From Palm Springs to Copenhagen, BOH has gathered all the showroom news to have on your radar in October.
Showroom Spotlight
Rug brand Ernesta has unveiled two new showrooms—one in Chicago and one in Santa Monica—nearing the fast-growing company’s goal of opening 10 showrooms in 10 months. On the heels of its recent locations in Charlotte, Dallas and the Philadelphia area (and fueled by a $20 million Series B round in March), the brand is laying down roots in new communities with a data-driven approach. Notably, Ernesta opted for locations outside of the design districts in both cities, favoring neighborhoods their everyday shoppers naturally frequent. “It’s where our customer lives,” says Jennifer Parker, Ernesta’s chief sales officer. “They’re out on the weekends, grabbing coffee with their family, and stopping in to tell us about their home renovation projects. We love being part of the community in that way.”
As with the rest of the brand’s new showrooms, Parker wanted to foster warm and welcoming environments for the new locations. “Ernesta’s vision for the customer is walking into a space where you feel like, ‘Wow, I can really get my project done.’ [We don’t want you to be] overwhelmed by the showroom [or feel like your] eye is going everywhere,” she says. “It’s just the right mix that you can walk in as a designer and say, ‘I can find what I’m looking for, get the support I need, and have the space to do it.’ That’s really what we’re leaning into when we’re looking for real estate and designing.”
She hopes the same for employees. “A lot of them love design and interiors. When you walk into a space that is designed for the customer, plus you have employees who love being there and love showing up for work—it’s magical,” says Parker. “When retail is done right, retail will never die. There’s going to be this energy and this buzz in all these major cities and these streets, and you see it and you read about it.”
The store’s layout is divided into categories like wool, outdoor and performance rugs—a floor plan that helps its staff guide visitors toward the right product. “We do a lot of educating: why quality matters, what you need in a wool rug,” says Parker. Both showrooms also have open work tables for customers to examine samples and experiment with the company’s custom offerings, which recently expanded. “The beauty of a curated assortment like we have is it really doesn’t overwhelm you. I can lean into it and have so many different favorites because the assortment leads that way,” she says.
Parker hopes the brand’s expansion over the past year allows customers—trade members and consumers alike—to better interact with and understand the company. “Retail plays a really important role, because sometimes people really get stuck in their projects, and you just need that one-on-one guidance, or you need to touch and feel and see things for yourself,” she says. “The role that retail can play for that in these two markets, and in the 10 markets that we have opened up to date, are really important for the brand. This is a category that needs a little extra support. We can do with renderings and visualizations, but sometimes people just need to see it.” 3530 N. Southport Ave., Unit C2, Chicago; 1308 Montana Ave., Santa Monica
California
Portland, Oregon–based design studio Maison Inc. opened a retail shop in Palm Springs. The 300-square-foot location at The Shops at 1345 displays a selection of curated art, furniture, lighting, design books and home decor, including vintage. 1345 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs
Florida
Luxury furniture brand C. Elle Home unveiled a flagship location in the town of Stuart, on Florida’s southeast coast. Founded by interior designer Carin Elle Mead, the brand features a selection of items across categories including furniture, decor, bedding and bath, mirrors, and rugs. 200 SW Atlanta Ave., Stuart
New Jersey
Urban Natural Home, the furniture and home decor retailer, unveiled a flagship in Montclair. Spanning 10,000 square feet—twice the size of its previous location—the new outpost showcases pieces by American Leather, Cisco Home, Verellen and Rowe, among others, as well as a design library with fabric and wood samples, a sleep section, and a gift shop with pieces from brands like East Fork and Sabre Paris. 1 Lackawanna Plaza, Montclair
New York
Suite NY, the midcentury modern and contemporary showroom, launched a new space in Manhattan’s NoMad design district. Set on the top floor, the 7,000-square-foot location features a large skylight, a rooftop terrace overlooking the Empire State Building, and plenty of room for its extensive collections. The opening also includes the launch of an exclusive line of Gubi furniture designed by GamFratesi and hand-upholstered by Brooklyn textile artist William Storms. 443 Park Ave. South, New York
Rug brand Fort Street Studio opened a new location in the New York Design Center, almost a year since its acquisition by Stark. Set inside the latter’s showroom, the space boasts Fort Street’s full selection of hand-knotted rugs and materials. 200 Lexington Ave., Suite 206, New York
TileBar unveiled a new outpost next to the Americana Manhasset shopping center on Long Island. The space features two floors that showcase the brand’s tile and bath collections alongside mood board zones and workstations. 1900 Northern Blvd., Manhasset
Massachusetts-based kitchen, bath and lighting company Frank Webb Home unveiled a new showroom in the Lake George region. On view at the store, the company’s largest at 7,000 square feet, is a selection of tubs, fully functional shower and faucet displays, bathroom vignettes, lighting displays, and a wide array of vanities, faucets and showers. 369 Corinth Road, Queensbury
North Carolina
Bassett Furniture is set to unveil a new showroom in High Point. The 44,000-square-foot space encompasses two floors in the International Home Furnishings Center: A ground-level space offers access to the expansive showroom, while upstairs floor-to-ceiling windows provide a backdrop to a selection of the brand’s furniture collections. 210 E. Commerce Ave., M-201, High Point
South Carolina
Wallcovering company Phillip Jeffries opened a new location in the Charleston Design District. The 1,458-square-foot space boasts 15 installations of the company’s designs, as well as 500 display wings and a designer work area. 2158 Noisette Blvd., Suite 121, Charleston
Texas
Ngala Trading debuts its first showroom at the Dallas Market Center. Inside The Gallery at the Interior Home + Design Center, the brand—one of the largest importers of luxury African home design pieces—showcases a selection of indoor and outdoor furniture, mirrors, fabric, and tabletop. 2000 Stemmons Freeway, Suite GL-80, Dallas
International
Danish design brand Vipp opened the Vipp Apartment above the company’s showroom in Copenhagen. The new retail space boasts the brand’s full collection of furniture, kitchens, lighting and home accessories in a home setting with artwork curated by local gallery von Bartha. Ny Østergade 34, First Floor, 1101 Copenhagen
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