From Boston to Hong Kong, BOH has gathered all the showroom news to have on your radar in November.
Showroom Spotlight
Walking into the new Lumens Design Gallery in San Francisco is like being wrapped in a colorful embrace. The online destination for home furnishings unveiled its first brick-and-mortar outpost, and chose the city’s Jackson Square neighborhood as the spot. “We’ve always envisioned a physical space that embodies the spirit of discovery that our customers know us for,” Dana Gers, the brand’s chief marketing officer, tells Business of Home. “There are certain things that you can do in a digital realm that you cannot do in a physical space, like sorting and filtering by color and dimension. That’s what Lumens opens up, but this opens up another dimension entirely. It’s a destination where inspiration and curation and storytelling converge in three dimensions. You can create beautiful imagery online, but you can’t replicate that physical experience of walking into a space, sitting, smelling and feeling design. It’s a very emotional and physical experience, and that’s the beauty of designed spaces.”
The gallery feels less like a traditional store with rows of product—it would be nearly impossible to display the company’s 400-plus nameplates—and more like an edited home. “We wanted to bring a different point of view to the market, so we intentionally set about curating brands that aren’t necessarily found elsewhere, and that may include established European brands that aren’t widely available, [with] a big focus on emerging brands,” says Gers.
One of the hallmarks of the 4,200-square-foot space is the reception area, part of the showroom’s designer-in-residence program, which kicked off with New York–based Ghislaine Viñas transforming the entrance into a color-drenched escape. “The first thing that really came to my mind was a combination of colors that I thought were super fascinating, and that I was really intrigued by more than product. … The mustards, pinks, yellows and some darker maroons, and then also popping in this really bright red that sort of has nothing to do with these muted tones,” says Viñas. “[I] navigated by color alone. Instead of looking for what chairs or lights are available, I looked across the board at what products are available in the different colors. This was just a deep dive into color and seeing what came up, and that was how we picked our furniture pieces.”
Instead of a traditional wallpaper, Viñas chose a vivid array of Moooi rugs to drape on the walls. She also decided to hang some of the furniture pieces from the ceiling, inspired by workrooms where pieces are often suspended while being crafted. Hanging in the front window is the Roly Poly chair by Faye Toogood for Driade, beside a red Gaulino accent chair by BD Barcelona, held up by a chunky-knitted red chain link. “It was thinking of furniture not as things that go on the floor because it’s a rug, or a chair that goes on the floor because it’s a chair,” says Viñas. “We really were thinking of these design elements as beautiful ways to enhance the space in whatever way we wanted.” Further into the reception area is an eye-catching vignette with a mustard-yellow butterfly-motif Moooi rug by Edward van Vliet on the wall and floor, and knitted globe pendants by Ariel Zuckerman that hover over a wooden desk. “It’s so unexpected, because you don’t [usually integrate] textile like that into lighting, which is quite a hard, almost industrial material,” says Gers.
The rest of the gallery is divided into distinct vignettes, with conference rooms in the back to offer a space for the local design community to collaborate. “We want it to be utilized almost as a clubhouse for interior design, so that [designers] can work and experience in a creative environment,” says Gers. “We have long tables in the library, a sample closet, and more intimate conference room spaces, each with a distinct personality. It’s inspirational, but it’s also a working space.” Another highlight is the “Icon Room,” featuring gray Vitra sofas and an eye-popping light by Constance Guisset for Petite Friture. On the bookshelf, you’ll find miniature models of some of the iconic pieces the company carries, like an Eames chair and the Frank Gehry Wiggle chair. “We wanted to highlight the importance of these monumental design houses and showcase them in a way that was creative and felt like it wasn’t just about seeing things in a museum, but feeling them in a lived-in space,” she adds.
