Project Description
Throughout the interiors of Bernhardt’s design showroom, the design team chose materials that would reflect and emphasize the Bernhardt image. Known for their combinations of light-colored woods, glass, and stainless steel, Bernhardt has become one of the most significant manufacturers of contract wood furniture. The design team’s understanding of Bernhardt’s tradition of creating simple, elegant furnishings clearly informed the design of this showroom.
A sleek and innovative interior was created with the use of knife-edged ceiling planes, stainless steel columns, and a canted entrance wall paneled in birch veneer. Transitional white scrim partitions are framed with steel edges, creating a sophisticated backdrop for the “espresso-brown” palette of new furnishings. The mobility of the partitions, made possible by industrial-sized castors, allows the client to reconfigure the showroom to suit the needs of new products and for special events held to entertain prospective buyers.
In an all-white, eloquent space, Jhane Barnes Textiles maintains the innovative, architectural theme with floating backlit walls and oval knife-edged openings in the ceiling plane. Inside the oval slits, fabric drapes down to the terrazzo floor, forming a series of cylindrical volumes. Custom-designed credenzas and countertops were installed to complement existing showpieces from the designer’s collection for Bernhardt. Additional mixed use of lighting and materials throughout the small space creates the ethereal quality desired by the client.