point of interest
rusticcharm Story | Holly Beretto
D
riving along Highway 281 between Stephenville and Mineral Wells, you’ll eventually come across Texas Hill Country Furniture and Mercantile, a rambling barn of a place where owners Larry and Sherry Dennis offer handcrafted furniture
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and items for the home. For the last 11 years, their signature style has been to showcase the best in Texas design. “Larry was in construction before we opened this place, but he started making cabinets when he was 18,” says Sherry. The couple has about 18 to 20 people working with them, and the shop has its own sawmill, where they cut and kiln the wood they use. Larry says a lot of the cedar, mesquite and pecan he uses is reclaimed, whether from trees pulled up by storm damage or killed by drought. In the mercantile, you’ll find dining room sets, bedroom sets, chairs, desks, bookcases and all manner of décor. It’s also home to the “Star of Texas Rocker,” the Guinness Book of World Records holder for the World’s Largest Rocking Chair. Measuring more than 25 feet high, it weighs in at more than 5,000 pounds.
In addition to the work the Dennises create on the premises, Larry says they’re proud of the mercantile building itself. “It’s made from cedar going back to 1885 and throughout the place, we have pieces that have a history,” he says. “There was an old school house that an old gentleman bought, and we have the doors from it on the south wall of the store. And its ceiling is on the back wall.” The couple agrees that their style is rustic elegance, and Larry loves working with Texas woods. “There’s real character to them,” he says.
texas hill country furniture 19280 s. highway 281, lipan 254-646-3376 txhcountry.com
Wood tones Pecan
“I think pecan can blend with anything,” Larry says. “It has so much color in it.” He uses it to craft much of his dining room and bedroom pieces, including a stunning headboard and footboard set with tremendous texture and artistry.
Mountain Cedar
Larry uses cedar for many things, but he loves making doors with mountain cedar. “It’s a really hard wood, and it makes for a pretty style door,” he says. When he’s not using it for doors, he crafts cedar chests for you to store your keepsakes.
Mesquite
People might think of mesquite as a wood for Texas barbeque, but Larry makes all manner of things with it. “We did a bath tub,” he says, a take on the claw-foot porcelain tubs. His is made of mesquite, and instead of claw feet, he made a horse-foot base.
Texas Hill Country Furniture
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