Ultimate Guide to Texas’ Antiques & Design Mecca

As the season turns and bluebonnets swath the fields, we’ll be at the Spring 2024 Round Top Antiques & Design Show, held from March 14 – 31. Plan your road trip now to an unforgettable destination just 90 minutes from Austin. More than 100,000 home design, antiques, art, and style seekers descend upon the charming historic hamlet of Round Top (population 88) and surrounding towns for a half-century tradition that now encompasses more than 4,000 dealers in 80-some venues, across 25 miles. This is one of America’s meccas for designers, as well as a draw for savvy tastemakers and those seeking a bucolic retreat to the country — with antiques, design, and fashion shopping to boot.

Much of the life of Round Top year-round revolves around the 19th-century German community’s three squares — Henkel, Rolland, and Min- den — and town center. At Henkel Square, the Round Top Antiques & Design Center is home to 14 dealers, including new arrivals Lions Antiques, specializing in antique doors and reclaimed building materials, and Rick Ingenthron Antiques, which brings even more fine European antiques. Also recommended: Minden Square for a cold one and delightful bites at nano-brewery and taphouse Round Top Brewing, followed by retail therapy at Townsend Provisions for Americana goods and Tré for the Gathering for distinctive tabletop. Rolland Square is a good bet for caffeine thanks to Round Top Coffee Shop, and holds the dining destination The Garden Co. – Feed & Firewater, which boasts a spectacular tree-lined patio and bucolic vistas.

Then, there are the venues that line Texas Highway 237. “Tribeza” recommends: The Original Round Top Antiques Fair (aka The Big Red Barn), founded by Emma Lee Turney in 1968, and its sister property, Blue Hills (Lucchese pop-up, March 21 through 30). Designer fave Marburger Farm Antique Show is where you’ll sight such tastemakers as Liz Lambert, Jenna Lyons, and Kelly Wearstler combing through treasures. Don’t miss The Compound, developed by Mayor Mark Massey, with its handsome barns; newcomer Le Jardin de France for antique European garden furniture and plantings; and Cisco Village, founded by the late furniture maker Cisco Pinedo of the handcrafted furniture empire Cisco Home.

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The Compound (photo courtesy of RoundTop, A PaperCity Publication)

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Kelly Wearstler at Marburger Farm (photo courtesy of RoundTop, A PaperCity Publication)

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Moxie at Market Hill 2 (photo courtesy of RoundTop, A PaperCity Publication)

Explore the venues and attractions beyond the Antiques & Design Show

The 550 District is home to Rockabilly Baroness’s fabulous ranch wear and a curated fashion show on Wednesday, March 27, with pop-ups at the adjoining Round Top Dance Hall — word’s out that L.A. vintage tastemaker Cameron Silver of Decades is involved. There’s Paul Michael’s recently expanded addition, Market Hill 2 — a sparkling new 125,000-square-foot space brimming with the unique. Directly across 237, you’ll find The Arbors, whose splendid tents stock home goods, fashion, jewelry and antiques. Finally, head to The Halles with its design-focused lineup, including the PaperCity and Benjamin Moore Designer, created by A Fare Extraordinaire, on Sunday, March 24: A Night in Marrakech honors Martyn Lawrence Bullard and Kathryn Ireland on the occasion of their new book releases. Acquire your copies Monday, March 25 at The Halles’ book signing for both design luminaries.

Other renowned Round Top-area venues include Bader Ranch, whose owner, Katy Bader, is known for her astute eye and foodie down-home dinners; The Horseshoe, where hatmaker Teressa Foglia is among the dozen of design, art, and fashion-forward headliners; and Ex-Cess I and II, a vein of rich antique and design finds. Susanne Maida, owner of Round Top Inn, brings forth Boon & Co, a bistro and boutique that blossoms with new home goods purveyor Nicolette Mayer. Mayer, based in Boca Raton, designs opulent wallpaper and fabric for Scalamandré and tabletop collections sold at Neiman Marcus. Meanwhile, Boon & Co’s Europe- an-inspired bistro has quickly ascended to favor- ite-new-spot status thanks to Chef Nate Pineda’s bright, fresh menu. Shop the boutique for hand-tooled silver buckles and fine leather belts from legacy craftsmen at Maida’s Belts and Buckles, as well as imported pantry items, home decor, candles, jewelry, baby accessories, and more.

Finally, don’t limit your Round Top trek to March. After the Antiques & Design Show wraps, make time to bask in works by one of Texas’ best landscape painters, William Anzalone, whose abstracted canvases of Round Top and the environs are as good as it gets (Red & White Gallery, Fayetteville, March 2 through April 13). Music lovers, country to classic, will flock to One Square Mile Music Festival, year two, April 18 through 21 at The 550 District, and the beloved Round Top Festival Institute, an internationally lauded music conservatory, for its gala night set for Saturday, April 13 at Festival Hill.