The digital-turned-brick-and-mortar retailer is teaming up with fellow online natives on a concept space in San Francisco. Gantri Lighting, Wright Bedding, Snowe, Sonos, Minted, Revival Rugs and other brands will make a home for themselves in Interior Define’s fifth and newest Guideshop location, opening in the Hayes Valley neighborhood at the end of this month.
Joining Interior Define’s four other locations (in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Austin, Texas), the fifth space will span some 2,500 square feet for the furniture brand’s sofas, chairs, beds and dining pieces, as well as another 600 square feet of retail space designed for what the company calls “a full home environment at the back of the store.”
It may be the first showroom of its kind, in that it brings together digital natives under a brick-and-mortar roof, but it has long been on the mind of Rob Royer, the founder of Interior Define. He tells Business of Home, “Since the early days of our Guideshop expansion, we’ve focused on positioning ourselves near like-minded lifestyle brands. In our Hayes Valley location, we invited a group of digitally native home brands to partner with us on a dedicated space within the Guideshop that we’ve named Studio I/D. We believe it’s a perfect opportunity to showcase I/D pieces alongside brands who share our modern aesthetic and our perspective on creating a better way to shop for home. Importantly, we all cater to the ‘new consumer’ who appreciates a truly differentiated brand proposition.”
Ben Hyman, co-founder and CEO of Revival Rugs, might agree. He tells BOH: “We’re thrilled to collaborate with Interior Define on its retail space. It’s always a boon to work with like-minded, complementary brands. At our core, we’re an e-commerce company first, but we see a brick-and-mortar presence as a great way to build awareness and confidence among new customers. Interior Define’s showroom is beautiful and immersive; it allows customers to get a deeper sense of how our products could look in their home.”
Another part of the appeal for participating brands is the real-life environment enabled by the showroom—some are hoping that seeing furniture in context will drive both engagement and sales. Andres Modak, co-founder and co-CEO of Snowe, explains, “One of the best parts of creating classic, foundational pieces is seeing how people put them into context with their own style. So it’s a treat to showcase our bedding and dinnerware in Interior Define’s Studio I/D – as well as in guideshops across the country. We’ve seen home-like shopping experiences delight our customers in our own shoppable loft, The Whitespace, so we’re thrilled to be part of Interior Define’s vision here as they create a holistic shopping experience for customers looking to furnish, upgrade, and be inspired.”
