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Guest Ranch

Forty-six acres of peace and tranquility await at Rachel Ashwell’s bed and breakfast, The Prairie in Round Top.

Rachel Ashwell brings beauty, comfort and function to a country B&B STORY BY MARY CHAVOUSTIE • PHOTOGRAPHY BY GISELA TORRES

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esigner Rachel Ashwell felt a kinship with Texas long before she purchased the 40-acre ranch, now called The Prairie.

The London native fell in love with the Round Top property, formerly known as the Outpost at Cedar Creek Inn, during her yearly treks to the area’s antique festival.

“I had an agenda when I was there,” she explained. “I had to fill a 50-foot container. We worked long hours and it was hard and it was hot, so to be able to now come back to The Prairie, what was once the Outpost, makes the whole experience more sacred. Part of it was the flea market itself but the other was the structure and the location of where it is.”

Today, The Prairie by Rachel Ashwell is a peaceful blend of four guest cottages and a new Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Couture shop, where visitors have the opportunity to purchase bedding and furniture from the couture line that reflect “beauty, comfort and function” – the foundation of Ashwell’s design philosophy.

The successful entrepreneur purchased the award-winning B&B in 2010

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from artist/owner Lenore Prudhomme, a business transaction born of friendship and respect.

“Most B&Bs are charming, but many compromise on comfort and sophistication. I was drawn to the Outpost by Lenore’s sophistication in the world.

She’s an amazing painter, she’s intelligent and she makes great breakfast conversations about art, about family and about creativity.”

Ashwell’s first order of business, after the sentimental property became her own, was to bring out buckets of white paint. Poetic alliteration played into the next step, as she coined names for the unique guesthouses.

The Meadow Manor has an eat-in kitchen and an inviting front porch, perfect for a girlfriends weekend. Pink-and-white-striped Farrow & Ball wallpaper grace one of the two large bedrooms, the other a vintage pink floral.

Queen size beds make for a heavenly night’s rest after a long day, searching for vintage treasures.

Brick pavers lead the way into and throughout the rustic white house known as The Blue Bonnet Barn. Guests enjoy the ambiance of the white

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ABOVE: Deep-colored damask wallpaper adds a striking contrast to the Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Couture sofas in The Meadow Manor, one of several cottages at The Prairie.

BELOW LEFT: Simplicity and beauty at its best—a vintage bath with morning light. BELOW RIGHT: A delicate floral pattern wallpaper and sheer drapes provide cottage charm.

MARY CHAVOUSTIE

ABOVE: Geometric tiles add a masculine touch as does the multicolored, reclaimed bead board on the ceiling. Ashwell’s touch of bling provides balance for the genders.

ABOVE: Even the Texas sun, filtering through vintage shutters, has trouble awakening those who linger in the comforts of the Cornflower Cottage.

LEFT: The Liliput Lodge’s distressed teal cabinets and zinc workspace entice weekend getaway guests to serve up a snack or meal.

picket fence, a claw foot tub and a big feather bed piled high with soft cotton Shabby Chic Couture linens.

The Cornflower Cottage offers a stylish flair with its use of vibrant geometric tiles. The ceiling of the spacious bath is lined with multicolored reclaimed bead board complete with Ashwell’s touch of sparkle – a vintage chandelier.

Built in the late 1800s, the two-story Liliput Lodge serves as the main building with its screened-in porch and comfortable rockers. The Liliput can be rented separately, the upstairs or the downstairs, with each floor giving access to a private bathroom; rented together, it’s perfect for two couples or a large family.

The kitchen, with its teal-colored distressed cabinetry, zinc workspace and butler’s sink, is the style Rachel Ashwell followers have grown to love over the past 22 years.

The tin-roofed Rangers Lounge is the place for a Texas-style breakfast, with Danny Riebeling often serving as chef. Returning guests remember Riebeling’s spicy migas and sausage muffins as favorites from the Outpost.

Selections at the Shop will match those featured in other Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Couture stores throughout the world, the difference being how each is accented.

“At the end of the day, the overstuffed linen sofa in the Ranger Lounge sells as well in London as it does in California as it does in New York,” Ashwell explains. “But the Ranger Lounge has an extra – an antler chandelier topped with lavender pleated lampshades.”

The Prairie also contains several elk and deer heads, traditional Texas mainstays that came with the sale of the property. Instead of removing the taxidermy, Ashwell adjusted her signature feminine style.

“I thought ‘let’s embrace these animals.’ They’ve already had their sacrifices, but they’re still amazingly beautiful and handsome. That’s why I gave some of them crowns and some floral hats.”

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Cattle graze peacefully outside the cottage windows.

The Liliput Lodge, the original 1800s home on The Prairie, welcomes arriving guests with the U.S., Texas and British flags.

Ashwell describes the look as “Marie Antoinette going to Texas.”

Guests that fancy a particular timeworn dresser or lamp will be able to buy the pieces on site and take them home. All furnishings at The Prairie are for sale.

The custom machine washable, slipcovered furniture, vintage accessories, bedding and Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Couture pieces can all be ordered.

“The Prairie is a huge Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Couture canvas of expression,” says Ashwell. “This is really how you can live the Shabby Chic life in its entirety.”

When asked what’s most important to her, the popular designer, diva, author, lecturer and now B&B owner’s answer is simple and earnest: “The most beautiful Shabby Chic room doesn’t mean a lot without friends, family and your home.”

Learn more about The Prairie at www.theprairiebyrachelashwell.com and Rachel’s Blog at rachelashwellshabbychic.blogspot.com.

WHERE’S RACHEL? IN TEXAS, OF COURSE! On Sept. 18, Rachel Ashwell will speak at Round Top Festival Institute’s Library and Museum Collections Forum, discussing beauty and inspiration in timeworn treasures.

Ashwell’s seventh book, Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Inspirations and Beautiful Spaces, will be launched at The Prairie on Sept. 27 with a book signing and store opening event.

New Treasures by Shabby Chic fabric will soon be available to quilters at the Fall 2011 International Quilt Market in Houston. Ashwell will be at the event on Oct. 29 to sign her new book.

The Ranger’s Lounge, with its salvaged wood and corrugated tin exterior, is home for home-cooked breakfasts and meeting new friends.

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