Stylex has renovated its flagship showroom at the Chicago Merchandise Mart, earning LEED Silver certification. Local design firm Eastlake Studio relied on sustainable attributes for the project, such as repurposing existing elements, as well as using salvaged wood and recycled cardboard.
Central to the design brief was a platform to display and test-drive Stylex’s newest sustainable product, the SAVA chair. Eastlake divided the showroom into four logical zones according to product applications. The front half showcases SAVA in workstation and conferencing vignettes, while the back features lounge and multi-purpose seating. Each zone places Stylex products in context with other rich products and materials. The modern-style steel and glass table in the conferencing vignette provides maximum exposure for SAVA, while an adjacent white workstation grouping highlights its simplicity. In the café vignette, a salvaged wood top on a metal frame enriches adjacent chairs, while the lounge is focused on a flatscreen television set into a millwork wall of reclaimed wood.
Two distinct elements separate the front and back zones. On one side are pivoting panels crafted from recycled cardboard that has been partially stripped to expose the honeycomb structures within. Across from these panels is a display structure built of laminated recycled sheets of cardboard, stacked horizontally for strength and provided with cut-out openings to cleverly display the new SAVA chairs. Interior mirrors line the openings to enable easy product viewing from different perspectives.
