We are in May and a remarkable number of commercial brands are unveiling impressive new spaces. In our monthly recap, BOH brings together all the expansions and openings to have on your radar.
Showroom Spotlight: A new showroom-meets-gallery by Otras Formas
More and more industry professionals have stepped up to challenge the long-standing showroom model, whether by bringing the operation online or offering a manned option. With his new Manhattan-based showroom, the former head of design at Dmitriy & Co. Alex Lithgow d’Otras Formas has found a niche between three worlds: design incubator, art gallery and high-end showroom.
The idea for Otras Formas began about eight months ago when Lithgow was reviewing furniture designs he had done throughout the pandemic. After talking with friends, he realized he was ready to take the designs to market, but his debut was planned for Milan in 2020, which suffered the fate of so many other events at that time and was canceled. After refining his designs, he decided to open his own showroom instead. “Over the years I had represented other people, so I knew how to do it,” he says. Home business. “I knew the challenges and difficulties young people face in trying to be represented, so it was a small leap to just open up a space and represent myself.”
Otras Formas not only features Lithgow’s furniture designs, but also lighting, furniture and works by other emerging designers, as well as those by more established artists. Currently, Lithgow represents six designers as well as its own namesake label. (Fun fact: four of Otras Formas’ seven brands are finalists at this year’s NYCxDesign.) Although the space is part of a traditional showroom, it’s abuzz with a distinctly artistic—almost sculptural—aesthetic. . The floor pieces are artfully arranged, under the direction of Lithgow and the artists and designers represented by its showroom.
As the showroom continues, Lithgow hopes to spin up new talent, collaborating with each individual designer for the incubator portion, while retaining some of those from the inaugural roster. Unlike a traditional vendor model, the appointment showroom intends to keep it small to retain a personal touch, which seeks to help each individual grow. “We have a two-tier track where our featured designers get a review after six months, after nine months,” Lithgow explains. “I hope some people will graduate to open their own space. Or they might want to manage their representation differently. The advantage I have is that I’m not afraid of a client leaving, even if they’re successful. I want it to be mutually beneficial.
California
Home and digital media brand Hunker has launched Hunker House, a new experiential showroom experience in Venice. The opening follows the success of the Santa Monica-based company’s first Hunker House, which debuted in 2019. The new 4,500-square-foot showroom will feature lifestyle products and decor , welcoming the public for digital purchases via QR codes.
Artist and designer Bari Ziperstein, known for its colorful brutalist sculptures, has opened a new showroom in Los Angeles. The 9,000 square foot space will serve him duly as a ceramics studio and art showroom. Alumnus of The Future Perfect, Ziperstein enlisted Luke Foss and Ashley Hildreth from interior design firm Foss Hildreth, two designers she met at her former workplace, to create the space.
Interior designer based in Danville Nicole Salceda opened a new store, Eye for Pretty at Home. This is the retailer’s second location in California. The new space offers an understated contemporary range of furniture, rugs and other decorations.
Florida
Luxury kitchen and bathroom designer Waterworks has opened a new, larger showroom in Miami. The modern space offers an additional 1,000 square feet. Located in a prominent corner of the city, its panoramic windows on the ground floor offer a view of the exhibition hall from the street. And for the first time, Waterworks will feature sets of bathroom accessories curated to serve as inspirational touchpoints for the design community.
Georgia
ADAC Atlanta welcomes two new showrooms to its campus: French wallcovering, textile, carpet and furniture designer Pierre Frey and lighting and automation brand Simply Wired. Pierre Frey will move into suite 308, its fourth and largest American showroom, with more than 7,000 references. Simply Wired will find its home in Suite 406, a 3,500 square foot space that offers a model home experience with integrated lighting, audio, video and voice automation.
On the fourth floor of the Atlanta Design Center, HA Modern, known for its indoor and outdoor furniture lines, has expanded its showroom to Suite 413 after six years at ADAC. The expansion spans an additional 2,200 square feet and now includes outdoor vignettes to accompany the brand’s indoor furniture displays.
