Benjamin Moore is bringing its color design tools and color consulting directly to the Chicago and Metro New York design communities with the opening of its own, to-the-trade showrooms.
The paint company, consistently named the preference of designers and an unparalleled color authority offering more than 3,400 hues, is preparing to open a location at the Chicago Merchandise Mart, space #1686, and at the New York Design Center, #714. The architect for both is Searl, Lamaster, Howe of Chicago. The Mart location is due to open in early June, in time for NeoCon®, while the NYDC spot is being readied for a July 1 start. Benjamin Moore's first design-mart based showroom of its own has been in operation since 2006 at The San Francisco Design Center.
"Our strategy is to be at the heart of the design community to provide convenience, accessibility, service and inspiration when it comes to color selection," explains Sonu Mathew, ASID, IIDA, Benjamin Moore's senior manager of commercial and residential design. "We value the strong relationships that have been built with architects and designers throughout North America, and will remain committed to vigorously responding to their needs."
The Chicago space will occupy 1,500 square feet; the New York, 2,200. Both will incorporate innovative displays and state-of-the-art lighting that enable expert color viewing in a range that includes daylight, natural light, incandescent and halogen lighting.
"It's critical to provide a variety of lighting scenarios to designers when it comes to reading color," adds Mathew. "And, at Benjamin Moore we've invested a considerable amount of research and technology into the development of this. The outcome is a proprietary laboratory-quality lighting system that ensures designers can work within our showrooms with the utmost confidence they're viewing color as accurately as possible for their clients' needs."
Additionally, according to Mathew, the showroom spaces include work areas for designers to spread out and read their floor plans, match their fabric swatches with color chips and consult with their clients on paint selections. The showrooms also are being configured to allow room for special events, seminar sessions, receptions, and other social gatherings.
"We plan to regularly host programming that will impart worthwhile information, advice and ideas plus contribute to professional growth and development," says Mathew.
The showrooms are staffed by trained Benjamin Moore representatives and stocked with the company's full array of color tools, including the large format color chips, color decks, inspirational literature, plus a retailer locator service. The only thing not available in the showroom will be the paint itself; designers will continue to order and purchase the gallons and quarts they need for a project through local retailers or their paint contractors.
Both Benjamin Moore Designer Showrooms are open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Benjamin Moore & Co., a Berkshire Hathaway company, was founded in 1883 and this year celebrates its 125th anniversary. One of the country's leading manufacturers of premium quality residential, commercial and industrial maintenance coatings, its products are distributed through a network of independent paint and decorating retailers located throughout North America. Go to www.benjaminmoore.com to learn more.
