Kitchen & Bath Business - September 2018 - 38

SHOWROOM A
OF THE YEAR

CLASSIC STORY

The new Drummonds
location explores a
brand's origins and
iconic style

IN 1988, AN ENGLISHMAN NAMED DRUMMOND

SHAW was restoring his period house and was
finding it challenging to source authentic architectural antiques for his home. So inspired was he
by the experience, he decided to start Drummonds
Architectural Antiques, which later became a successful architectural antiques dealer in the U.K.
While the company dealt in a variety of products, Drummond remained passionate about those
for the classic bathroom. He knew how difficult it
was to find original pieces that could be restored
and used with modern plumbing systems, so he set
out to turn his company into a resource for other
lovers of classic bathroom products. After opening
a showroom in London, Drummonds Bathrooms
decided to break into the American market.
"Our first experience in New York City was a
temporary space in the Decoration and Design
Building, which gave us a great insight into the
city and the local area,"said James Lentaigne, creative director at Drummonds. "However, there
is a high caliber of retailers in the Architects &
Designers (A&D) Building, specializing in the
bathroom and kitchen areas, so when the opportunity came up to take a space, we jumped at it."

THE RIGHT FIT

THIS PAGE The overall look

and feel of the Drummonds
showroom was designed to
articulate the classic aesthetic
of the Drummonds brand.

"Our goal was to educate
our customers about Drummonds - that we are a U.K.
company but also a manufacturer of all our ranges, something that has taken years to
perfect," said Lentaigne. "We
did not want to push this too
hard but allow the customer
to explore this when they are
in the space."

2018

38

LEFT "We have found that

the design community in
New York and the States
really seems to enjoy the
process of taking the time to
visit showrooms and explore
the many floors and brands
located in the A&D building,"
said Lentaigne.

According to Lentaigne, the new showroom
worked for Drummonds because it had good
length and wall space beyond the entrance. This
long passage simulated the "trip"clients could take
as they experienced the showroom.
"We felt that the space needed character but with
a subtle approach to display the products,"he added,
explaining that the showroom was designed in collaboration with London- and New York-based designer Martin Brudnizki of Martin Brudnizki Design Studio."We did not want to create a showroom
too busy,too confusing and also too 'of one style,'but
instead a space with a consistency and warmth to it.
It needed to enable customers to enjoy the journey
throughout and discover the amazing collections
almost one at a time as they walked through."
At the front of the showroom, there is an entrance with a reception desk and a small kitchenette to meet and greet, offer tea to clients and
introduce them to the brand.
Hospitality is important to Drummonds, and
one of the benefits of being in the A & D Building
is that many events take place there and help drive
traffic into the showroom.
"One thing we love to do is offer trade breakfasts," said Lentaigne. "We get the designers and
their teams in first thing to relax, drink tea, have
coffee and eat some pastries while they start their
day. "We also are planning on having launch parties when we bring out new ranges."

Kitchen & Bath Business / SEPTEMBER 2018 / KBBONLINE.COM / The official publication of KBIS (KBIS.com)
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Kitchen & Bath Business - September 2018

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