Elsewhere at the ADAC, Scalamandré has moved from its longtime location on the fourth floor of the Design Center to a new space on the first floor in Suite 133. After 30 years, the textile and wallpaper mogul now occupies a room 2,500 square foot exhibition space, led by manager Wayne Breden.
A thumbnail of the Herman Miller showroom in Atlanta.Courtesy of Herman Miller
Herman Miller is set to open in Atlanta – the storefront is the retailer’s fifth new location this spring, one that continues the company’s aggressive expansion strategy.
Maryland
Laurel, Maryland-based design firm McLean and Tircuit LLC has opened a boutique studio in the city’s historic district. Founded in 2003, the luxury residential and commercial practice will now offer private consultations for design services and an interior design shopping experience beyond the reach of other local retailers.
Massachusetts
Roche Bobois has opened a new showroom in Boston at 61 Arlington Street. In collaboration with the architect Leslie Saulhead of interior design at Roche Bobois Jacqueline Hopper designed the showroom, a sprawling 5,400 square foot space, in the city’s historic Park Square building.
New York
The eponymous brand of the beloved designer Rabbit Williams unveiled a new showroom and boutique in the Interior Arts Building in New York. The space is the latest stop in the company’s 30-year lifespan, an opening that comes with Williams’ new line, Treillage.
Fall River, Massachusetts-based rug and textile company Merida has opened a new showroom at the New York Design Center. The space, designed by architectural studio Mark Cunningham Inc., spans approximately 5,000 square feet in Suite 500.
Elsewhere in NYDC, Leftbank Art has moved out of suites – the company’s new 4,400 square foot space will bring its range of wall art to the New York design scene from Suite 610.
Danish textile company Kvadrat has unveiled its first standalone showroom in New York, the next step in its continued expansion into the US market. Designed by Kvadrat CEO, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Designer Jonathan Olivaresthe new location also features a connected residential space created by Vincent Van Duysen Architects, based in Antwerp, Belgium.
Interior Define, the direct-to-consumer customizable furniture and home decor brand, has opened a new design studio in Williamsburg. The space will provide its bespoke furniture offerings to residents of Brooklyn and the greater New York City market, marking the company’s third outpost in the city’s metropolitan area.
Indoor and outdoor placemat and rug company Chilewich has a new storefront in downtown: Located at 213 East 59th Street, the brand’s new space has the added benefit of an outdoor garden. rear, where vignettes of the Chilewich outer line can be seen in situ.
The modern and contemporary decoration showroom Haute Living has opened a branch in New York. The showroom represents individuals as furniture designers John Ford, furniture and lighting designer Studio Piet Boon and furniture and metal surfaces designer De Castelli; its new location in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood will accommodate merchants and retailers alike.
Luxury kitchen design and manufacturing company Bakes & Kropp has expanded its footprint in Cold Spring Harbor with a new brick-and-mortar space. Supervised by designers Marie Dimichino and Jonika RuzBakes & Kropp’s new showroom at 43 Main Street is 1,100 square feet.
Pennsylvania
Kevin O’Brien Studio, the design house for handmade textiles and home fashion, has moved to a permanent showroom located in the heart of the Philadelphia Design District. The new space will mark the Philadelphia-based brand’s first brick-and-mortar location and will feature luxury bedding, throw pillows, upholstery, year-round fabrics and samples from Kevin O’Brien’s mosaic collections. Ravenna and Jaipur Living area rugs.
washington d.c.
Herman Miller has opened a new retail location in DC’s Union Market District, a central shopping location for the metro area. The experiential store features inspirational vignettes for designers and shoppers (with a standing invitation to try the company’s myriad seating options).
International
Luxury textile brand Loro Piana Interiors has opened a new showroom inside the Palazzo Cortile della Seta, the Milanese headquarters of the fashion company. In addition to fabrics and textiles, the showroom features selections from Loro Piana’s furniture lines and includes a dedicated space by appointment 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 outpost in Fitzrovia, London. The two-story, over 2,600 square foot gallery showcases the work of the French artist, painter and designer Pierre Bonnefilleinterior decorator Alexandra Champalimauddirector of interiors by Ike Kligerman Barkely Mia Jung and more, with an additional roster of emerging and established artists.
Homepage image: Courtesy of Otras Formas
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