Think natural stone, think luxury. Here’s a new brand exhibiting quality-sourced natural stone, luxury products and a learning center for professionals.
In 2020, Davani Group launched its brand “Davani” and has become a most trusted source for architects and designers on the prowl for difficultly produced pieces with quality sourced stone. The brand has released its first in a series of collections: Purity, a capsule table collection.
The company provides custom or standard marble and natural stone furniture to design industry professionals by sourcing the most exotic handcrafted materials on Earth—marble, travertine, onyx, granite, porphyry, quartzite—and creating the ultimate in-home luxury furnishings and decor.
As of last year, the company expands its services with the new brand, proposing its own line of luxury products.
CEO Anthony Davani collaborated with Milan-based architectural designer Melanie Murata on the first in a series of collections: Purity, a capsule table collection.
“I chose to handpick designers, not well-known designers because I want to work with people who are very talented but who haven’t been jaded by life, don’t have these huge egos and who can really execute my vision,” CEO Anthony Davani told ArchiExpo e-Magazine in a phone interview.
While most designers typically view travertine as an outdated material, Anthony Davani began the Purity collection with his love of travertine. Fascinated by the fact that it was used to build Rome, he believes that it is a classic material that is beautiful and can be contemporary if used in the right way. It also has healing properties, he said.
“I wanted to use materials that have healing and soothing properties. My focus was first on the dining table because during the pandemic, fathers are staying in more, families are cooking at home and not going out. The dining table is such an instrumental part of people’s lives where we build memories; we laugh, we cry. It’s where we come together as a community.”
After explaining the aesthetics he was aiming to achieve and the soul of his idea, Anthony and Melanie went back and forth until they were satisfied.
The Purity Collection consists of high-end luxury stone tables, inspired by the ripples of water and the natural imperfections that are created by nature when water meets stone. The tables have many modern design features, such as recessed glow lighting, pop-up and wireless charging ports and concealed storage providing plenty of options for businesses and property owners. The dining table comes in a conference room version and can be extended.
Rooted in materials of the earth, the natural extension of The Davani Group’s expertise goes beyond marble masterworks and encompasses sourcing the rare and elegant materials that distinguish luxury living such as ancient olive wood and hand-forged bronze. In addition to the dining table and its conference table version, the collection includes a console table, a side table and a coffee table.
COMING SOON: Two upcoming bathroom furniture collections include Vitality, based on the human circulatory system, and Wasabi, based on societal barriers imposed by governments and not citizens. The Vitality collection will be made using exotic materials with natural veins and bold brass metal; the Wasabi collection will be in collaboration with an Israeli designer. It’s worth noting that Anthony Davani is from Iran and moved to the States as a young child, as an Iran refugee, with his family.
Behind the Creation of Davani Group
Anthony and his wife Julia were born entrepreneurs. They met during an invite-only exclusive networking event for business people, aristocrats and royalty, where he was representing a company he’d started which recycled waste and turned it into viable materials. Their mutual interest in sustainability and environmentally-sound solutions and drive for entrepreneurship brought them quickly together.
They fell in love, married and quickly got to work, sifting through ideas. Anthony sold his recycled materials company, and they tested a few of their ideas. It wasn’t until he came across a catalog for the product brand Kreo.
“I was amazed,” Anthony Davani said. “There were beautiful sinks, tables, all made out of stone.”
At that time, Kreo was one of Julia’s clients that she’d had for many years. Her business was introducing and growing Italian brands in Eastern Europe and the Russia region. She knew the family behind Kreo since she was a young girl; the family has 60 years of experience in sculpting and producing original furniture pieces. Kreo was part of a very niche market, a challenge for young entrepreneurs.
“I didn’t know anything about architecture or design, but I have good taste and a good eye.”
They decided to see whether there was a market for these types of products in the US and, in 2014, they co-founded the Davani Group and built their strategy from distribution to branding. Anthony began making product presentation calls to architects and designers who questioned whether he had his own quarry.
“I didn’t even know what it was at the time.”
He had to learn about materials, sourcing and production as well as distribution. Their company flourished within its first three years, having established many relationships and distribution channels around the country. They’d outgrown solely distributing for Kreo and decided to create their own brand: Davani by Davani Group, launched in 2020.
They now work on entire house projects, including elements such as cladding and inlays; they source their own stone by employing geologists traveling the world from Brazil to Italy to Iran—to over 65 different countries.
With its new brand Davani, the company has become a source for architects and designers to produce difficult pieces with quality sourced stone. They even offer a localization map on their website so professionals can learn about the various natural stones.
