When you enter an Avant Group custom home, there’s a certain atmosphere of sleek sophistication and glamour that you can expect. That’s not a coincidence, says Heaven Porteous, who oversees this small-batch builder’s design and finish-out. Their latest spec home on the market in Northwest Dallas’ Ridgecrest Village neighborhood (north of Northwest Highway and west of Midway Road) perfectly shows off the ease-of-living and contemporary aesthetic that has attracted families to the brand in droves.
Sure, this soft contemporary with modern influences has some trendy fixtures and finishes. Take the roofline and the stained wooden siding, easily visible from the curb of 3889 Cortez Drive — it’s easy on the eyes and offers clean lines and the brand’s midcentury modern-influenced elevations. But what you don’t see from the curb is the glorious, glamorous details just behind that contemporary front door.
This particular floor plan is called “Atrium” by The Avant Group, a Daltxrealestate.com Approved Builder, and it’s easy to see why they chose the moniker.
“I think this is a departure from our tried-and-true plans,” says Porteous. “It’s more of an edgy contemporary aesthetic, blending modern and more classic looks and materials.”
One of the biggest contributors to Atrium’s aesthetic is the openness achieved by the two-story entryway, bedecked by a glimmering foyer chandelier. It’s a detail that Porteous simply won’t compromise.
“When I walk clients into homes, I always enter through the front door,” Porteous said. “That’s because within the first three seconds inside the home, the homebuyer is making a decision about the property based on their experience. The first second is when you open the door, and the next two are when you walk inside.”
That’s when, Porteous explains, you get a hint of the drama and abundance of light that 3889 Cortez offers. That’s why she insists on the high-impact entryway fixture.
“We want to see something that screams ‘beauty.’ We need that feeling of grandeur,” she said. “We will literally fight for it. We will not stop,” she laughed.
Another statement-making room is the kitchen, which features a beautifully veined, 14-foot slab of book-matched Carrara-look “Bella Statuario” Della Terra quartz. It’s gorgeous and offers plenty of impact without the cost and maintenance associated with marble.
“One of the things that I love about quartz is that, though God only made so much marble and perfect stone, we humans have used our brains to create these stones that are a very close substitute,” Porteous said. In fact, you’ll find more gorgeously veined quartz in the master bathroom (Adobe quartz) and upstairs bathrooms (Steel quartz).
The just completed home has a beautiful and functional kitchen featuring stainless steel appliances, a built-in beverage fridge, tons of glossy custom cabinetry, and plenty of light.
The beautiful white oak hardwood floors offer warmth and texture the the gray-and-white color scheme, easily absorbing the sunlight that filters through the two-story living area through the clerestory windows and large collapsing glass patio doors that connect the indoors to the outside — perfect for entertaining. In all, 3889 Cortez has 4,217 square feet, four bedrooms and four full baths, a two-car garage, and an upstairs game room or media room. It also features a top-of-the-line smart home system, 16-SEER HVAC, energy efficient insulation, tankless water heaters, low-E windows, and plenty of other high-tech and green features for which The Avant Group is known. Porteous, along with Clay Stapp + Co. agent Matt Scobee, is listing 3889 Cortez for $949,000.
