Specifying furniture, finishes, and fixtures can be complicated. To do so, designers scour endless catalogs, numerous mono-brand showrooms (hopefully clustered together), and the endless rows of expansive trade fairs. With brick and mortar returning in a very real—yet more considered—way, a slew of holistically staged multibrand platforms are popping up.
Simplifying things significantly, the following resource libraries, showrooms, and retail experiences are changing the game by demonstrating how different product typologies can complement each other in situ. They’re also making it easier for up-and-coming and underrepresented producers to get a leg up: bypassing the financial burdens that normally impede growth and getting exposure.
Jamieri
392 Van Brunt Street
Brooklyn, New York 11231
Purveying a distinctive range of crafted furnishings, accessories, and food products from the country of Georgia, Jamieri has taken Brooklyn neighborhood Red Hook by storm with its immersive, cinematic displays. The locale plays host to a vast array of events and channels the entrenched qualities of this ancient culture in a contemporary light.
Teak New York
34 Norman Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11222
Midcentury modern and Scandicore aren’t going away anytime soon. Harnessing the success of these mega-trends, Teak New York pools together a complete range of homewares from the Nordic region. Beyond products, the showroom is also programmed with a series of community-oriented events, like workshops that allow its clientele to dynamically engage with the offering and understand its potential within their own homes.
Sample House
43-01 22nd Street #110
Long Island City, New York 11101
A far more curated and tangible alternative to giant online material libraries, Sample House sets up in a captivating glass- and brick-enclosed Long Island City warehouse. Seamlessly outfitted with pull-out shelves and modular display stands, the resource library encompasses a vast array of finishes and hardware developed by some of today’s best independent talents.
The Parmatile Shop
29-10 14 Street
Astoria, New York 11102
Expanding on its decades of knowledge in ceramic and stone tile—purveying variants produced across the globe—Parmatile established The Parmatile Shop as a clever extension of its successful business. Through this franchise, it reveals how this diverse array of artisanal know-how can be translated into collectible furnishings and home accessories.
Available Items
64 Broadway
Tivoli, New York 12583
Situated in the middle of the popular Hudson Valley region of New York state, Available Items is a multivalent store and gallery that offers a diverse blend of vintage and contemporary wares within a domestic setting. One feels as though they’re shopping from the living room of cofounders—and bona fide industry insiders—Chad Phillips and Kristin Coleman.
Rarify
735 Bainbridge Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19147
Building on its success as the leading online platform for carefully restored design classics—a stylistic and sustainable alternative to always buying new furniture—Rarify, led by cofounders David Rosenwasser and Jeremy Bilotti, recently opened a storefront in Philadelphia. The ground-floor space showcases rare and collectible chairs and lamps, now available for in-person inspection.
Gallery Nurture by Nature
47 Maple Street, Suite 307
Burlington, Vermont 05401
As design firms continue to push beyond the traditional constraints of practice, many are developing retail offshoots—imparting their expertise through this salable format. Cue Gallery Nurture by Nature, Vermont designer Kate Swanson’s latest venture. On view: a rotating selection of collectible items accumulated from past projects and from the best talents she scouts.
MillerKnoll
1100 and 1144 West Fulton Market
Chicago, Illinois 60607
As leading U.S. design brands Herman Miller and Knoll merged a few years back, it only made sense that the extensive roster of brands they each operate should cohabitate under one roof in Chicago—or, more accurately, two roofs. MillerKnoll’s 1100 complex in the Fulton Market District situates Herman Miller, Knoll, and multibrand textiles together, while the nearby 1144 location combines MillerKnoll’s health-care solutions and Design Within Reach, setting the benchmark for other such locales across the country.
Inform
50 Water Street
Vancouver, British Columbia V6B 1A4
In operation since 1963, Inform is a vital under-one-roof resource for Vancouver’s illustrious crop of interior architects and designers. A comprehensive department store with two locations (the latter was an early project for Omer Arbel), the platform has grown into a fully fledged ecosystem and relied-upon resource. It not only hosts different types of activations but also publishes insightful articles and videos, which keeps its discerning clientele informed of the latest best practices.