Not since the Trade Mart expansion has the Dallas Market seen so much showroom activity. Among the most anticipated spaces are the expanded areas for Murray Feiss, Hinkley Lighting and Quoizel. MURRAY FEISS The Generation Brands reorganization positioned Monte Carlo Fan Co. as a sister brand to Murray Feiss, requiring additional space. “We wanted to bring both brands into the same showroom, and that was the catalyst for the showroom remodel,” says Maria Scutaro, incoming President at Murray Feiss. “Our goal was to pay tribute to the long, successful history of these brands, while refreshing and updating the showroom for the future.” In January, Murray Feiss will debut an expanded 25,000-square-foot showroom on the Trade Mart’s fourth floor. To create the space, Generation Brands’ Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Design Officer Sean Lavin and his team started from scratch. “The new showroom will feel current and fresh,” Lavin says. “We’ve cleaned up the sight lines, so you really see a fixture or a family of fixtures, and there’s breathing room around it.” Other new features of the Murray Feiss showroom include: • A hospitality suite, where the shopping experience begins • LEDs in track and accent lighting throughout the showroom • A New York City-inspired cafe • iPad-equipped salespeople How to get the look for your showroom: “For a very small investment, you can translate our redesign by continuing a common theme throughout [with wall color and flooring], cleaning up sight lines and really curating your products,” Lavin says. “Making good use of the latest technology like the iPad can really help streamline operations.” HINKLEY LIGHTING Hinkley jumped at the opportunity to take the former Schonbek space next door, allowing the company to showcase its Fredrick Ramond brand. “Our net gain is only about 1,000 square feet, but the new space is definitely more efficient,” says Rick Wiedemer, President of Hinkley Lighting. Hinkley enlisted Lisa McDennon of LRM Interior Design. The experience will begin with a newly designed entrance inspired by the idea of being welcomed into Hinkley’s “home.” Inside, Hinkley will display its signature lifestyle photography prominently. “The concept is a home inside a showroom,” McDennon says. “We’ve also used a cleaner color palette and kept it all very uncluttered, so the eye has a chance to rest and so the focus is wholly on the product.” Other new features of the Hinkley showroom include: • A new bistro area with video screens for entertainment • A help center for myHinkley (an intranet for sales reps, showrooms and employees) • Working vignettes to showcase product • A Fredrick Ramond boutique showcasing product like artwork How to get the look for your showroom: “Everything we’ve done is very clean and fresh,” McDennon says. “So you can easily replicate the look of our displays using beautiful fabrics similar to ours, or you can apply a veneer of your own. It should be all about highlighting the product. You can also rearrange the flow of your space, so there’s a natural progression that is clear-cut.” QUOIZEL Quoizel has given up its upper level in favor of expanding the showroom on the third floor of the Trade Mart to include the former Fredrick Ramond space. “Great product must still be merchandised properly,” says Quoizel Senior Designer and Board member Todd Phillips. “We wanted more space to show more products properly, and we wanted to redo the existing part of the showroom so it matches the updated and more contemporary look of the addition.” Designers used a neutral color palette that helps make the company’s more drama-filled product displays pop. Other new features of the Quoizel showroom include: • A marquee of video slideshows • Sitting areas that feel like home • Larger, better-functioning offices and conference rooms for group meetings • A central hub for all sales and marketing-related tasks How to get the look for your showroom: “Creating drama is as easy as keeping your customers’ eyes focused on one thing at a time, while at the same time making your displays exciting,” Phillips says. “Stretched fabric backdrops behind our displays are something that retailers can easily adapt for themselves.”