It’s May and a notable number of brands are unveiling new and impressively designed spaces. On our monthly tour, pooh Collects all the expansions and slots on your radar.
Showroom Highlight: New Exhibition – Meetings – Exhibition from Otras Formas
More and more industry professionals are stepping up to challenge the old showroom model, whether by offering the process online or offering a live option. With his new showroom in Manhattan, the former head of design for Dmitriy & Co Alex Lithgow Otras Formas has found a niche between three realms: a design incubator, an art gallery and an upscale gallery.
The idea for Otras Formas started about eight months ago when Lithgow was researching furniture designs he had completed during the pandemic. After talking with some friends, he realized he was ready to take the designs to market, but his debut was scheduled for Milan in 2020, which suffered the fate of several other events at the time and were canceled. After improving his designs, he decided to open his own showroom instead. “Over the years I’ve represented other people, so I knew how to do it,” he says. work from home. “I knew the challenges and pains young people go through in trying to get representation, so it was a short jump to open up space and represent myself.”
Otras Formas not only showcases Lithgow furniture designs but also lighting, furniture and artwork by other emerging designers, as well as the most well-known artists. Presently, Lithgow represents six designers along with his eponymous brand. (Fun fact: Four of the seven brands at Otras Formas are finalists at this year’s NYCxDesign.) Although the space is part of a traditional showroom, it’s filled with a distinct artistic—sculptural—esthetic. The pieces on the floor are ingeniously arranged, taking organizational guidance from both Lithgow and the artists and designers represented by his showroom.
As the showroom continues, Lithgow hopes to rotate in new talent, collaborating with each individual designer for the incubator portion, while keeping some of those off the inaugural roster. Unlike the traditional vendor model, the showroom that is scheduled by staying small intends to retain a personal touch – one that strives to help each individual grow. “We have a two-tiered path where our top designers get a review at the six-month mark, the nine-month mark,” Lithgow says. “I hope some people graduate to open their own space. Or they may want to treat their representation differently. The advantage I have is that I am not afraid of a client leaving, even if it works. I want this to be mutually beneficial.”
California
Hunker has launched Hunker House, a new experimental showroom experience in Venice. The opening follows the success of the first company Hunker House in Santa Monica, which debuted in 2019. The new 4,500-square-foot showroom will showcase fashionable products and décor, welcoming the public to digital shopping via QR codes.
artist and designer Barry ZippersteinKnown for his colorful brutalist sculptures, he opened a new showroom in Los Angeles. The 9,000 square feet space will duly serve as a ceramics studio and a fine art gallery. Ziperstein is recruited an alumnus of The Future Perfect Luke Voss And Ashley Hildreth from interior design firm Foss Hildreth, two designers she met at her previous workplace, to create the space.
Interior designer at Danville Nicole Salceda He opened a new store, Eye for Pretty at Home. The retailer’s second location is in California. The new space features a simple contemporary collection of furniture, rugs and other decor.
Florida
Luxury kitchen and bathroom designer Waterworks has opened a new, larger showroom in Miami. The modern space provides an additional 1,000 square feet. Located in a prominent corner of the city, its panoramic windows on the ground floor offer views of the showroom from the street. For the first time, Waterworks will display curated bathroom suites to serve as inspirational focal points for the design community.
Georgia
ADAC Atlanta welcomes two new lounges to its campus: French wallcovering, textile designer, rug and furniture designer Pierre Frey, and lighting and automation brand Simply Wire. Pierre Frey will move to stand 308, which is the fourth and largest showroom in the United States, housing more than 7,000 SKUs. Simply Wired will find its home in Suite 406, a 3,500-square-foot space that features a typical home experience with integrated automation for lighting, audio, video and audio.
On the fourth floor of the Atlanta Design Center, HA Modern, known for its indoor and outdoor furniture lines, has expanded its showroom in Suite 413 after six years at ADAC. The expansion spans an additional 2,200 square feet and now features small outdoor posters to accompany the brand’s indoor furniture offerings.
Elsewhere at ADAC, Scalamandré has moved from its long-standing location on the fourth floor of the Design Center to a new first-floor space in Suite 133. After 30 years, the textile and wallpaper mogul now occupies a 2,500-square-foot showroom space, headed by the Director Wayne Bryden.
