Kitchen & Bath Business - September 2017 - 53

A VISION

IN
SIGHT

Kitchen venue provides
design motivation
for every potential client

CLARKE AT 7 TIDE IN BOSTON is designed to be
more of an inspiration center than a retail showroom; in fact, no products are sold in this space.
The goal was to provide a location where design
professionals and homeowners alike could explore
a myriad of kitchen designs. The 4,500-sq.-ft.
space serves as a showroom, entertainment venue,
meeting space and educational center where visitors can actually cook on the appliances.
"Part of the magic of our showroom is that there
is no cash register," said Sean Clarke, president of
Clarke, New England's Official Sub-Zero and
Wolf Showroom and Test Kitchen. "We are the
distributor for the appliances, but the space is about
the whole kitchen and varying lifestyles. This is
impossible to replicate at the retail level because
when money is changing hands, the relationship
is different."

SHOWROOM
SECOND
PLACE
LEFT Live displays in various

areas provide cooking and
tasting zones where guests
can enjoy small plates and
witness some of the Sub-Zero
and Wolf hidden features.

BOTTOM LEFT Massive wood
beams and floor-to-ceiling
glass doors that open onto
the patio make the space feel
much bigger than it is.

SOURCES
DESIGNERS: Draper DBS
Custom Cabinets (William
Draper), Poggenpohl
Boston Design Team,
Putnam Design (Vincent
Cappello), Right Angle
Kitchens (Ken Schaefer),
Scandia Kitchens Design
Team; PHOTOGRAPHER:
The Photography of
Glenn Perry

PROVIDING INSPIRATION

Each of the vignettes in the showroom was created by a different designer
and represents a different cabinet brand. Clarke shared its overall master plan
with these designers ahead of time, and each came in within a two-day period
to share their proposals for the ultimate kitchen.
"We discussed whether the aesthetic in each area would be traditional,
contemporary or transitional so that a mélange of the latest thinking in kitchen
design would be the result," said Clarke. "We pushed the designers to look at
different species, colors and materials, and there is no duplication in the spaces
- every square inch has a different appeal. Everyone involved understood
the bigger mission - to have a style that appeals to every possible consumer."
Because the space has such a diverse cabinetry offering - 15 brands in different styles, species and sizes - as well as more Sub-Zero, Wolf and ASKO
appliances than anywhere else in New England, designers can explore the
showroom with their clients and decide which kitchen design aesthetic
works best.

BRANDS REPRESENTED

CURATED SPACES

Clarke's new and third location offers some additional features, including
a barista welcoming station and the country's first Wolf Induction Range
installation. A technology-driven Designer Media Lounge (above middle
photo) offers a 16-ft. by 9-ft. digital wall where designers and architects can
plug in and reveal their ideas to their clients in scale and make key decisions.
A Demonstration Kitchen Theater provides seating for more than 12
guests, as well as overhead cameras so those at the high-top tables can see
what's cooking. A wine grotto with a glass-topped island features SubZero Wine Storage and a Wolf Coffee System in hand-crafted cabinetry.
"This exciting venue is designed to offer upscale consumers a one-ofa-kind visit that begins with inspiration and ends in being given contacts
for an authorized Sub-Zero and Wolf dealer where purchase and delivery
arrangements can be finalized," added Clarke. "The mission of creating
an unprecedented visitor experience, laced with relaxation, inspiration,
education and a way for designers and homeowners to plan a kitchen with
all their senses, was realized even more successfully than the original vision
had promised."


53

"AlysEdwards
"ASKO
"Best
"Cumar Marble & Granite
"Dawn
"Draper DBS
"Eastern Design and
Landscape
"Focal Metals
"Ipe Decking
"Lucia Lighting
"Marvin Windows
and Doors
"Nanz
"Needham Lock &
Decorative Hardware
"Neolith
"Plain & Fancy Cabinetry
"Poggenpohl
"Raging River
Counter Works
"Reflex Lighting
"Resysta
"Scandia Kitchens
"Sub-Zero
"Tile Showcase
"Top Knobs
"Water Street
"Waterstone Faucets
"Wolf
"Wood-Mode Fine
Custom Cabinetry
Kitchen & Bath Business - September 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Kitchen & Bath Business - September 2017
