Top Furniture Shops
The 10 best furniture stores in Dallas to feather your nest
UPDATE: Since this story was published, Timothy Oulton has announced its closure.
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For cosmopolitan decor at every price and style, set the GPS and start shopping. Dallas has abundant retail emporiums for outfitting fabulous homes, from traditional furniture stores to mod European boutiques to treasure troves of outlet and consignment finds.
Here are 10 of our favorite home retailers. Let the home shopping odyssey begin.
Magnificent makeovers: Again & Again
What's more green than not throwing something away? Trust owner Leslie Pritchard to breathe new life into tattered furniture just waiting for the right owner to see a life beyond the trash heap. Here, your treasured pieces and estate sale finds are in good hands. Bring in an old favorite for refinishing, repainting or reupholstering, or pick up a piece Pritchard's team has already redone.
Lodge rustic: Anteks
Jason Lenox and his family have been furnishing second homes (and first too) for decades, with sturdy furniture with plenty of thick wood, carved treatments, leathers, hides and strong Southwestern fabrics. And for the not-so-taxidermy-obsessed, there are plenty of delightful surprises, such as delicate hammered copper flatware and turquoise and silver boxes that are flying off the shelves in resort gift shops in the West.
Consigned design: Area 25
If you see something you like, grab it. Nothing stays around too long at this sophisticated consignment store. A frequent haunt for those in the know, this popular address stocks lots of inventory from staged homes, so you get almost-new furnishings for reasonable prices. And don't be embarrassed about watching delivery trucks unload their wares. The helpful staff is ready, with tape measures in hand.
Contemporary cool: Cantoni
For 29 years, Cantoni has been a beacon of modern design in the hub of home furnishings stores in the nexus of Far North Dallas, Addison and Farmers Branch. Look for sleek leathers by American Leather and Natuzzi, Italian brands and, most recently, outdoor furniture and a sleep studio. The brand has now expanded to showrooms in five cities, and it has well-established design services.
Northern exposure: IBB Design Fine Home Furnishings
So you want a turnkey interior design without having to wait forever for your custom pieces to arrive? Enter Shay Geyer's IBB Design of Frisco. Furnishings are selected and stocked on the floor with designer details already built in. Add to that a full roster of interior designers and selections from the nation's top furniture makers, and you'll gladly make a day of it at this design showcase that's well worth the drive.
Hi-lo style: I.O. Metro
A welcome addition to Knox-Henderson's heady lineup of home decor stores, I.O. Metro appeals to shoppers with an eye for design but a budget that, alas, must expand to cover things other than furniture. It's a one-stop shop for every room in the house, and vignettes are styled with playful sensibility. Best of all, having a great-looking home is affordable.
British invasion: Timothy Oulton
This masculine mecca in the historic Potter Metal Art Studio attracts fans of Oulton's signature look: men's club meets campaign furniture, all with quirky British humor. An aquarium with yellow submarine greets visitors at the entrance, and model trains run on tracks over shoppers' heads. It's a full-service experience — cafe and piano lounge included.
French connection: Roche Bobois
For sleek European furnishings with a French heritage, look no further than Roche Bobois and its newish digs in the Dallas Design District. Expect sleek furniture with pops of color and whimsical touches. We depend on RB for envelope-pushing design such as the NUAGE swivel armchair, a backward C-shaped chair that just begs you to sit.
Midcentury modacious: Sputnik Modern
From its origins on Henderson Avenue to its "we've arrived" feel in the Design District, this midcentury magnet's move earlier this summer has created a much larger showroom to focus on local sales, in addition to a home on 1stdibs.com. Look for classic casegoods such as Edward Wormley for Dunbar or sleek seating such as an octagonal ottoman by Frank Lloyd Wright for Henredon.
OMG outlet: Wisteria
As much as we love the story of Wisteria's beginnings — a couple's fantasy of selling stylish, graceful home items they loved at prices the public could afford — we love their stuff even more. It's the kind of place where you stumble upon the one thing you can't live without, and you didn't even know you needed it until you walked in. You'll have a hard time leaving the Love Field store; we wouldn't be surprised if more than a few flights have been missed by elated bargain hunters.