Shopping in Houston: AREA

A few weeks ago I was reminded of how lucky we are to have such a great design scene here in Houston. My friend came to visit from California and she was blown away by the quality of our design stores and our decorative center. I can’t imagine that Houston ranks as high as New York, Los Angeles, or San Francisco in people’s minds when they think about U.S. cities with strong design scenes, but we have a plethora of beautifully curated shops and exciting things happening in the Bayou City. After my friend’s visit, I blogged about Boxwood Interiors, a stunning local store and many of you e-mailed asking for more round-ups of design destinations in Houston.

AREA is a beautiful local design store that recently celebrated its fifteenth year in business. Owner, Don Connelly opened the store in 1995 and he and store director, Daniel Cuellar have been creating beautiful vignettes in the store ever since. AREA carries a variety of stylish homegoods lines including Visual Comfort, Arteriors, Aidan Gray, and Alexandra Von Furstenberg. It is located on Kirby Drive near West University, so if you are visiting Houston, drive around the nearby residential streets to see some of the prettiest homes in Houston (my three favorite streets are North Boulevard, South Boulevard, and Sunset Boulevard). Then, stop by to marvel at the gorgeous goodies at AREA and pick up something fabulous to take back home with you. They have an amazing selection of furniture, pillows, lighting, unique accessories, books and candles among other stylish wares.

{AREA recently expanded to fit even more stylish items into their beautifully styled space.}

{An Eclectic Assortment of Accessories}

{I love the shape and finish of this mirror along with the unique console.}

{How amazing would it be to have this multi-paneled, mirrored screen with gilded trim? Can you say “glamour?”}

{Waylande Gregory pottery atop an aged buffet table. I’d like one of each, please.}

{I don’t really collect anything other than design books, but I’ve decided that I’d like to start collecting Waylande Gregory ceramics. Santa, are you reading this? I’d like to start with that turquoise leopard box.}

{Quintessential Houston: slipcovers, seagrass, aged wood, and white orchids}

{A Dramatic Chandelier Makes a Statement at AREA}

{I absolutely love the Greek key detail on these beautiful throw pillows!}

{Gorgeous Bone Inlaid Trays and Boxes}

{I love this glamorous, tufted cocktail ottoman.}

{I am officially obsessed with this amazing lamp! I love the shape and the large scale. It makes such a statement without taking up too much visual space.The Santos and agate pieces are fantastic as well.}

{Looking into the New Part of the Store: I love all of these geometric, graphic pieces. They’re so bold.}

{AREA carries an amazing assortment of home fragrances including Antica Farmacista and Niven Morgan.}

{I love the drama of this image: the angel wing against the weathered wood of the wall and the reflection of the various chandeliers.}

 

{Another Lovely Vignette- I adore the way they mix pieces from various styles and periods.}

{My husband fell in love with this massive, rustic, antique table.}

{This vignette is so “global chic”. I can totally picture it in a Parisian apartment! I love the color paletter and the sofa looks so inviting, yet remains chic. The tapestries and chrome coffee table totally make “the room”!}

{This camel leather screen with nailhead trim was yet another piece I fell in love with. Notice the lovely lucite accessories by Alexandra Von Furstenberg. We mentioned them in our first High Gloss newsletter and the quality is outstanding.}

{I am a little obsessed with the way this image turned out. The scale of this vignette is so stunning and everything is perfectly layered. There are plenty of textures and just enough color to turn this neutral space into a showstopper.}

Visit AREA:

5600 Kirby Drive #N5

Houston, TX 77005

713.668.1668

Friend Area on Facebook

 

{All Images by Paloma Contreras for La Dolce Vita}