Kitchen & Bath Design News

AUG 2014

Kitchen & Bath Design News is the industry's leading business, design and product resource for the kitchen and bath trade.

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36 | Kitchen & Bath Design News August 2014 By Kim Berndtson Portfolio of Showrooms K itchen and bath show- rooms can be great places to prov ide inspiration for clients and potential clients. However, opening a new showroom or transforming an existing space can be wrought with challenges. Still, just as with kitchen or bath designs, some- times the greatest ideas come out of tearing things up and totally rethinking a space. This month, Kitchen & Bath Design News profiles several innovative show- rooms that found their voice and now shine brightly, de- spite some initial challenges. INSPIRED BY PARIS Thierry Pigeot is used to ac- cepting challenges. In 2009, he opened his frst showroom in Paris, France, as a place to inspire and shape dreams. With 15 years of experi- ence, he was disappointed by what he saw being ofered to consumers. Kitchen remodel- ing had become a chore, he relates. No one fully listened to the customer, and looking at mini samples, drawings and cost calculations was neither exciting nor inspiring. Consumers deserved better, he believed. So he gave it to them…a showroom with fully func- tional kitchens spotlighting new, bold design trends that would transform an industry that was attempting to sell dreams from sample cards. Over the course of the years since, he built seven more showrooms in and around Paris, all blending Italian kitchen cabinetry with a sprinkling of French fair. With his Paris locations running smoothly, Pigeot set out on a more worldly mission…opening Premium Kitchens, a 5,000-sq.-ft. show- room in the U.S. A f ter vac at ion i ng i n Florida with his wife and children, he became curious about his American counter- parts, so he visited several showrooms, discovering that the true contemporary kitch- en enthusiast faced limited options here as well. After relocating with his family, Pigeot began the search for the perfect location, initially eyeing Miami. But after dig- ging deeper, he discovered Boca Raton was the perfect ft. Ultimately, Pigeot plans to open a second location in Miami next year. His biggest challenge with his U.S. showroom was to meld contemporary French design with a more transi- tional style, something that required well thought out de- sign that would combine the best of both worlds…'vive la France' with 'the American dream.' While the Boca Raton showroom coordinates with his French showrooms, this space has warmer elements, is much larger and features 'uber chic' design detailing. The new space – opened in October 2013 – provides high-end retail clients with a selection of warm, contempo- rary, Italian-made cabinetry with regard for modern func- tionality and fow, explains Tashia Rahl, kitchen designer. The showroom features four full kitchens – includ- ing one which is live – each with an adjoining space, such as a foyer, dining room, fam- ily room, etc. Some special features include u-shaped, curved cabinetry with coor- dinating softs; a designer ventilation system from Italy; concrete door panels; tex- tured ceramic countertops; modern, European plumbing fxtures, and underlit quartz countertops among other features. Pigeot also took the op- portunity to include the latest in technology such as electric drawers, induction cooktops, TVs that provide recipes and undercabinet lighting that Building a new showroom, or transforming an outdated one, can be exciting, but it's often also stressful, even when things go as planned. See how several showrooms are fourishing despite initial challenges. ⬅ Premium Kitchens' Boca Raton showroom features the fnest in contemporary design with uber-chic details, ofering an array of cutting-edge elements including u-shaped cabinetry (top); an Italian- made textured ceramic fnish used on door and drawer fronts as well as countertops (lower left), and concrete door panels (lower right). Photos: Kelly West Photography

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