Carnegie Unveils a New Showroom Concept in Chicago’s Merchandise Mart

New York—A new Carnegie showroom at the Merchandise Mart will debut for Neocon 2014. Situated on the 10th floor and spanning 1,800 feet this space draws its inspiration from the essence of the Carnegie brand—our love and passion for the creative process.

Marquardt+ was engaged to imagine and design a space that drew outside the lines of the typical textile showroom. They concluded that exposing the space through demolition as construction would be a wonderful physical manifestation of Carnegie’s design approach: an in progress solution that is always evolving.

The idea of demo as construction is not a new idea but the approach was fresh. Rather than work against the space, much of what was there previously was left or altered slightly to support the Carnegie brand. Exposing a mix of materials that had been used in the space over many decades has left an eclectic variety of surfaces and details that create a sense of finding something new each time you enter.

Mirroring Carnegie’s approach to product development and discovery, the space was not a finished vision at the start and the outcome is as reflective of the process as it is of any original intention.

The design of the large custom furniture and display components blend a modernist/industrial slant into the highly textured decomposition of the walls. Akin to the idea of the “kitchen as the heart of a home”, there is a large communal table where clients can blend work and hospitality. Large windows bring daylight flooding in helping highlight Carnegie’s strong window textile offering. Sustainability and rustic touches are paired with clean glass and bracing details along with LED display lighting.

The “un” finished space by Marquardt+ draws dramatic parallels to the culture and process orientation of Carnegie.