Antique Shopping in Austin: A Recent Visit!!

 

 

Whenever I go to Austin, Texas, the first store I hit is Shabby Slips on 6th Street.  A branch of the store in Houston owned by Renea Abbott, it is much smaller and more intimate than the original.   But – that’s alright.  This store is every bit as beautiful and full of wonderful eye candy as the Houston one.   Look how charming the outside is – with its antique “OPEN” sign and white curtains blowing in the breeze. 

 

 

 

OK, let’s go in – I already see a few things that have caught my eye from the window.  I’m really on a mission this day.  We’re staying at the Four Seasons and it’s a UT football game weekend, which means the city is full to capacity.  Add to that it’s ACL weekend, Austin City Limits, a huge 3 day music extravaganza which is why we are here to begin with.  Our daughter has invited two girlfriends to go to ACL.  So, rooms with views of Lady Bird Lake are completely sold out, except for one smoking room, which the hotel promised they would refresh.  Except when we check in, it still stinks like someone has just smoked a pack of unfiltered Camels in there.   Ben has sent me out to find a scented candle to burn.   Wow – that’s a first!  Ben telling me to buy a scented candle!   Oh-K, no problem,  I aim to please.

 

 

How gorgeous is this sofa?  OK – I’ll take it, wrap it up.  Tufted in the most extremely luscious way – this is one sofa here that won’t be slipcovered.  And that cute white Jeep Commander outside the window?  ha!  That’s the Cote de Texas blogmobile.  White, of course – with caramel colored interior.  True love.

 

 

This is a standard chair for Shabby Slips with the English saddle arm, down back and bottom cushions.  This is not slipcovered yet – but it still is beautiful in its bare state.  Love the Kelly Wearstler pillow.   Will we ever tire of that fabric?

 

 

I love this Spanish influenced desk – it’s so versatile – it could be a bedside table, or a sofa table, a buffet in a dining room, or a coffee table in front of a large sofa.   The faux bois vase is from Oly Studios.   But, check out the chair – with its beautiful linen, waterfall slipcover.  And look at the crown on that down cushion!  That’s pretty high!   I love the decor here – the white, white walls with the seagrass matting – so fresh and clean looking.  It really makes the merchandise look great.

 

 

Glamour comes to Shabby Slips – the mushroom velvet sofa has one back and one bottom cushion – my favorite combination.  The chairs with the t-cushion arms are a perfect pair for the sofa.  I love how they put the two empty frames flanking the antique mirror.   The poor orchid needs to be retired though.  I mean, really.  Toss it already.

 

 

Love this vignette with the oversized mirror and the matching floor lamps – which I adore.  Also, on the table are faux rosemary plants, which are just about the only fake plant I ever use.   These look great in a kitchen if you can’t grow the real thing.

 

 

I love this antiqued-mirrored coffee table, it’s diminutive size is great for an accent piece.  The sofa, again, waits to be sold before the slip is sewn.    Silk velvet tiger pillows are a hot alternative to zebra skins.   

 

 

Another dining table, this time large glass apothecary jars as centerpieces.  Barry Dixon, the interior designer, uses these bottles filled with vividly colored water to great effect.  Mercury glass cylinder lamps are topped with square shades.   

 

Great mirror, sconces and antique buffet.  The chaise is a great size – contemporary lines, not too big. 

 

 

 

A romantic wood framed love seat, with ice blue pillows.  I love the pair of sconces, but the real stars  here are the antique Venetian mirrors!  These are great looking ones that would work in a classic or contemporary interior.

 

Rarely is there ever not a Princess and the Pea bed on display in Shabby Slips.  Here, twins with upholstered headboards and lots of linen fabric.   I love the entire vignette – from the small crystal chandelier – what a great idea instead of a lamp – to the small sunburst gilt mirror.   A pair of framed intaglios hang above the beds.

 

 

I mean – just look at the gorgeous dust ruffle!!!!  Shabby Slips always elevates their beds to create this long drop.  Also, they are sewn with a double ruffle – twice the amount of gathers that a normal workroom does.  This double ruffle is great to use on chair skirts too.  Alright, candles bought – had to get a few since I had an open order to buy. 

 

Next stop is always Whit Hanks Antiques, an upscale mall further down on 6th Street. 

 

.Just look for the famous Treaty Oak – right  in front of Whit Hanks.

There’s a fence around it now after a crazy person poisoned the tree in 1989.  They weren’t sure it would survive, but it did.    This oak is the last surviving one from a group of 14 that served as a tribal meeting place for Comanche and Tonkawa Indians over 500 years ago.  Before the poisoning, the tree’s spread was over 127 ft.  Now only 1/3 of the tree remains, though it finally started producing acorns again in 1997 – for the first time since the poisoning. 

 

My favorite place in Whit Hanks is The Antique Swan which is probably the best place to buy English smalls any where except Portobello Street in London.

