Bernhardt Design Bryant Park Showroom
Chicago, IL
10,000 SF


Rottet Studio introduced a new vocabulary to the Chicago Merchandise Mart when Lauren Rottet designed Bernhardt’s Chicago showroom as an inviting place where clients and designers could relax from shopping and enjoy the view. When Bernhardt again commissioned Rottet Studio to design their Bryant Park showroom in New York, the design team expanded on the award-winning concept. Overlooking New York’s famous Bryant Park, the scene for most of Fashion Week’s runway shows, the 10,000 square foot New York show room provides spectacular views of various festivities that take place in the midtown location. The design of the showroom was inspired by the change of seasons within the park’s plush landscape.

Throughout the interiors, the Rottet Studio team chose materials that would reflect and emphasize the Bernhardt image. When Jerry Helling, Bernhardt’s design director, approached Lauren Rottet with designing the showroom, they immediately began to discuss the image Bernhardt wanted to convey. Known for their combinations of light-colored woods, glass, and stainless steel, Bernhardt has become one of the most significant manufacturers of contract wood furniture. Rottet’s understanding of Bernhardt’s tradition of creating simple, elegant furnishings clearly informed the design of this showroom.

Using an all white drywall space and neutral flooring, the showroom is the perfect backdrop for the signature maple veneer collections of one of today’s leading contract furniture manufacturers. A “Living Room” that overlooks the park showcases new lounge seating collections and functions as the central gathering space for parties and informal meetings. Simple and refined details – including an encased marble art piece in the conference room; mirrors to reflect light and create a sense of continuous space; floating shelves for displaying guest chairs; and reveals to define floating and folding planes – are subtly dispersed throughout the showroom, creating a sense of surprise around every corner. The space is innovative, yet subtle, allowing the new products to be the main focus of the space.

The Bernhardt Showroom earned the Award for Creative Excellence from NeoCon. Read Less