Stylex announced that their newly renovated flagship showroom (Suite 346) at the Chicago Merchandise Mart has been awarded LEED Silver certification. This honor celebrates the sustainable approach that the Stylex team took, when it came time to rethink their third floor space. Stylex selected Chicago's Eastlake Studio to create a showroom experience that would echo the company's commitment to sophistication and sustainability. Central to the design brief was a platform to display and test-drive Stylex's newest sustainable innovation - the SAVA chair. The Eastlake Studios designers repurposed existing elements and used salvaged wood and recycled cardboard to create a warm and eco-friendly atmosphere that showcases SAVA as well as a range of Stylex products.
When planning for the renovation, Stylex was looking for a design concept that would highlight the versatility of their products while creating a space that more accurately reflects the company's personality. According to John Golden, president of Stylex, "We found a perfect partner in the design team at Eastlake Studio. They understood our core goal of presenting a serious level of sophistication and design in a beautiful, simple and sustainable way."
Led by managing principal, Tom Zurowski, and the young and talented LEED AP, Christina Brown, Eastlake Studio began redesigning the showroom by removing the extraneous elements. At the same time, useful pieces such as the storefront and existing chair display were repurposed and incorporated into a new organic scheme.
Eastlake divided the showroom into four logical zones according to product applications. The front half showcases the SAVA chair in workstation and conferencing vignettes, while the back features lounge and multi-purpose seating. Each zone places Stylex products in context with other rich products and materials. The modern-style steel and glass table in the conferencing vignette provides maximum exposure for SAVA, while an adjacent white workstation grouping highlights its simplicity. In the cafe vignette, a salvaged wood top on a metal frame enriches adjacent chairs, while the lounge is focused on a flat screen television set into a millwork wall of reclaimed wood.
Separating the front and back zones are two elements that speak to Stylex's commitment to sustainable design. On one side are pivoting panels crafted from recycled cardboard that has been partially stripped to expose the honeycomb structures within. Across from these panels is a display structure built of laminated recycled sheets of cardboard, stacked horizontally for strength and provided with cut-out openings to cleverly display the new SAVA Chairs. Interior mirrors line the openings to enable easy product viewing from different perspectives.