A showroom has one purpose: to produce sales. It has to tell customers they are the sort of people who buy this product because it is the sort of product that suits their lifestyle. Designer Mark Wood of Wood+Stock, who has just finished working with stoneCIRCLE on the redesign of their Basingstoke showroom and before that worked on their Newbury depot, offers some advice on creating a stone showroom that achieves its purpose.

Whether you are trying to convey the image of a busy bargain basement or of high-end luxury, a showroom plays a major role in conveying the message. If the message contradicts the products and services you are offering, customers’ expectations will not be satisfied and you will lose sales.

STRONG BRANDING

To start with a strong identifiable brand for your company is a must. Once this is established it helps inform the design of the interior environment. The branding should carry right through the showroom, addressing all elements from display signage down to point of sale (POS) ticketing and pricing.

While design principles may sound obvious, a surprising number of businesses don’t follow the basic rules and end up with costly mistakes, or, at least, a less than optimised return on the investment in their showroom.

AN INVITING EXTERIOR

The exterior should have a clear layout and be clutter free. Key points here are to highlight the main customer entrance with clear, large scale signage and to have an innovative display using, in this industry’s case, stone to showcase your company’s expertise.

Follow this up with a strong backdrop of landscaping, planting and other natural elements. Then add contrasting through the use of stone with other natural materials that reflect the quality of the stone – for example oak.

Welcome signage and directional signage will all help to give a professional business-like feel to the entrance zone. A prominent proportion of the showroom’s glazed area should be set aside for ‘lifestyle graphics’ (a photo of real people in a sumptuous kitchen, for instance) as well as descriptive bullet point text listing key products and unique selling points (USPs) to help set the scene and forge a link with the customer’s aspirations.

THE INITIAL IMPRESSION

At the entrance threshold the customer should be wowed by a display. For instance, a room set with a luxurious bath setting, linked with a low-level plinth or table arrangement, will catch the eyes of those who enter.

Key new products or promotional items should be prominently displayed alongside lifestyle graphics and product information in this area. Associated products and props are often good to have here as well – stone tea light holders or stone soap dishes, for example. Even if you don’t regularly sell these items it creates the right atmosphere.

Engaging more of the customer’s senses will maximise the initial impression. Fresh flowers do not only look good, they can smell pleasant. Pot pourri can achieve the same result. Classical music playing quietly in the background helps in the theatre of selling.

The majority of decisions about home design are made by women, so it’s important they feel comfortable and welcome in your showroom.

Brochures showing your range of products and services should be readily to hand, displayed on a table, at the reception desk or close by on a specific stand.

UNIQUE DESIGN FACTOR

A successful showroom will have a unique design feature – something that sets it apart from others and emphasises your strengths.

With stoneCIRCLE, in Newbury we showcased their CNC work, including graphics of the intricate work it can produce.

In Basingstoke the main ideas for the space were to show the company’s key offer of kitchen worktops on the ground floor and to create a new bathroom and shower showspace at first floor level.

We wanted to impress customers with the extensive range of colours and composite materials available, so the entire back wall is dedicated to samples of a good size (600mm x 400mm) that can be taken down and placed on to one of the island displays to give an impression of that particular finish option.

Alongside the display of each large sample we designed a facility to hold smaller samples for customers to take away with them. A combined customer consultation area and reception desk was incorporated.

RECEPTION

The reception desk, or information point, needs to reflect your company’s unique qualities, both through the use of stone and by demonstrating your company’s processing skills. We did this in Newbury with a wave pattern detailing on the white stone of the reception desk front, created using the company’s CNC workcentre.

The reception area should be clear of clutter and well maintained. This again reflects the company’s image. It should be well lit and functional, allowing for brochure and literature displays.

Plenty of under counter space for paperwork, filing and phones will help keep the visible area tidy even when you’re busy.

ZONING

Good planning of distinct areas within the showroom ensures the customer is able to navigate the space. It should be clearly laid out for them with high-level signage (for example, ‘Kitchen’ or ‘Architectural Stone’) to help define the zones.

Planning how to create an interesting ‘customer journey’ through the showroom is essential and allows you to highlight key products and services along the way.

Each department should have a strong initial display up front to draw you towards it. The department back wall should also have an interesting display linked with life style graphics to draw the customer through. This was achieved to maximum effect for The Tile Source at Hedge End (near Southampton) with a high-level, large scale graphic freeze and micro room sets with props at the back of each area.

DISPLAY OVERVIEW

Each element should have descriptive information and clear pricing. Use colour and graphics to highlight key elements.

Display frequency is important. Objects can be displayed in volume – for example stone samples – next to a display of one or two finished objects shown to good effect within plenty of clear space. This allows the eye time to rest between areas.

Good spot lighting also helps to pin point items, again helping to draw the customer’s eye towards featured items. This brings us on to the general topic of lighting.

LIGHTING

Lighting plays an important part in showroom design because it sets the mood and atmosphere. Outside it emphasises key items such as your brand signage, customer entrance and directional signage. Inside and out, it can create drama. Uplighting a feature, for instance, can add real impact.

Inside, the initial display at the entrance should be seductively lit to get people to stop and browse. Spot lighting can be used to pinpoint description graphics and pricing.

The reception area needs a mix of directional down lighting and spot lighting to highlight its presence.

At stoneCIRCLE in Newbury we were able to light the CNC-produced wave textured stone panelling on the reception desk to emphasise the processing capabilities of the company to dramatic effect.

With display focal points we used a shielded light source that washed light down and across the display, picking up on stone colour and texture.

Wood+Stock work with clients who need innovative design solutions to impact positively on the growth and success of their business. Contact Mark Wood on Tel: 01491 83065 / 07796 133433 or email markwood@gmx.net to discuss your business needs.