 

Shelves and shelves of transferware.  I once bought a set of 20 brown and white transferware plates here – they were such a bargain I couldn’t resist.    Most of them are now hanging in my dining room.  I spy two Masonware vases on the top shelf of this dessert cart that I really could use for my collection!  Oh well, I’m sure they are out of my price range.

 

 

Someone needs to call Charles Faudree quick – this is such a great selection of English Staffordshire figures.  He loves to make lamps out of these pieces. 

 

Aw, cute authentic  Toby Jugs!!

 

 

 There is lots and lots of Majolica for those who collect it!  Alyse!!!! 

 

Next, at a French antique booth, Fray has recently invested heavily in painted pieces.  This was a pair of consoles which they allowed to be broken up.  A shame – though I can’t even afford the one!   But isn’t this a beauty?

 

I like this chest with the gilded candlesticks on top.   The newest thing in display in antique stores is placing mirrors and sconces on top of antique doors – just like they have done here.

 

These are functional pieces – a pair of demi lunes used as consoles or together as a small table. 

 

 

Moving through Whit Hanks’  other booths, I find this piece that is hard to resist – a gray painted French settee in pink silk – charming!

 

 

And a great Duchesse de Brise – perfect for a bedroom with a fireplace.

 

I loved this – Princess Eugenie, Napoleon III’s wife.  The original by Winterhalter is in Rome.  This large canvas measures 10 x 7.  I would love to design a room around this painting!   I just need the client.   Anyone interested?

 

OK, I’m done shopping for the day.   More on my tour of Austin’s great places to shop another day!!   To visit Whit Hanks online, please go here.   And Shabby Slips, Houston has a gorgeous web site here.

Evolution of a Style

This magazine cover from Veranda remains one of my favorites from 2007.  Showcasing the work of Renea Abbott, this picture reflects her aesthetic precisely:  eclectic mix of the antique and contemporary, monochromatic scheme, glamour, and authenticity.    Abbott is one of Houston's finest interior designers and her star is rising higher each year.  She attended the New York School of Design AND the Fashion Institute of Technology - at the same time.  Following a stint working in New York for Keith Irving's design firm, she came home to Houston.  Today, along with her hectic design business, she owns Shabby Slips (featured on this blog here), a furniture store that is filled with pricey European antiques along with the most comfortable down filled upholstered pieces, many of which are slipcovered in Abbott's favorite material - white linen.  A stranger might be dismissive of the store - mistaking it for a Rachel Ashwell -Shabby Chic clone.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  When Shabby Slips first opened, Abbott made slipcovers for anyone who walked in the door.  But today, the price list to slipcover a chair or sofa - which was charmingly displayed inside a gilt picture frame - is no longer visible.   Instead, the focus of the store is European antiques and contemporary accessories.  Shabby Slips'  look  has evolved through the years, just as Abbott's has.  To witness firsthand Abbott's design evolution, take a look at how she once lived and how she lives today.  Images are courtesy of Shabby Slips' beautiful and comprehensive web site - finally released!

HOME #I:  An early Abbott owned apartment was photographed while she was still living in a highrise that is home to many of Houston's interior designers, retail store owners, and the glittering social set.   This apartment was published in Southern Accents - 2002:

 

In this early Abbott apartment, the floors are a wonderful ebony color which pops all the white slipcovers.  Here, Abbott brings three different sized chairs around the antique Spanish refectory table.  Each slipcover is monogrammed in her oversized initials.

The living area of the apartment featured Shabby Slips' mohair sofa and chairs.  Abbott used a skirted table, Odegard rug, and artwork by Olivier Debre.

French antique mirror and sconces combined with an oriental demilune reside in the entry hall.

HOME #II:  This move to a new space in the highrise was published in the book Spectacular Homes of Texas:

The living room of the new space features white linen slipcovers.  The coffee table, a Shabby Slips original, moved from the former apartment.  New to the mix is an antique french day bed.  Barbara  Berry ottoman is in mohair.

In the dining room, there is a huge change from the previous space.  Totally contemporary now - the table is from Thomas O'Brien and the chairs are Barbara Barry.  Two Fortuny lights, from Creative Flooring (owned by Abbott's husband) are overhead and the triptych by Ford Beckman grabs all the attention.

The family room shows the start of the evolution to a more glamorous space.  The velvet sofa is from Holly Hunt, the chair and end table are Barbara Barry, and the slipcovered chairs are from Donghia.  Mirrored table is from Shabby Slips.  Only the candlesticks are familiar from before.

The bedroom features a Baker four poster bed and Barbara Barry end tables.  The leopard carpeting is from Creative Flooring.

 

HOME #III:  And finally, a move from the highrise to a townhome gave Renea a chance to really showcase her evolving style.  A nod to the Hollywood glamour of another era, Houston's Paper City published the Manteris' home in 2005:

The shell encrusted commode comes from Watkins Culver, Shabby Slips' neighboring antique store.  The antique urn is from Shabby Slips.

