Kerrville, Comfort, Ingram and Center Point
Furniture and Western art for Kerrville and Comfort homes
Alfred Giles, the English architect who designed Kerrville's Schreiner Mansion, ranched near Comfort, and the Handbook of Texas says he combined styles with restraint, sobriety and simplicity. That is a sound rule for furnishing these Hill Country towns. Our San Antonio showroom is about 45 minutes from Comfort and a little over an hour from Kerrville without traffic.
Alfred Giles' Hill Country
Stone, restraint and one strong piece
Giles came to Texas in 1873 and, working for a San Antonio contractor, learned to use local building materials, especially stone. He designed the Capt. Charles Schreiner Mansion at 216 Earl Garrett St. in Kerrville, a National Register property whose styles are recorded as Renaissance and Romanesque. After 1885 he bought land near Comfort for Hillingdon Ranch, which grew to 13,000 acres where horses, mules, Aberdeen-Angus cattle and Angora goats grazed.
His restraint carries indoors. Give each room one strong piece, a carved horse, a longhorn or a painting, and keep what surrounds it plain: a heavy desk on simple legs, a rocker, a solid table. Two showpieces on one wall compete; one gets looked at.
- A stone room: one sculpture or painting as the ornament, plain wood around it.
- A study: a heavy plain desk rather than a carved one.
- A Victorian house: carved arms and tooled leather suit its trim.
- Ranch land: one longhorn or horse piece says ranch better than a themed room.
Town by town
From Comfort to Ingram
Kerrville
Kerrville grew from a shinglemakers' camp on a bluff above the Guadalupe River. In 1857 Christian Dietert and Balthasar Lich started a grist and saw mill there, and the Schreiner family's retail, banking and ranching businesses followed. The Handbook notes museums preserving cowboy art and the Schreiner family's history. About 58 miles, an hour and 5 minutes without traffic.
Comfort
Ernst Hermann Altgelt laid out Comfort in 1854, and much of the original townsite is in the National Register. The Handbook names Bolshevik Hall, Turner Hall, a theater and many half-timber and Victorian buildings, and the Treue der Union monument stands on High Street. About 40 miles, roughly 45 minutes without traffic.
Ingram
J.C.W. Ingram bought six acres in 1879 and opened a store and post office, and early settlers made shingles from the plentiful cypress. The Hill Country Arts Foundation, with art studios and a theater, began at Ingram in 1958. About 65 miles, an hour and 15 minutes without traffic.
Center Point
Dr. Charles de Ganahl opened a post office in his home in November 1859 and called it Zanzenburg, after his ancestral home in the Austrian Tyrol. It became Center Point in 1872, reportedly because it sat halfway between Kerrville and Comfort. About 50 miles, roughly an hour without traffic.
Examples
Examples of one strong piece and a plain setting
Examples from our catalog. Our floor changes often, so a piece shown here may have sold. Ask us about any piece, and we'll confirm whether it's available and share pricing.
Mustang Rising
A carved wooden horse, rearing, with a windswept mane and tail.
See the listingThe Longhorn Sentinel
A longhorn's head carved from a gnarled piece of wood, set on a log round.
See the listingUntamed Stallion
A painting of a pale horse at full gallop, in loose, bright strokes.
See the listingModern Rustic Desk
A thick, plain wooden top on crossed trestle legs.
See the listingArgentina Tooled Leather Rocking Chair in Turquoise
A rocking chair with a turquoise tooled leather back and seat, carved arms and large nail heads.
See the listing
Everything listed now
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From a distance
Shopping our showroom from here
Comfort is the nearest of these towns, about 40 miles and roughly 45 minutes from the showroom without traffic. Center Point is about an hour away, Kerrville about an hour and 5 minutes and Ingram about an hour and 15 minutes. From Comfort a visit fits in an afternoon; from Ingram, a video call can answer the first questions before you make the drive.
Shortlist online
Browse by room and open any listing to ask about it.
Ask before you decide
Our showroom floor changes often. Ask us about any piece, and we'll confirm whether it's available and share pricing. Ask about each piece's dimensions too.
See it on a video call
We can schedule a FaceTime or video call to show you a piece before you order. Ask for a call when you ask about a piece.
Arrange shipping
We ship anywhere in the world. Shipping arrangements are handled directly with The Rustic Gallery after the sale.
Common questions from Kerrville
How far is the showroom from Kerrville?
About 58 miles, a little over an hour without traffic. Our showroom is open seven days a week.
Do you have a showroom in Kerrville?
No. Our one showroom is at 1401 N. Loop 1604 W., Suite 100, San Antonio, TX 78258.
Can you ship to Kerrville?
Yes. We ship anywhere in the world. Shipping arrangements are handled directly with The Rustic Gallery after the sale.
Can I see a piece before I buy it?
Yes. Visit the showroom, or ask for a FaceTime or video call and we will show you the piece before you order.
Is Comfort closer to the showroom than Kerrville?
Yes. Comfort is about 40 miles from the showroom, roughly 45 minutes without traffic. Center Point is about 50 miles, Kerrville about 58 and Ingram about 65.
Are the pieces on this page available now?
Our showroom floor changes often. Ask us about any piece, and we'll confirm whether it's available and share pricing.
Questions about a piece?
Call us or ask on any listing. Our showroom is at 1401 N. Loop 1604 W., Suite 100, San Antonio, TX 78258, open Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.