Emma Bridgewater in the USA

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"Where was that!?!," my mom asked me emphatically.  I had brought my iPad with me to her house and was catching her up on my travel photos from this Winter when she saw this display of Emma Bridgewater.

When I was doing my City Series on Houston, I blogged about the incredible shop, British Isles,  but I didn't get a chance to expound on their selection of Emma Bridgewater dishes.  The choices you have a staggering and it is the only store (in America) where I have seen more than a handful of pieces available for sale. 

Remember when I visited the ACTUAL Emma Bridgewater shop in England?  I have the 2 mugs in Black Toast, with plates to match.  When I'm ready for a teapot and sugar/creamer, this is where I coming!

Bellocq Tea Atelier

I knew you'd want to see this.  A tea store within a design store.  It makes perfect sense, doesn't it?  If you are pulling together furniture, fabrics and art to create the perfect space to entertain in, you'll want something lovely to serve, right?

This is the Bellocq Tea Atelier within the Restoration Hardware Gallery at Highland Village in Houston.  I love how the dramatic display on the landing of the main staircase and I think that the distinctive yellow tins would look beautiful on a tea tray when entertaining.

A sample of each tea is displayed near it's container, a bit like a tasting table.  Though theses samples are there to showcase the quality of the loose tea and encourage to customers to experience the scent of the many complex combinations.  I loved the display as well as the experience of exploring the many combinations through scent.  I can attest that the tea leaves and floral/citrus additions are of the highest quality.  Can tea be gorgeous? Yes.   

I was in a rush, but I do remember liking No. 1 Bellocq Breakfast the best.  The next time I am in town, that tin is mine!

City Series, Houston: Ninfas

I was so glad to be able to visit the original Ninfa's on Navigation in Houston.  I love fajitas and Mama Ninfa is created with bringing the popular dish to the public by first serving fajitas in her restaurant more than twenty years ago.

Everything was outstanding.  The food, the service, the atmosphere.  I can still recall how delicious the handmade tortillas were and I definitely ate my weight in chips and salsa that night, I couldn't help it! 



City Series, Houston: Ima Hogg

While I was in Houston, I wanted to visit Ima Hogg's famous estate. I made it as far as the gardens when I realized that it was closed early that day because of a "Candlelight Tour" scheduled for that evening.

I really wanted to see the art, furniture and style of this icon Houstonian. And the fact that she rose above her comical name (and was said to have signed her first name illegibly) makes me like her even more. I enjoyed seeing a bit of her gardens on this chilly Houston day and promised myself to come back when the azaleas are blooming and I can wander around inside for as long as I want.

City Series, Houston: British Isles

And these are just the teapots!  Have you ever fallen for a place online and were then able to visit it "in person" later? 

I found British Isles online when I was searching for more tin plates, like the ones I bought at Windsor Castle.  Voila!  I found the plates and when they shipped I noticed that the business was actually a bricks and mortar store in Houston.  I go to Houston, I thought, and I put it on my list.

Well the "real" store exceeded my expectations and my sister-in-law recalls me saying, "Just to be clear, I want to stay 9 more days, just in this store, so that I can look at everything."  Ha!

British candy, English tea, Scottish sausages, paper goods, sweaters, linens...it is amazing.  Just look at this selection of tea and biscuits!

 I want to back...to England and to British Isles in Houston.  What a delight!

City Series, Houston: Criossant Brioche

Ooh la la.  Take me for a lunch inspired by France and I am happy!  When shopping in Rice Village, we only had to read the sign "Croissant Brioche" to know that we were destined to have our lunch there.

Quiche, jambon et fromage on a baguette, fresh green salads with nut-oil vinaigrette - we were in heaven.  We could choose anything from the case to accompany our entree and I was completely happy with this luscious apple pastry.  Bon appetit!

City Series, Houston: Restoration Hardware

These days not a lot of retail stores can make me say, "Wow."  The economy just hasn't been conducive for lavish build outs anymore.  So when I was visiting family in Houston, my sister-in-law said that a friend suggested she take me to the new "Highland Village Restoration Hardware."  Okay, I said, but we do have Restoration Hardware at home...

I had no idea what I was in for.  Hands down the most spectacular retail setting I have seen in years.  An 3-story retail mansion designed to show you just how beautiful real life can be.  The gray-on-taupe-on-cement coloring embraces the very same color scheme Martha Stewart started trumpeting years ago and that's okay.  It is gorgeous.

The photo above shows a lavish RH bedroom as you would see it in a furniture store - every pillow, lamp and sheet all tucked in its place.  This isn't the kind of store you pick up and carry your purchases around.  Here you're assisted by an iPad-toting salesperson who clicks and confirms your every wish electronically.

Have a chateau that you need to fill?  Above is the perfect tufted couch for twenty of your closest friends to relax on.  Can you believe the scale of this piece?  Everything is bigger in Texas, that's for sure.  But I love it!    

And the crowning glory of this building is the 3rd floor greenhouse/sun room (with tent-like shades on the enormous windows to shield clients from the sun) that highlights outdoor seating, offers custom floral and succulent arrangements and has doors leading out to a rooftop living space.  I can only imagine the glorious special events that the company can host here.  It's genius.

If you are ever within driving distance of "The Gallery" at Restoration Hardware (Los Angeles and Houston), be sure to visit this stellar example of grand design - it will not disappoint.