Top Texas Designers and Creatives Gather in Round Top to Toast Society Social’s Game Room Collaboration With Fine Art Photographer Nick Mele

Twice a year, the Houston and Dallas gals about town leave the big city and converge on Round Top, Texas for a day or two fueled by the thrill of the hunt at the Round Top Antiques Fair. As a veteran Round Topper, I recently offered a guide for how to pull off the perfect day trip. In addition to antique dealers, the show attracts brands from across the country who want a little slice of that sweet Round Top pie.

For the second year, Society Social popped up at the ever-expanding Blue Hills. Roxy Te Owens founded the North Carolina-based furniture brand, which offers a fresh, cheeky take on traditional style. I challenge you to find a “grandmillenial” who doesn’t own (or covet!) a piece of furniture from Society Social. I filled my first home with well-crafted pieces from the brand, from an olive green velvet sofa to two swivel chairs swathed in a timeless chintz from Schumacher.

In their tent at Blue Hills this year, Society Social is showcasing their new collaboration with fine art photographer Nick Mele. The limited-edition furniture collection, called “Pause Life, Play Games,” reimagines the modern game room and includes (among other offerings) a game table, which can be customized in any color, as well as the most aesthetically pleasing gaming chairs you’ve ever seen.

To celebrate the launch of their collection, Society Social, along with Mele and British lighting brand Pooky, hosted the chicest menagerie of creatives from across the Lone Star State at Rancho Pillow in Round Top for an intimate dinner.

Upon arrival, guests sipped Ranch Waters and margaritas on custom hand-embroidered cocktail napkins from Hibiscus Linens while they admired the “Pause Life, Play Games” collection, which was set up on Rancho Pillow’s front porch. After Owens welcomed guests, she invited them inside the fantastical Rancho Pillow, a fever-dream manifestation of everything colorful and collected, wacky and wonderful about Round Top. Pendants from Pooky lit up the barn and enhanced the already-glowing ambiance.

Describing the setting, Owens said, “The always quirky, slightly psychedelic Rancho Pillow was the perfect backdrop for our celebratory collection launch dinner. Bursting with vibrant colors, charming character, and unmistakable personality, it truly captures the playful spirit of both our brands and the magic of Round Top.”

She continued, “With a guest list full of creatives — fashion and interior designers, writers, floral stylists, and storytellers of all kinds— there was no shortage of inspiration. It was a joy to gather, connect, and share in the evening’s energy. At the heart of everything we do is creativity. It’s the delight we find in the creative process that we strive to reflect in our work, and we couldn’t have asked for a better setting or group of people to celebrate that sentiment with.”

Those “storytellers of all kinds” included Lisa Henderson, Christy Doramus, Lele Sadoughi, Caitlin Wilson, Avery Cox, Claire Brody, Marianna Barran, Hunter Bell, Lily Barfield, Natalie Lindsey, Annie Downing, Savannah McPartland, Ashley Hunt, Elaina Fagan, Courtney Zavala, Ellecia Knolle, Jodie Sanders, and Regan Iglesia.

One thing to know about Round Top is that those fields of antiques actually double as a runway. For Society Social and Mele, the urban cowgirls came dressed to impress (just swipe through the pics to see for yourself). Natalie Lindsey even styled Owens and Mele for their Round Top itinerary, ensuring Mele traded his flip flips (he lives in Florida, ok!!) for a pair of vintage cowboy boots. I particularly loved the vintage yoyo skirt she sourced for Owens to wear during the soirée.

It was Mele’s first visit to Round Top, and, as everyone does, he fell hard and fast for the tiny Texan town that oozes with that indefinable je ne sais quoi.

“What I love most about Round Top,” he said, “is seeing how vintage treasures find new life in contemporary settings — it’s exactly the kind of authentic dialogue between old and new that inspires my own work.”

For one night, some of the most charming creatives in Texas paused life to play games with Society Social, and everyone left a winner.

Society Social’s pop-up in Tent 10 at Blue Hills in Round Top continues through April 5.