25 February 2009

Reclaimed Retail

The RED Design Group meld past and present with Rogersellerâ€™s new Melbourne showroom.

The respectful design of this showroom and head office for bath ware supplier, Rogerseller, sensitively melds new and old in Melbourne’s Burnley.

The fourth Rogerseller showroom to be designed by RED Design Group sits within a fantastic 20th Century heritage warehouse building.

“We wanted to play on the juxtaposition of an urban grunge setting in industrial Richmond, setting it off against a layer of slick design where attention to detail was the most critical element,” says Colin Bell, Creative Director of RED Design Group.

The saw-tooth ceilings of the main display room are accompanied by industrial motifs, while the original brickwork is visible inside and out.

Bell explains that the original graffiti on the building’s exterior was retained, “accepting the possibility that this would be an ongoing and ever-changing part of the external skin”

The 1600m2 space houses the company’s Bontempi Cucine Italian kitchens as well as other imported and locally made bathrooms. A ‘rainforest’ of operational showerheads leads visitors through to bathroom concept areas, and unique modular displays or ‘room pods’ create interest in the space while denoting specific areas.

“These Room Pods enabled us to set up the ideal lighting with a lowered ceiling to create themed environments to display the products,” Bell says. “[The] flexibility of the Room Pods allows themes and product to be changed frequently.”

Adding to, and flowing from, this expanse of retail space is the staff workspace with kitchen patio and bocce garden – all designed to encourage collaboration and innovation.

“Our new Melbourne destination represents the next stage for Rogerseller,” says Rogerseller Managing Director James Edmonds. “There is an expectation that we continually push the boundaries, not only in terms of our product, but in our retailing experiences.”

RED Design Group
reddesigngroup.com.au

Rogerseller
rogerseller.com.au

Photography by Ross Tonkin