Vignette from the Herman Miller showroom in Atlanta.Courtesy of Herman Miller
Herman Miller is set to open its doors in Atlanta — the storefront is the retailer’s fifth new location this spring, and one that comes as a continuation of the company’s aggressive expansion strategy.
Maryland
Design firm McLean and Tircuit LLC, based in Laurel, Maryland, has opened a studio store in the city’s Historic District. Founded in 2003, the luxury residential and commercial clinic will now offer private design services consultancy and home décor shopping experience beyond other local retailers.
Massachusetts
Roche Bobois has opened a new showroom at 61 Arlington Avenue in Boston. In collaboration with the architect Leslie SaulHead of Interior Engineering at Roche Bebois Jacqueline Hopfer Design the showroom, with a sprawling 5,400 square feet, in the city’s historic Park Square Building.
New York
Label with the name of the beloved designer Bunny Williams Unveiled a new showroom and shop in New York’s Interior Arts Building. The space is the latest step in the company’s 30-year life, an opening accompanied by Williams’ new line, Treillage.
Massachusetts-based rug and textile company Merida Fall River has opened a new showroom at the New York Design Center. The space, designed by architecture studio Mark Cunningham Inc. spanning approximately 5,000 square feet in Suite 500.
Elsewhere in NYDC, Leftbank Art has moved the wings—the company’s new 4,400-square-foot space will bring its collection of murals to the New York design scene from Suite 610.
Danish textile company Kvadrat has unveiled its first independent showroom in New York, the next step in its ongoing expansion into the US market. Designed by Kvadrat CEO, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Designer Jonathan OlivaresThe new site also contains a connected residential space created by Vincent Van Duysen Architects in Belgium.
Customizable direct-to-consumer furniture and home décor Interior Define has opened a new design studio in Williamsburg. The space will provide bespoke furniture offerings to residents of Brooklyn and the larger New York market, representing the company’s third outpost in the city’s metro area.
Indoor and outdoor carpet Chilewich has a new storefront downtown: Located at 213 East 59th Street, the brand’s new space has the added advantage of a back garden, where small posters of Chilewich’s outdoor line can be seen on site.
Modern and contemporary decor showroom Haute Living has opened a location in New York. The showroom represents people like a furniture designer John Fordfurniture and lighting designer Studio Piet Boon, metallic furniture and surface designer De Castelli; Its new location in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood will welcome both retail and commercial customers.
Bakes & Kropp designed and manufactured luxury kitchens expanding its Cold Spring Harbor presence with a new brick-and-mortar space. Under the supervision of designers Marie Demichino And Jonica RoseThe new Bakes & Kropp showroom at 43 Main Street is 1,100 square feet.
Pennsylvania
Kevin O’Brien Studio has moved into a permanent showroom located in the heart of the Philadelphia Design District. The new space will mark the first brick-and-mortar location for the Philadelphia-based brand, and will offer luxurious bedding, pillows, upholstered furniture, fabrics by the year, and samples from Kevin O’Brien’s collections for New Ravenna mosaics and Jaipur living area rugs.
Washington DC
Herman Miller has opened a new retail location in the capital’s Union Market district, a shopping mall central to the metro area. The demo shop features designer and shopper-inspired themes (with an ever-present invitation to experiment found in the company’s myriad seating options).
international
Luxury textile brand Loro Piana Interiors has opened a new showroom inside Palazzo Cortile della Seta, the fashion company’s headquarters in Milan. In addition to fabrics and textiles, the showroom offers a selection of Loro Piana furniture lines and includes an appointment space for planning and design. The interiors were designed by Vincent Van Duysen Architects.
Inside the Loro Piana showroom in MilanCourtesy of Loro Piana
Global Design Gallery Charles Burnand has opened a new location in Fitzrovia, London. The two-story, 2,600-square-foot gallery showcases the work of the French artist, painter, and designer Pierre BonnevilleInterior Designer Alexandra Champalimauddirector of interior design at Ike Kligerman Barkely Mia Jong And more, with an additional list of emerging and established artists.
Homepage image: Courtesy of Otras Formas
