Boxwood Interiors

Last week, my friend Jeni came to visit from California and I took her to some of my favorite places in Houston that I knew she’d love. Among them, was Boxwood Interiors, a charming store featuring an amazing selection of pillows, furniture, lighting, decorative accessories, and paints and wallcoverings by Farrow and Ball. I’ll let you in on a little secret, we sourced a few items from Boxwoods for a High Gloss photo shoot that we can’t wait to share with you! But more on that later. First, I’d like to share a visual tour of this amazing shop. Boxwood recently underwent a major makeover. The store nearly doubled in size and they added a ton of fabulous new vignettes, brightened the space, and added some show-stopping details.

{It was quite appropriate that we visited Boxwood on the same day that we heard Miles Redd speak. This amazing octagonal partition is painted in Miles’ favorite color, Hague Blue in Full Gloss finish by Farrow and Ball. It is such a gorgeous shade and this image doesn’t even begin to do the amazing partition justice.}

{Boxwood mixes styles so well. There are plenty of things that appeal to the French and Belgian loving set as well as a great assortment of pieces that appeal to those who love a more modern dose of color.}

{Pillows, Glorious Pillows!}

{So Many Lovely Details}

{I love the mercury glass lamp, subdued color palette, and Donghia suzani pillows in this vignette.}

{How gorgeous is that mirror?}

{I love the framed abstract paintings here. Sally Wheat has some similar ones in her home. Sally, if you’re reading this, what is the artist’s name?}

{This console is bananas! The photo doesn’t even begin to do it justice. It is covered in what looked and felt like seagrass and studded with nailheads.}

{I loved the gilded wheat sheaf table and these neat stools.}

{These Kobo candles smell so nice and feature such lovely packaging.}

{Gorgeous Mercury Glass Lamps atop a Beautiful Console Table}

{There is literally eye candy in every corner of this store. I am crazy about this fabulous end table with Greek key detail.}

{A Pretty Table Setting and Chandelier in front of Gorgeous, Hand-Painted Wallpaper by Farrow and Ball.}

{I love the simple lines of this furniture. It would be great in an outdoor area.}

{Another Beautiful Vignette}

{More Mercury Glass Lamps – Love!}

{A Fabulous Assortment of Farrow and Ball}

{A Nod to the 1950s via a Wheat Sheaf Table and Cute Poodle Lamp}

{Yet another lamp I was dying over! I wasn’t kidding when I said I was a total lamp tramp!}

{I wish I’d gotten a better picture of their gorgeous cash wrap /check-out counter. You can see it up close in the previous picture. It features carrera marble and antiqued mirrors. I doubt there is a prettier one in existence. This celadon and blue lamp totally reminds me of our High Gloss editor, Kyle!

{So, the gorgeous Hague Blue octagonal partition from the beginning of this post separates the retail part of the space from the offices in the back. Boxwood also provides interior design services.}

 

Thank you, Mimi and Jenna for being such gracious hostesses and treating us like old friends during our visit!

 

{All Images by Paloma Contreras – Please Do Not Use Without Consent}

Sally Wheat’s Chic Christmas Decorations

{Sally’s Amazing Christmas Lights – I was dying over the cool chandelier! It is from Ikea, but unfortunately she bought it last year and it is no longer available.}

This past Saturday night, Fabian and I attended Sally Wheat’s fabulous Christmas soiree. If her name sounds familiar, you most likely know her from her many mentions in the blogosphere, including La Dolce Vita and of course, Cote de Texas’ “Stalking the Wheats” blog post. I was excited to attend my friend’s party, but I was equally excited for Fabian to see Sally’s home in person! It is such an inspiring space and I knew that Sally would do something amazing for her Christmas decorations.

In the time that I have been doing this blogging gig, I’ve had the opportunity to meet many designers/decorators and Sally sits at the top of my list. She is fiercely talented and possesses a style that is so unique, especially for Houston. She can take a traditional French or Swedish look and turn it on its head by infusing it with her eclectic and slightly subversive touch. In addition to her talent, I love Sally for being so sweet and down-to-earth. Like me, she is a former school teacher which makes me feel like we are kindred spirits. One can hope!

