and speechless, but I am in awe.” How did this design come together without any type of briefing? “I got the little pack of six canvases and a sharpie, and just went for it!” A reminder to everyone to always shoot your shot.

Designer: Elizabeth Garrett Interiors
Location: Frock Shop (9135 Katy Freeway, Suite 104)
Theme: The Campbell
Description: We are so proud to have been chosen to be a part of this special event and we can’t wait to share our completed home with the Houston design community.
Items of note: The ART again, and the rooftop landscaping. Miniature paintings by Avant-Art Gallery, representing Laura Waldusky, Dimmit Contemporary Art, representing Sara Genn and Randal Ford, Laura Rathe Fine Art, representing Carly Allen Martin and Lynn Sanders. Notable vendors and collaborators: Albert Hartley, Andrea Condara, Holland & Sherry, Houston Drapery Center, Paul Meyer, Supply Showroom, Susan Harter Muralpapers, The Urban Electric Co, Tyler King, and DAV Plaster.

Designer: Jennifer Barron Interiors
Location: Mont Art House (1230 Houston Avenue)
Theme: Southern, Georgian Home
Description: Our dollhouse was largely inspired by southern, Georgian, homes. Many of the homes in Georgia are layered with antiques, florals, borders and wallpaper, so that was my goal with this dollhouse.
Items of note: The miniature Delft tiled fireplace and Susan Harter Mural. Collaborators and vendors of note: Samuel & Sons, Benjamin Moore, Phillip Jeffries, Fabricut, Robert Kime, Pindler, Schumacher, Holland & Sherry, Stark Carpet, Colefax & Fowler, Pierre Frey, Sanderson.

The dollhouses will be on display until Tuesday, December 3 and will be auctioned off by auctioneer Johnny Bravo at The La Petite Maison Gala the following day. Interior designer Alexandra Killion founded the gala in 2022 and has raised over $300,000 since its inception.

This year the theme is Apres Ski, and is sure to be a hit. Killion’s co-chair for 2024 is designer Lauren Wills Grover. They are assisted by event coordinators Madelon McGrenera and Shellyn Shoenthal. Purchase tickets here.

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a hidden gem

Meet the Houston designer crafting a cult-favorite Mahjong table

Elizabeth Autenreith Avella Interiors Hidden Gems gaming table

Courtesy of Avella Interiors

Elizabeth Autenreith of Avella Interiors with her popular “Hidden Gems” gaming table.

Houstonians who keep even the most casual of social diaries have come to terms with the notion that morning and afternoon gatherings centered around games of Bridge and Canasta have given way to the fashionable Mahjong craze that has taken the nation by storm. The ladies have spoken and are trading in their playing cards for flirty tiles — and a Houston designer has created just the place to store them.

Interior designer Elizabeth Autenreith of Avella Interiors — the firm was adorably named by combining the names of Autenreith’s three children: Avery, Ellis, and Laine — is the creative mind behind the cult-favorite Hidden Gems gaming table that is now front-and-center among in-the-know Mahjong groups.

Courtesy of Avella Interiors

Elizabeth Autenreith of Avella Interiors with her popular “Hidden Gems” gaming table.

Autenreith’s creation has become nearly impossible to keep in stock, and it’s little wonder why or how. Consumer trends have become enamored — rightly so — with seeking out handmade, heirloom-quality pieces that can be passed down through generations.

Designed, handmade, and hand-finished here in Houston, the “Hidden Gems” table is a favorite of luxe local designers such as Paloma Contreras, James Farmer, Marie Flanigan, Haddy House, Lindsey Herod, and Katie Davis. Local purveyors such as Upper Kirby’s Lam and Spring Branch’s Little Coterie Warehouse cannot stock them fast enough. It’s also worth noting that the table has been shipped to just over 20 states.

“I just started to see an uptick in Mahjong lounges in homes,” says Autenreith. “Everyone was trying to make room for a Mahjong table. I wanted to create something that was meant to be a fixture in a home, not something that would be taken in and out like a folding table, but something that was a beautiful fixture that had a lot of functionality — I just drew a picture with pencil and paper.”

The “Hidden Gems” gaming table is available in ten colors like the very cutely-named “Sea Breeze,” “Pretty Peas,” “Make Me Blush,” and the newly-debuted “Jim for the Win.” Grasscloth versions are also available in “Natural Nouveau,” "Serene Celedon,” and "Elegant Ecru.” Custom colors are also available to meet any design needs.

Cleverly designed to appear as anything from a breakfast to a foyer table, the soon-to-be-cult classic doesn’t necessarily have to be used for Mahjong parties, but Autenreith doesn’t see the trend slowing down anytime soon.

“It’s going to keep going,” she says. “It brings people together and you get to have sweet memories with your friends and family — whether it’s a puzzle or playing cards. It was inspired by Mahjong, but the functionality is there for so many other games, and it’s so great for overflow seating like at Thanksgiving and Christmas, or as a kids’ table for arts and crafts — the uses are kind of endless.”

It’s worth noting that Autenreith’s design ethos and the price of the “Hidden Gems” gaming table ($2,250) are at a bit of an impasse — or, perhaps not. The Avella Interiors model is a niche within niches, if you will. There are no minimums, whether it be room or project. She lovingly touts herself as “everyone’s designer,” and she’s not wrong.

Everyone’s designer

Autenreith serves an underserved community of people who love design, but like to take it slow. Let’s face it, while fantastic, most Houston designers seek a $50,000 promised spend and five room minimum just to let you speak to their assistants.

Avella Interiors is not “that girl.” There is literally no minimum. “I just think there is sort of a niche that needs to be filled in the Houston market, and maybe beyond,” says Autenreith. “I’m for someone who doesn’t necessarily want to spend a lot of money on an interior designer for their entire home. I can work with the pieces in their home and just sort of zhuzh it up a bit.”

Autenreith’s design services fall distinctly between that girlfriend with great taste and too many hours cruising Pinterest — who can be bought with a night off from the kids and a bottle of Chablis — with a full-on designer.

“I can work with a budget-conscious client, and we can buy store bought drapes and make them look custom,” explains Autenreith. “It’s an area that I think is underserved. I have no minimum and am happy to just do one space. We all want to be able to afford an expensive designer, but the entire preface and bottom line of my business is to buy and invest in things in your home that you will love, and then you will love your home.”

Her perfectly-curated vintage finds can be found at the aforementioned Little Coterie Warehouse, which, by the way are very affordable as gifts or personal homewares. A quick look at her prices will ease any stress. But she understands an investment, and that’s where we are.

“I just think that you may want to spend and indulge on one piece of furniture, and love it, and then collect little things to put around your house — it’s supposed to bring you joy, right?” says Autenreith. “Home is supposed to do all those things. You don’t always have to spend a lot of money to get the same results.”

The “Hidden Gems” table is just that. The hollow body of the table, with a removable top so lightweight that a child can remove it, can conceal everything from Mahjong pieces to unfinished puzzles while smartly concealing corner-appointed and cork-lined drink surfaces at every corner.

The long and short of it is, will Autenreith happily come by to rearrange a messy bookcase? Yes. Will she also indulge the sale of a piece of heirloom furniture that she hopes will bring families together for generations? Also, yes.

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