Lumens (part of Flos B&B Italia Group) chose San Francisco not just because the company is headquartered in Northern California but because of the strong design community and energy of the city. “[It’s] a city renowned for creativity, innovation, culture and a deep appreciation for the arts and design, but it feels like a very dynamic, forward and future-oriented city at the same time. Those things coming together became a very compelling cocktail as a place to incubate this new concept,” says Gers, who is looking forward to introducing the brand to a new in-person audience. “There’s no replacement for the emotional reaction that you feel in a physical space. We’re getting a lot of people stopping by because they’re intrigued to see what’s there, including [Viñas’s] visually alluring installation. We’re looking at this as a good way for us to test physical retail. We want to make sure we’re getting it right, which is why we’re keeping it small and focused and putting a lot of attention and eyes on it so that we can get the formula perfect.” 724 Battery St., San Francisco
California
Amuneal opened its first West Coast showroom in Los Angeles. Known for its cabinetry and shelving as well as architectural lighting and furniture, the brand’s new space showcases an array of its offerings in different vignettes as well as a sample library showing a wide range of hardware, finishes and materials. 8500 Melrose Ave., Suite 205, West Hollywood
U.K.-based kitchen brand deVol unveiled its second U.S. location: a brand-new showroom in Los Angeles. The space boasts a selection of kitchen vignettes, a bar display and a powder room design. 740 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood
Lawson-Fenning reopened Studio LF, the furniture and design gallery’s L.A. outpost. The 7,500-square-foot space is located in a 1930s bowstring truss warehouse and features vintage pieces, lighting, ceramics and the company’s fabric lines. The showroom displays new pieces by Shane Gabier, Devin Wilde, Adam Sirak and Zak+Fox, as well as an art program curated by Rhett Baruch Gallery. 6824 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles
Arhaus has opened a new showroom in Pasadena, the brand’s largest at 38,600 square feet. Located in the historic Penn Oil Building, the space boasts a selection of the Ohio-based company’s furniture lines as well as complimentary design services for clients. 35 N. De Lacey Ave., Pasadena
Connecticut
Massachusetts-based kitchen, bath and lighting company Frank Webb Home unveiled a new showroom in Stamford. Stretching 4,800 square feet (four times larger than its previous space in the city), the two-level store boasts more than a dozen tubs, a fully functional kitchen display and a wide array of vanities, faucets and showers. 2041 W. Main St., Stamford
Florida
Contemporary design gallery The Future Perfect opened its first Miami outpost at Villa Paula in Little Haiti, joining its other locations in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The 2,000-square-foot landmark building, built in 1926 to serve as the Cuban consulate, has been preserved with original doors, windows, floors and tiles. The space is split up into curated vignettes by designers Lindsey Adelman, Ian Collings, Piet Hein Eek, Vikram Goyal, Volker Haug and more. 5811 N. Miami Ave, Miami
Furniture retailer Perigold opened a showroom in upscale West Palm Beach mall CityPlace four months after debuting its first retail outpost in Houston—both part of the high-end e-commerce retailer’s physical expansion strategy. Spanning 30,000 square feet, the new space features design vignettes in partnership with experts like Marie Flanigan, Jessica Davis, Helen Bergin and Julie Neill, among others, as well as a selection of furniture, lighting, decor, kitchenware, bath, and tile by more than 150 brands, including Century, Vanguard, House of Rohl, Visual Comfort & Co., Stark Rugs, and Scalamandré. 700 S. Rosemary Ave., West Palm Beach
Massachusetts
Tommy MacDonald, Boston native and former host of Rough Cut: Woodworking With Tommy Mac on PBS, opened his first-ever showroom in the city’s Financial District. The space displays his signature pieces, including rockers, armchairs, kitchen stools, live-edge tables, and beds—all handcrafted at his North End workshop. 155 Federal St., Boston
Farmingdale, New York—based UMI Stone relocated its Boston outpost to a 56,000-square-foot building 30 miles southwest in Wrentham. The space boasts contemporary showroom displays and a gallery featuring thousands of slabs of natural stone, Vicostone Quartz, Infinity porcelain and other surfaces. 545 Washington St., Wrentham
New Jersey
Northeast Architectural opened a new flagship in Upper Montclair. Spanning 1,200 square feet, the space boasts 12-foot ceilings, three skylights and white oak floors, and showcases a range of window, door and cabinetry products from brands like Lepage Millwork, Arcadia Custom and Centor. 208 Bellevue Ave., Montclair
New York
Féau Boiseries, the Paris brand known for its decorative wood panels, unveiled its first U.S. showroom in the D&D Building. The 1,000-square-foot space displays a selection of bespoke creations, such as intricate moldings and handcrafted fireplaces. 979 Third Ave., Suite 508, New York
London-based Christopher Farr Cloth debuted a location in the NYDC. The space was designed by brand founder and creative director Michal Silver, and boasts custom steel shelving to showcase its selection of textiles, trims and wallpapers. 200 Lexington Ave., Suite 716, New York
Modern French furniture brand Ligne Roset reopened its New York flagship. Spanning multiple floors and 5,600 square feet, the space displays curated vignettes, a material lab, and a design center where advisors can help clients plan projects. 250 Park Ave. South, New York
Textile giant Maharam has opened a storefront outpost in Manhattan. The showroom, created by designer and architect Neil Logan, displays a selection of its own commercial and residential fabrics alongside standouts from brands like Edelman and Knoll Textiles in a gallery-like space. 257 Park Ave. South, New York
Theodore Alexander opened a showroom in Long Island’s new Manhasset Design Center. The furniture brand’s first stand-alone store in its nearly 30-year history, it spans over 40,000 square feet across two floors, and contains the full fabric library, a digital product catalog and a curated display of pieces. 2103 Northern Blvd., Manhasset
Washington, D.C.
TileBar unveiled a new showroom in Washington, D.C.’s 14th Street corridor. Designed by Gensler, the space boasts a hospitality bar, wall displays and dedicated workshop zones where customers can play around with the brand’s surface selections, which range from Italian marble and terra cotta to terrazzo porcelain. 1526 14th St. NW, Washington, D.C.
International
British hardware designer Matilda Goad & Co. opened a shop in London’s Pimlico Road design district. The brand’s first location in the city showcases its full lighting and hardware collections, including the debut of its new line The Essentials, as well as a magnetic hardware wall and vintage chrome display units. 194 Ebury St., London
Laura Cheung Wolf’s hand-painted wallpaper brand Lala Curio opened a flagship outpost inside the Peninsula Hong Kong. The series of five rooms are swathed in some of the company’s offerings, alongside crystal chandeliers and traditional furniture. The Peacock Room features hand-embroidered albino peacocks, a suede starburst ceiling, and floral wallcoverings from the Botanist collection. Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
