Cantoni furnishes concept home in Dallas

Contemporary architecture, furniture set tone

Clint Engel -- Furniture Today, June 17, 2009

DALLAS — Contemporary home furnishings retailer Cantoni has launched a "concept homes" program with a 7,500-square-foot house it helped design and furnish here.

Contemporary furniture from Dallas retailer Cantoni is set amid the modern architecture of a new concept home in the Texas city.

The home in the Preston Hollow area of Dallas, listed for sale at $3.9 million, "marries modern architecture and the Cantoni Collection," according to a news release. Furniture, artwork and audio/visual equipment in the home are for sale but aren't included in the list price.

"We believe that with the resources of the Cantoni Design Studio and our talented architectural and construction team that we have the perfect solution to building and designing fully furnished homes," said Cantoni CEO Michael Wilkov.

The listing notes that the home, called Axis, "takes its name from the magnificent architecture. The whole experience of walking through the house reinforces the axis theme. Enter through the large pivot front door and your view is to a dazzling outdoor sculpture. In fact every axis ends with a dramatic focal point. At times a sculpture. Another time a fabulous tree. Or the pool and gardens."

Cantoni, which has high-end stores in Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Irvine, Calif., partnered with architectural designers Jason Kongabel and Ben Callison of the firm Moh-ment to design the home.

Others taking part in the project included North Dallas Bank and Trust, Bontempi Cucine for the kitchen, Interceramic Marble Collection, Texas Home Theater, Pianca Spa and Duncan Day.

"We believe that with the resources of the Cantoni Design Studio and our talented architectural and construction team that we have the perfect solution to building and designing fully furnished homes," Wilkov said.

He said the team had a 3D rendering of exactly how the project would look entirely furnished long before construction started.

Cantoni, which has been moving toward branding goods under its own name, is using the home as a showcase for its Cantoni Collection. Some of the upholstery and case goods in the collection come from Malerba. The house also features kitchens and bathrooms from Italy's Bontempi Cucine.

Wilkov said Cantoni is now the exclusive distributor of Bontempi Cucine kitchens in Dallas and Houston, where the products will be rolled out in its stores.

Others taking part in the concept home project included North Dallas Bank and Trust, Interceramic Marble Collection, Pianca Spa closet systems, Texas Home Theater, and Duncan Day.

Wilkov said a second home - a duplex called Motion - is under way in Dallas. Images of the project can be viewed on Moh-ment's Web site at www.mohment.com/architecture.html.

But there are no plans right now to take concept to Cantoni's other markets, Wilkov said.

"Obviously, things have changed dramatically in the last two years, so our timing wasn't exactly perfect," he said. "However, with the right exposure and what we've created - and it is something special - we will find the right buyer for the home and create additional exposure for the Cantoni design team."