Round Top Antique Show: The Interior Designer's Playbook

Round Top isn't just for casual shoppers. It's where some of the country's top interior designers source statement pieces for celebrity homes, boutique hotels, and high-end residential projects. Designers from Pottery Barn, Ralph Lauren, and Kelly Wearstler's studio regularly shop the corridor.

Here's how the pros do it — and how you can borrow their strategies.

Before You Go

1. Create a Sourcing List by Category

Professional designers don't browse aimlessly. They arrive with a categorized list:

Lighting — chandeliers, pendants, sconces, floor lamps, table lamps
Seating — chairs, benches, stools, settees
Tables — dining, console, cocktail, accent
Art — paintings, prints, tapestries, sculptures
Textiles — rugs, quilts, pillows, linens
Accessories — mirrors, clocks, vases, bookends

2. Know Your Dimensions

This is the single most important designer tip: bring your floor plans with maximum furniture dimensions marked. If your credenza space maxes out at 70 inches wide, that's your hard limit. Measure doorways, hallways, and elevator dimensions too — getting it home matters.

3. Arrange Shipping in Advance

Designers don't rent trucks. They use professional shipping vendors who operate along the Round Top corridor. The process:

Buy your pieces throughout the week
Leave "sold" tags with the shipper's name at each booth
The shipper visits every venue, picks everything up
They blanket-wrap and consolidate for one shipment home

4. Budget with a Buffer

Allocate your budget by category, but keep 20% flexible. You'll find things you never planned for. One designer described buying 16 items in 8 minutes on Marburger's opening morning — when you see the right piece, you need to move fast.

Where Designers Shop

For European Antiques

Blue Hills — French, Italian, and Scandinavian imports. Expanded recently with 7 new barns.
The Arbors — 120+ world-class dealers with European and American furniture
Antiquaire de France (at Blue Hills) — One designer's favorite for authentic French antiques

For Architectural Salvage

The Compound — Doors, mantels, iron gates, columns, stained glass
Excess I & Excess 2 — Industrial pieces, vintage signage, salvaged hardware

For Fashion & Accessories

Bader Ranch — Luxury fashion brands including Hunter Bell, Mignonne Gavigan, Krewe
The Arbors — Fashion, jewelry, and accessories in dedicated tents

For Art

Blue Hills — Original paintings, prints, and folk art from curated dealers
Market Hill — Mix of vintage and contemporary art

For Textiles & Rugs

Blue Hills — Antique rugs, tapestries (18th-century tapestries from ,900-,000)
The Arbors — Vintage textiles, quilts, linens

The Designer's Day

6:30 AM — Coffee, review your hit list 7:30 AM — Arrive at your priority venue before it opens 8-9 AM — Opening rush. Move fast. Buy first, deliberate later. 9 AM-12 PM — Work your list systematically through 2-3 venues 12 PM — Quick food truck lunch. Don't waste daylight on a sit-down restaurant. 1-5 PM — Continue shopping. This is when the crowds thin and dealers are more available. 6 PM — Review your purchases, update your sourcing list 7 PM — Dinner. Compare notes with colleagues. Plan tomorrow.

Negotiation Tips from the Pros

"Is this your best price?" is perfectly professional and expected
Cash always talks — vendors save the card processing fee
Buy multiple pieces from one dealer and ask for a package discount
Build relationships — dealers remember designers who come back season after season
End-of-show deals — if a piece isn't urgent, come back on the last day when vendors are motivated to sell rather than pack

After the Show

Confirm shipping pickup with your shipper
Photograph and document everything purchased with vendor contact info
Follow up with vendors on any custom or special-order pieces
Mark your calendar for the next show — the best designers come every season

Browse 300+ vendors on Round Top Finder, many with designer-focused inventory. Use the interactive map to plan your route, or build a day-by-day itinerary with the Trip Planner.

Browse all venues on the interactive map or download the Round Top Finder app to plan your trip.