A Texas Contemporary
A DALLAS COUPLE FINDS AN ORGANIC, TEXTURAL BLEND THAT SPEAKS TO THEIR HOME WITH THE HELP OF CANTONI DESIGNER NICOLE GEORGE.
When Cantoni designer Nicole George first stepped inside the sprawling contemporary Plano home boasting elements of Texas vernacular architecture, she instantly knew the focus of her interior design would play off the space’s abundant supply of organic materials. “The home features many simple, honest materials,” Nicole says. Case in point: a 20-foot hand-applied honed pebble wall is juxtaposed with a horizontal walnut-planked wall. Cathedral ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows to allow sunlight allow for ample views of the surrounding greenery.
The homeowners, clients of Cantoni since the 1980s, needed help with selecting furnishings and art for the 1988-built home they renovated in 2014. “My wife and I are very contemporary-minded people,” the homeowner says. “When we met Nicole, we immediately liked her style—it fit right in with our new house. We are no-nonsense, and she meshed well with our personalities.”
The owners’ personalities err on the side of relaxed, and they were looking for rooms to not only be sophisticated and speak to the home’s bones, but also to be livable and well-suited for entertaining. “They wanted every room to be comfortable and approachable,” Nicole says. “Kicking your feet up on the coffee table is encouraged.”
Nicole found clean-lined, neutral furnishings in a range of materials—she mixed semi-aniline leather (which retains the hide’s natural grain), stain-resistant alpaca wool fabric upholstery, Carrera marble, natural walnut, charred oak and raw steel finishes. “Texas vernacular focuses on using large-scale indigenous natural material with a modern and minimal architectural plan,” Nicole says. “I wanted to balance this in the materials we selected.”
In the entry, the walnut Note bookshelf, made in Italy, greets guests and is filled with accessories such as the Freeplay Sculpture. In the formal living room Nicole paired match sofa and chairs, both customized in grey leather, with a sculptural glass, steel and travertine coffee table that reflects the home’s architectural style. In the breakfast room, the Eco dining chairs with walnut-stained ash frames, white leather seating and unique “X” back details are tucked under the Eliot table in burnt oak wood.
Nicole also sourced luxurious neutral rugs and oil on canvas works such as the Twilight Glow by Beverly Fuller in the formal dining room to add finishing touches to the space. “I loved working with the homeowners,” Nicole says. “They have a no-nonsense approach to what they want in design, have great taste and were very communicative when it came to how they wanted their home to look and feel.”
The natural and neutral pieces are also great staples for easy design updates and switches with accessories, so the homeowners can effortlessly change up the look as they’d like. Now, “the house is set up so well for entertaining with plenty of seating,” the homeowners say. “It’s exactly what we envisioned.”
