Dunton Hot Springs, Colorado

If you are looking for a western styled, romantic getaway this winter or summer, Dunton Hot Springs, Colorado might be the answer. Dunton Hot Springs - where? Actually, it's a ghost town located deep in the Rockies Mountain Range at the "four corners" area of Colorado where Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona all meet. Once a mining town abandoned in 1918, the town has been at times a biker and hippie hangout, a dude ranch, and now, a world class resort. From the outside, everything looks just like it did back in the 1800's. Inside though, the rustic log cabins have been totally redone, updated, and remodeled with pillow top beds, down comforters, Egyptian cotton sheets, wi-fi capability(!), antiques and first rate photographs. Think Ralph Lauren meets Butch Cassidy. The resort's main attraction though, are its five hot springs. There's a bath house cabin built over the largest of the springs which the entire "town" can use. Another hot spring is located in a private guest cabin. The high mineral count of the springs make them physically therapeutic. There's a cold water plunge outside and a large waterfall which adds to romance. Of course, there are yoga classes, exercise classes, and other spa amenities, like hot stone massages. All meals are included and while the menu looks heavy on game fare, the food is all organic.

Winter sports include cross country skiing and heli-skiing where a helicopter drops you down on the slopes. There is no ski in or ski out here, so if that is what you need, this probably isn't the place for you. Telluride skiing is an hour away, though. Summer sports include fly fishing, horseback riding and hiking. The rates are high, but not unreasonable for the luxury and remoteness of the resort. The nearest town is 38 miles way, and the word "town" is stretching it. For details on this resort, click here.

The Bath House with its large hot spring and roaring fire to keep warm in the winter.

The cold water plunge.

Two guest cabins, except one is actually a teepee.

The interior of the guest teepee.

The library - isn't this wonderful? A reason to visit.

Winter at the resort.

One of the outdoor springs with it's high mineral count.

The commons area.

A guest cabin.

An interior shot of a log cabin.

Summer activity: horseback riding in the Rockies Mountains.

Another cabin interior - note the iron stove in the corner.

The Wedding Chapel for destination weddings.

I love this picture - look at the bride "walking down the aisle." The dog is the maid of honor.

Another log cabin guest house.

The restaurant.

How peaceful and inviting can you get?

Summer at Dunton Hot Springs, Colorado.

Antique Judaica

Jews all over the world are celebrating the holiday of Chanukah this week. Chanukah, or The Festival of Lights, is a very minor holiday with little religious significance. A battle fought between the Greeks and the Jews, under the leadership of Judah Maccabee and his brothers, was finally ended when the Jews drove out the Greeks and began to rededicate the second Jewish temple in Jerusalum. Olive oil, which was needed to burn the temple's eternal flame, was scare. There was only enough oil to last one night, but miraculously God enabled the oil to burn for 8 days - the time it took to process new olive oil. Alongside the huge growth of the commercialism of Chrismas, Chanukah has become a widely celebrated holiday by mostly Jews worldwide. The most visible symbol of the holiday is the menorah, or the candelabra with its eight candle holders plus one which is used to light each individual candle. The fesital lasts 8 days and corresponds with the winter solstice, as does Christmas. Most Jewish families have several menorahs, a new one given perhaps as a wedding shower gift, and an old one that has been passed down for a generation or two.

These old menorahs are widely valued in the collecting field known as Judaica, or the area of collecting Jewish ceremonial and secular items. This field has grown enormously in the past decade and major auction houses such as Christies and Sotheby's have their own Judaica divisions. Perhaps it is the hunger for a more spiritual life that has fueled this field of collecting or maybe it result of the Holocaust that has caused this pride of religion. Regardless of it's reasons, Judaica is a hot item - not quite reaching Major Trend Alert status, prices of Judaica are going through the roof.

There are three components of Judaica: manuscripts and books written in Hebrew, fine art, and ritual objects (of which the menorah would fall under). Items can be secular or relgious. Since Jew migrated from the Holy Land through Spain, into Eastern Europe through Germany and finally Russia - before they began their westward flight to the Americas, Northern and Southern, Judaica comes from many countries, with each country's unique influence onto a single object. Religious objects are universally either silver, pewter, or brass. Gold is rarely, if ever seen.

Mimmi O'Connell

White walls, symmetry, tufted ottoman used as a coffee table, ticking used for upholstery, black iron accents, seagrass matting: elements used over and over again.

In the 70’s - there was a designer in London who started a trend that lives on, 35 years later – the cornerstone of this trend was oriental furniture imported from the far east. The young designer combined these eastern pieces with large accessories: wooden boxes that doubled as coffee tables, bowls, blue and white porcelains, and eastern baskets, to name a few. She used mostly cotton tickings and rolled up mattresses instead of bolsters. Her beds were made of black iron and they usually were four poster. Her look was one of high contrasts: lots of darks and lights. She used red as a neutral, her walls were always white, her rooms always had black accents. Her look was new and fresh and very innovative. It still is today. Her name is Mimmi O’Connell.

