Houston Designer Opens a New Brick and Mortar Store With Furniture and Plant Power — Mary Patton Is On a Vintage Roll

Only weeks after she opened up shop on Bissonnet in West University, designer Mary Patton is on a roll. She is welcoming clients to Mary Patton Design who have seen her sign as they course along the much-traveled East-West artery in Houston. She is completing plans for a pop-up at Badar Ranch during the Round Top antiques show. And among her clients is Jackson & Company’s Milton Townsend, a story unto itself.

Patton’s first-every brick and mortar shop is a cozy space where furniture finds from vintage dealers share floor space with over-sized fresh plants. Patton has a special fondness for interesting vintage pieces and redesigning them, recreating them and then offering them for sale. When she opens the store at 2439 Bissonnet to the general public in early January (the shop is currently open to the trade and her clients), the public will be invited in to explore her deliciously quirky finds.

Her favorite piece, and this writer’s, in the current collection is a set of 1970s era rattan sofas that Patton has reupholstered in a velvety leopard print. She’s certain that the right person will come along who simply must have the divine retro duo.

“In the right space, they will look incredible,” Patton says.

A graduate of Southern Methodist University and Parsons, Patton began her creative endeavors with a bespoke handbag line called Mary Nichols Handbags, which she designed and manufactured. Once her daughter was born, she turned to creating pillows for friends and expanded into interior design. Nine years later Patton has her successful namesake design firm — with a storefront.

“The opportunity came up that this space was available and the location is so excellent and the visibility of the location,” she tells PaperCity. “It’s kind of like advertising, on top of us being able to office here and carry furniture.”

Patton’s interest in quality vintage furnishings was somewhat born of the pandemic as supply chain issues made getting new goods difficult and partially based on being green, albeit recycling furniture pieces. And then the living plants.

“During the pandemic, I got really into plants and for all of my design projects we bring in plants for the install,” she says allowing that she has “a huge section of planters at home.” She grows all of her decorative plants, pots them all and places them all. It gives her a “special enjoyment.”

With the vintage pieces that she has reupholstered and redesigned, Mary Patton hopes that her store will be “a resource for really unique and high quality, interesting furniture and accessories. It’s not necessarily about being expensive. It’s just about being interesting.”

“One of the goals in good design is to not have the space look like a furniture store,” Patton says. “Anybody can shop a space really well but to design it takes some skills. The things in here can be layered with new pieces and give it character.”

Beyond the appointment-only design experience, Patton will be working with other designers to host trunk shows in the space, the first being one with Helenita Home, scheduled for October 6.

The Milton Townsend Factor

Anyone who knows Townsend is familiar with his uninhibited, joyful approach to life. Which could explain his plan to transform the two-story home office of his late partner Jackson Hicks into a  ballroom complete with floor to ceiling red velvet drapes.

“That’s a lot of yardage,” Patton laughs.

She is also helping Townsend with the Vermont vacation home that he and Hicks shared for decades. The caterer is preparing the house to put it on the market.