House of Rohl Showroom

In order to strengthen their position among other elite product lines, Fortune Brands Global Plumbing Group sought a dynamic presence in Chicago’s iconic Merchandise Mart. The House of Rohl would be one of two showrooms that would showcase some of their most prized product lines on theMart’s ground floor.

The showroom is the outcome of a synthesized collaboration between the architectural team at Valerio Dewalt Train and designers from Media Objectives (VDT's in-house experiential graphics team). The groups worked alongside the owner using an immersive process, aimed to identify brand attributes that would help them develop a unique and distinctive experience. The House of Rohl is focused on highly handcrafted products, uniting a number of sub-brands such as Perrin & Rowe, ROHL, Riobel, Shaws, and Victoria + Albert. To showcase this rich variety, the showroom was conceptualized as a boutique jewel box, focused on the idea of exploration, forged craft and intense beauty.

Location
Chicago, IL

Expertise
Interior Design, Experiential Design

Other Services
Retail

Select Awards
Honeree: Kitchen + Bath Showroom, Interior Design Magazine Best of Year Awards
Retail Award, IIDA Illinois Red Awards
Finalist: Architecture + Brand, Architizer A+

Select Press
Kitchen and Bath Design News
Dexigner

Photography
Tom Harris

Partners
Media-Objectives
CBRE
IMEG Corp
JC Anderson, Inc.
Pease Borst & Associates, LLC
Hugh Lighting Design
Shiner+Associates
Engineering Plus
Cushing Co.

Adjacent to the theMart’s northern entrance, is an engraved, dark granite storefront with polished brass blade signs. To catch the eyes of passersby and draw them into the House of Rohl, is a curvilinear chassis of powder-coated aluminum that supports a grid of boxes housing the plumbing fixtures on display. This gridded system, originally inspired by classic Eames furniture, also serves as a framework for lighting fixtures—strips, pendants, and spotlights that are all magnetized, so they can be redistributed wherever and whenever needed.

Within the chassis, each sub-brand in the House of Rohl collection has its own allocated area with a designated color, derived from displays in previous showrooms. Warm lighting accentuates these zones, creating an inviting glow that greets visitors beyond the stone exterior. Panels housed within the framework use photography and descriptive words to tell each sub-brand’s story, providing visitors with a museum-like experience that celebrates the craft that goes into making the products.

The House of Rohl is paired with Fortune Brand’s MOEN showroom, although by design, their treatment is separate and contrasting to the public eye. Both spaces share a concealed back of house, meant to provide a centralized location for their representatives to host Board meetings and to work remotely. But to visitors, the only glimpse of their connection under Fortune Brands is manifested through a pivot door subtly inlaid in the wall near the entrance. Their new space provides an exciting framework to showcase House of Rohls most exciting products and collaborative brands in Chicago’s infamous Merchandise Mart.