Mimmi was never a household name in the United States. Most images of her work come from English books and publications. Through the store she owned, Port of Call, she started a look, the fusion look, that is still going strong today. She combined relatively inexpensive eastern furniture that she imported with inexpensive fabrics to produce a look that was strongly visual and rich, texturally. Through her design work, O’Connell was the force behind using seagrass and bamboo blinds in settings other than orangeries and sunrooms. Her look has spawned hundreds of imitators, her business helped launch others: OKA in England comes to mind immediately. Her use of cotton and linens and tickings is oft copied today – you would never see a room that O’Connell designed using chenille and mohair and brocades. It’s just not her style. Despite the enormous impact she made on design today, O’Connell rarely receives press or recognition for her work. Apparently, she’s still active, still in business, but it’s been a while since any current work of hers has been seen. So, take a look at her portfolio and keep in mind, many of these images are from years and years and years ago. And remember, the next time you see a room with an iron four poster bed swathed in tickings or oriental chairs mixed with bespoke upholstery on seagrass, give a nod to Mimmi O’Connell, wherever she is today.

An iron four poster bed, hallmark of Mimmi's style. High contrast black and white.

Traditional Mimmi: white walls, eastern chairs, blue and white porcelains, large, spare accessorizing


The previous room seen from the other side. Large, tufted ottomans are often used as coffee tables.


Heaven to Mimmi: rolled bolsters, blue and white ticking, plaids, iron furniture, seagrass. The striped poles seen in the corner are frequently used in her designs.


High contrast black and white, iron furniture, highly edited spaces.


Red is another favorite, as is wicker.


Outdoors styling: black iron, oversized votives set a romantic atmosphere.

Quintessential Mimmi: black iron canopy, white walls, ticking, plus white bedding.


Her Italian country home in a restored school house.


Mimmi at her best: symmetry, black iron, high contrasts, oriental furniture, tufted ticking, oversized accessorizing, baskets, corner poles, black iron curtain rods, and white wallss.


Italy meets Zen.


Port of Call merchandise: antique oriental furniture and accessories.

Mimmi: iron day beds used as sofas, ottomans used as coffee tables, iron bistro chairs, ticking, tufting, garden seats, symmetry, oversized accessories.

Again and again - her recognizable design.

Here the architecture becomes the design: high contrast black paint vs. the ever present white walls, seagrass matting, reds mixed with black ticking.

A Mimmi kitchen: eastern influenced chairs and table, eastern baskets and buckets, the plates provide the usual symmetry and black color, iron drapery rods, white walls, red checks for curtains.

A departure for Mimmi: aqua painted chairs!!!!

This room looks Rose Tarlow-ish to me. Notice how even in a library/dining room, the ticking is present, the walls are white, the symmetry is intact.

Names Can Be Deceiving: Shabby Slips

Veranda's September 2007 cover story featured Houston designer Renea Abbott's work on a large, Provencal-inspired home built in California. The finished product is the culimination of years of hard work, construction alone lasted over three years. This project catapults Abbott into the upper echelons of the design business, something she truly deserves. The "farmhouse," as it is referred to, is a study in timeless design - aged materials were used throughout and careful attention was given to the most minute details to ensure authenticity. The result of all this hard work is a home truly deserving of respect. Rather than do interiors that are faithful to its farmhouse style, Abbott's choices are instead sometimes surprising and yet, always fresh. The front cover with the Cy Twombly over an 18th century mantel epitomizes Abbott's work: the modern mixed with the antique. Both ends of this spectrum are represented by sophisticated pieces. This design mix is familiar to Houstonians long aware of Renea Abbott.

Best known as the proprietress of the store Shabby Slips, Abbott has garnered much local press, mostly showcasing her own frequently changed environs. The store started out with a simple premise - slip covers handmade to cover the plush, down-filled sofas and chairs that filled her shop. Everything was white back then, but things at Shabby Slips are different now. The walls are a deep, dark shade. Wonderful, period antiques have taken over floor space formerly devoted to the masses of cushy upholstery. In fact, slip covers are no longer even offered to the public. The direction of the store but not it's name has changed completely. And, the change could not be more gorgeous. Large, gilt chandeliers glitter over the furniture's gilded finishes. Mid century lacquered pieces vie for attention with rustic oddities. Exotic lamps are fashioned from rock and crystal. The atmosphere in the store has taken on the air of an exquisite jeweled box. Sophistication is the key word here. Always in motion, Abbott has reached out with branches of Shabby Slips in Austin and New Orleans. And in Santa Fe, her mother Barbara Carlton runs the store there with its decidedly different more western feel. If visiting Houston, Shabby Slips should be a must stop on the antique shopper's agenda.

Sparse, yet elegant hallway in the Californian farmhouse.

The dining room.




The elegant bathroom with the double shower placed behind the tub.

Beautiful Californian garden with limestone table and Rose Tarlow chairs.




Shabby Slips: gilt antique furniture, contemporary fabrics.

More antiques with a surprising Global Views table.




Crystal obelisks on laquered trays.

More gilt, more modern.

A lamp with a modern rock crystal base.

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Another interesting lamp base.

Finally, a sofa meant for slip covers!

An unusual zebra upholstered chair.

A typically untypical Abbott tablescape.

The mix that Abbott is known for: slipcovered furniture, antique cyrstal chandeliers, rustic coffeetable.

The old mixed with the new.

Out back, behind a gate, through a back yard - Shabby Slips recently expanded into a neighborhood house.

In the house annex, things are definitely more casual.

Someone could move right into the shop's annex.

Notice the rug from Creative Flooring. This is my favorite 'skin' pattern.

Wonderful card table with a mix of chairs.

I love how the curtains are tied back in this room.

And lastly, Abbott's attempt at being hip: two pink, Palm Beach inspired chairs.