Access Design, sample sale combine for stylish event.
The annual Designer Sample Sale at the Houston Design Center gets a little more wow factor this year with the inclusion of two mornings of Access Design designer talks.
While the sample sale runs Aug. 22-26, two interior designers will give talks and meet the public from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. On Friday, you’ll meet Marie Flanigan of Marie Flanigan Interiors, who will talk about design tools that bring tired spaces back to life. Afterward, Peggy McGowen of Kitchen & Bath Concepts will talk about trends in kitchen remodeling.
On Saturday, Meg Lonergan of Meg Lonergan Interiors will talk about great ways to use bold colors in your home. Then, Cheryl Baker of CDB Interiors and I will talk about another recent design event, the Gray Sofa Project, which had four teams of designers creating rooms with a gray sofa, art from Sawyer Yards artists and anything else they wanted to bring in. That event showcased the relationship between great design and beautiful art.
Access Design launched last spring with the Design Center and the Houston Chronicle teaming up for free quarterly events where the general public can meet some of the city’s top interior designers. The center’s annual summer sale helps showrooms clear out excess inventory as they ready their space for new fall collections.
This year’s showrooms participating in the sample sale are Charlotte Nail Antiques, Dauphin Sales, Design House, James Craig Furnishings, Johnson Simon Resources, Lighting Treasures, MAI Memorial Antiques & Interiors, Manchester Carpet, Off White, Scene One Interiors and Teri Pugh Studio.
There’s no charge for shopping the sample sale — except the cost of what you buy, of course — and attendance at Access Design events is free. The May event sold out, so register at accessdesign august.eventbrite.com.
The sample sale kicks off 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Aug. 22 with a Trade Preview Day, when interior designers get a first look at sale items. A kick-off party that night, 5:307:30 p.m., benefits one of the city’s newest nonprofits, Dwell With Dignity.
The Houston Design Center is at 7026 Old Katy Road. Shopping for the general public runs 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Aug. 23-24, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Aug. 25 and 1-4 p.m. Aug. 26.