Designing Dozen

For aesthetes who swoon over the sensuous lines and silhouettes of contemporary furniture, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is about to end. Artefacto, the Sao Paulo-based home furnishings store, is ending its year-long run of “Style House” next month at its 20,000-square-foot Buckhead showroom.

An ingenious show house-within-a-showroom concept, Style House allows top local design talent to create entire rooms within the store using the company's furnishings. But these spaces are not just white boxes and the furniture is anything but simple; designers had the freedom to customize their areas as well as the furnishings they selected.

Robert Spiotta

Darcy Harris

Wendy Blount

John Gidding

Joel Kelly

Michael Habachy

“It has been a huge success,” says Artefacto store manager Amy Musarra. “Twelve-hundred people attended our opening night party, and we've had another 3,000 [people] visit Style House since then.”

It's no surprise, really, that the company would support this type of project. Founded more than 30 years ago by Paulo Bacchi, Artefaco has long been an incubator for fostering new design talent in the markets it serves.

“It has been an amazing way to showcase these 12 designers' individual styles,” says Musarra, “as well as to show the incredible diversity of the Artefacto line, which can translate into so many fabulous looks.”

For customers who want to get the look of these innovative spaces for their own homes, all of the furniture in Style House will be for sale off the floor. And while Style House (located on the second floor of the Buckhead showroom) may be closing July 15, Artefacto's timeless style will still be available 12 months of the year.

Artefacto, 3050 Peachtree Rd. NW, Suite 150, Atlanta, 30305. (404) 926-0004; artefacto.com