The extra high ceilings allow the silk drapes and chandelier to take center stage in the living room.  The antique Venetian fixture was bought from the estate of one of the founders of the Pebble Beach Golf Club.  The vintage 1940s style French sofas and chairs were purchased from Watkins Culver and are covered in white muslin.  Mirrored chests flank both sides of the limestone fireplace and the art work above is by Cy Twombly.  The rug, from Creative Floorings, of course, is Tibetan.

Close up of one of matching mirrored chests with the Cy Twombly above.  Antique santos and milk glass lamp from AREA round out the tablescape.

The dining room with the same extra tall windows, this time covered in silk taffeta draperies, is another stunning space.  The back wall is a mosaic of antiqued and distressed mirrored panels.  The table is from Panache and the beaded crystal fixture is from Dennis and Leen.  Chairs are Louis XVI style, again, covered in white muslin.

I adore this kitchen!  White carrara marble replaced pink granite countertops.  French iron top table from Joyce Horn Antiques with Clarence House zebra printed silk velvet covered french chairs. 

Abbott painted the iron staircase to resemble pewter.  A mummy folly holds a tray of cordials.  The runner is zebra patterned wool carpeting from  Creative Flooring.

The sitting area of the bedroom features an armless tufted sofa.  The velvet trimmed silk taffeta draperies are from The Silk Trading Company. 

 

Just about the only pieces that traveled from the highrise were this Baker four poster bed and the Barbara Barry night stands. 

In the article that accompanied these photographs,  Renea Abbott acknowledges that they probably won't stay here at this townhouse for too long.  I don't know if they still live there or not.  But something tells me to expect a newly designed space to be emerging sometime soon!  Do you prefer one home shown here over the next?   I think my favorite is a combination of spaces from all three!

 

 

Names Can Be Deceiving: Shabby Slips

Veranda's September 2007 cover story featured Houston designer Renea Abbott's work on a large, Provencal-inspired home built in California. The finished product is the culimination of years of hard work, construction alone lasted over three years. This project catapults Abbott into the upper echelons of the design business, something she truly deserves. The "farmhouse," as it is referred to, is a study in timeless design - aged materials were used throughout and careful attention was given to the most minute details to ensure authenticity. The result of all this hard work is a home truly deserving of respect. Rather than do interiors that are faithful to its farmhouse style, Abbott's choices are instead sometimes surprising and yet, always fresh. The front cover with the Cy Twombly over an 18th century mantel epitomizes Abbott's work: the modern mixed with the antique. Both ends of this spectrum are represented by sophisticated pieces. This design mix is familiar to Houstonians long aware of Renea Abbott.

Best known as the proprietress of the store Shabby Slips, Abbott has garnered much local press, mostly showcasing her own frequently changed environs. The store started out with a simple premise - slip covers handmade to cover the plush, down-filled sofas and chairs that filled her shop. Everything was white back then, but things at Shabby Slips are different now. The walls are a deep, dark shade. Wonderful, period antiques have taken over floor space formerly devoted to the masses of cushy upholstery. In fact, slip covers are no longer even offered to the public. The direction of the store but not it's name has changed completely. And, the change could not be more gorgeous. Large, gilt chandeliers glitter over the furniture's gilded finishes. Mid century lacquered pieces vie for attention with rustic oddities. Exotic lamps are fashioned from rock and crystal. The atmosphere in the store has taken on the air of an exquisite jeweled box. Sophistication is the key word here. Always in motion, Abbott has reached out with branches of Shabby Slips in Austin and New Orleans. And in Santa Fe, her mother Barbara Carlton runs the store there with its decidedly different more western feel. If visiting Houston, Shabby Slips should be a must stop on the antique shopper's agenda.

Sparse, yet elegant hallway in the Californian farmhouse.

The dining room.




The elegant bathroom with the double shower placed behind the tub.

Beautiful Californian garden with limestone table and Rose Tarlow chairs.




Shabby Slips: gilt antique furniture, contemporary fabrics.

More antiques with a surprising Global Views table.




Crystal obelisks on laquered trays.

More gilt, more modern.

A lamp with a modern rock crystal base.

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Another interesting lamp base.

Finally, a sofa meant for slip covers!

An unusual zebra upholstered chair.

A typically untypical Abbott tablescape.

The mix that Abbott is known for: slipcovered furniture, antique cyrstal chandeliers, rustic coffeetable.

The old mixed with the new.

Out back, behind a gate, through a back yard - Shabby Slips recently expanded into a neighborhood house.

In the house annex, things are definitely more casual.

Someone could move right into the shop's annex.

Notice the rug from Creative Flooring. This is my favorite 'skin' pattern.

Wonderful card table with a mix of chairs.

I love how the curtains are tied back in this room.

And lastly, Abbott's attempt at being hip: two pink, Palm Beach inspired chairs.