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From London to Mumbai, experiential spaces let the products shine
Words by: Kathryn Greene • Photos by Nicholas Worley + courtesy of Glen-Gery
From London to Mumbai, experiential spaces let the products shine
From the use of sustainable materials to state-of-the-art technology, five recently unveiled showrooms balance eye-catching details with authentic product displays that foster discovery and inspiration.
Teaming up for Coalbrook’s showroom in Clerkenwell, cofounders Na Li and Alex Holloway of London-based Holloway Li wanted to bring an experimental element to the Market Building in London. Inspired by the city’s industrial heritage, the two-story space weaves together a narrative based on “experiencing different registers of the rooms as you move through, which provides powerful backdrops that show off the clients’ products at their best,” says Holloway. On the ground floor, pops of candy-colored cast resin screens brighten the industrial space before giving way to the subterranean basement. “My favorite part is the transition between the ground and the basement level. When you walk down the feature stone staircase, from the naturally well-lit ground floor into the contrasting darker basement, your eyes take some time to adjust. With the dimmed lighting, the textured metal surfaces are slowly revealed in front of you. When you enter the cocooned boilers, the echo of your speech changes dramatically; it focuses you on the tap products and the sound of the flow from them. The design is powerful when the details are not ‘displayed’ but ‘revealed’ through a journey,” explains Holloway.
In Berkeley, California, Fireclay Tile‘s Fourth Street showroom was envisioned “as a natural extension of the brand by pulling in its distinctive personality, visual identity, and innovative range of products,” says Elizabeth Dillon, directors of interiors at Arcsine. Using Fireclay Tile’s tagline, Tile to the People, as inspiration, the light and airy interiors allow the products to shine, while interactive elements help visitors navigate the design process. “Each element enhances these features and allows guests to gain inspiration and knowledge,” adds Liz Dalton, intermediate interior designer. The brand, which is a champion of sustainability, produces its tiles with a minimum of 50 percent recycled content. To continue the environmentally friendly ethos, many of the furnishings were created using sustainable or reclaimed products: The benches, stools, and design tables are made from ethically sourced wood; the wall finish is crafted from reclaimed marble sand and clay; and acoustic panels that top the design table are made from post-consumer plastic beverage bottles from landfills and the ocean.
On Canal Street in New York, the two-story Stellar Works showroom serves as the brand’s global flagship, as well as its first brick-and-mortar space in the U.S. “Stellar Works has a very refined, Japanese-meets-Scandinavian material palette of wood and metal, and we wanted a space that would act as a minimal but warm backdrop for our growing furniture and lighting collections,” says the brand’s U.S. managing director Andrew Yang. Stellar Works shares the space with Calico Wallpaper, and “as a showroom for two distinguished brands, [we wanted] the space to allow the work to be presented in an approachable, harmonious, and adaptable manner,” says David Bench, principal at INCA, the architecture firm behind the design. Also notable are the show’s two entrances. The first is the main entrance for Stellar Works’ collections, and the second is designed as an experimental space for design partners, which rotate on a regular basis. “With two street frontages, it was paramount that everything be exposed yet in service of the display: raised windowsills allow platforms for furniture, which guide visitors into the space from either side; irregularly shaped existing walls were filled with a wallpaper display cabinet; and immovable egress stairways and doors are made into opportunities for wall display and wallpaper, respectively,” explains Bench.
The Excella Experts Experience Center in Mumbai sprawls across 3,500 square feet. Inspired by international exhibits, the expansive showroom infuses a gallery-like quality into its design. Inside, arched doorways delineate the spaces while leaving open sightlines between the main areas and rooms to create an overarching sense of connection throughout the space. “The interior acts like a shell, taking a subdued aesthetic that elevates the exhibited item and adds to its experiential character,” says Rahul Mistri, principal at Open Atelier Mumbai. Displaying everything from furniture to décor to lighting, the showroom “manifests the ambiance of entering an exhibit rather than just a store,” adds Mitri.
Spread across two floors in New York, the 16,100 square-foot Brickworks New York Design Studio is situated among other legendary companies on Fifth Avenue. On the first floor, the Australia-based brand’s signature Venetian glass bricks line the walls. Inside, the space houses 20 featured product displays, including Kite Breeze, GB Masonry, and Urbanstone, in addition to all 700 of Glen-Gary’s products being available to view as brick chips. “Brick offers a duet of function and beauty as the architect explores textures, light and shadows, lines and curves, and the mason brings that design story to life through the building,” says Mark Ellenor, president of Brickworks North America. By providing ample space for designers and architects to collaborate, the flagship allows room for both independent experiences or more guided ones, including one-on-one consultations with product experts on staff. The showroom also features a state-of-the-art broadcast studio, providing opportunities to live stream events, product launches, and host podcasts.
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