Anyhow, Sally encouraged me to take some pictures of the house if I wanted to (of course I did). I think Fabian was a little embarrassed that I took her up on her offer, but alas, I am a blogger. It’s what I do and quite frankly, I’ve taken pictures of more inappropriate places to share with my lovely readers. Remember the bathroom in London I photographed for you? I tried to be discreet and not bother the other partygoers, so I kept the flash off. I apologize if some of the pictures are a little dark, but I am sure that you will still be able to enjoy them.

Upon walking in, we were greeted by these fabulous pom poms. I love the palette that Sally chose and that they aren’t typical Christmas colors (though my own decorations are red and green). The pom poms add such a fun, festive touch!

Sally’s formal living room looks a little different than it did when it was published in Houston House and Home earlier this year. The trellis chairs are still there, but everything else is new. Her Christmas tree is decorated with silver and fuchsia ornaments. I love her peace sign tree topper! The ornament wreath over the gilded mirror is great, too.

Lovely Details

This little table in the foyer was new to me. I love the way Sally has styled it. I remember when she bought the coral rose at the Urban Market in May. She came over to my booth and told me she had just gotten it for a steal! After visiting Erin Martin’s showroom in St. Helena, I know that Sally definitely got a great deal.

It’s a little difficult to tell in this picture, but the dining table has a few small flower arrangements and votives on it. Notice the disco ball ornaments hanging from the antique French chandelier.

I love this vignette! It is one of my favorite things in Sally’s home. The table has been cleared of its usual accoutrements which have been replaced with reindeer and Christmas trees.

Sally’s Beautiful Mantle

Sally had the most beautiful mercury glass and plain glass candle holders everywhere. They lent such a lovely warmth to the party. The coffee table features a few of those candle holders along with cerulean roses and peppermint bark.

The patio was all aglow.

The Wheats had the most wonderful Motown A Capella group sing Christmas carols for their guests. We all joined in and had so much fun! “The Twelve Days of Christmas” was an all out sing-along and Fabian and I were asked to sing the part of “Two Turtledoves”. It was a blast!

From the décor to the entertainment to the food (catering from one of my favorite restaurants, Shade), the Wheats know how to throw a great party! Thanks for a lovely time, Sally!

Browsing at Memorial Antiques & Interiors

The other day, I had some extra time before my first appointment, so I decided to pop into Memorial Antiques & Interiors, one of my favorite places to browse antiques and find inspiration here in Houston. The selection changes every few months, so I like to visit every so often and see what is new.

As you will see here, the majority of the items at MAI appeal very much to Houston's general design aesthetic, which mostly falls into the French/Swedish/Belgian category. While I can certainly appreciate the beauty of that type of design, it isn't really my taste, so I like to imagine fresh ways of incorporating a typical French piece and making it feel more modern and eclectic. This French library, for example (also pictured in the first image) would look fantastic in a living room with different styles of furniture, or even in a dining room re-purposed as a china cabinet.

I have to admit that I don't know who all of the booths at MAI belong to. Some have business cards, like Two Lucys, whose booth is pictured above and in the following images. Others, like Liz Spralding, are frequently present in their booths to ask questions and share the history of her beautiful antiques. I just loved this little daybed in Two Lucys' booth. It's rather small, so it would probably work best for a child. I have also been noticing a lot of antique horse heads lately like the one pictured here between the botanical prints.
Lamps, Sconces, Gate Doors, and Grills at Two Lucys

I love how authentic their booth feels!

More from Two Lucys
They actually have three booths at MAI now.

I loved this display of vintage lamps. There is something for everyone!

I thought these bottle lamps were gorgeous!

Isn't the color of the glass pretty?

I liked the big angel wings on the back wall of this booth as well as the old doors.

This bistro table looks cute from afar...

but it becomes really special once you see that the top is made from an old, mirrored clock face.

I thought this booth had some very chic offerings, from the charcoal sketches, to the lovely settee, and classic mirror.

This booth is fairly new as it was my first time to see it. They had mostly new items like candles, pillows, and John Derian items.

I thought this old limestone table was spectacular! I think the look would be too cold in an actual dining room, but it would look phenomenal in an outdoor area.

This mirror is gorgeous! I love the size, the colors, and the typeface.

Several beautiful mirrors, like this one, caught my eye that day.

This starburst is gorgeous, but pricey!

I thought these mirrors were very cool. They look like they are made from old warehouse windows. I would love to buy the frames and have the mirrors added myself. I bet it would be so much cheaper to do it that way.

A More Ornate Option

This little marble-topped table is great and could be used in several applications.

A Cool French Milk Poster