The US furniture brand sets down roots on the Mainland, opening a showroom in Shenzhen. Tamsin Bradshaw reports.
September 24th, 2015
Friday 18 September saw Baker open its first store in Mainland China. Located at One Shenzhen Bay in Shenzhen’s Nanshan District, the 6,000-square-foot space gives the China market direct access to the furniture company’s blend of classic style and contemporary structure and know-how.
The official launch party for the new Baker showroom in Shenzhen – the brand’s first showroom in China.
Baker draws on a legacy of artisanal skills in order to create its timeless chairs, tables, sofas, lamps and more. Hailing from Michigan, the brand was founded by a Dutch immigrant, Siebe Baker, in 1890; he brought his cabinetmaking skills with him to the United States. Today, hand-craftsmanship is still a core part of the approach at Baker, which works with designers like Barbara Barry, Laura Kirar and Thomas Pheasant on collections.
Some of Laura Kirar’s modern classic creations for Baker.
“Baker is a furniture maker and not just a brand name that sells OEM furniture. The knowhow and craftsmanship has been passed down from the first generation to the present,” says Anita Lin, General Manager of Baker Shenzhen and founder of Atelier A+, the only authorised dealer for the Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Macau and Hainan Island markets. “When designing, Baker’s designers consider 360 degrees, so you will never feel embarrassed about putting your sofa in the middle of your living room.”
This is one of the reasons Baker – together with Atelier A+ – decided to enter the China market: the brand’s strong appeal to increasingly savvy, well-travelled and decidedly affluent customers on the Mainland, says Lin. “Users [in southern China] are becoming more and more sophisticated,” she explains. “They not only focus on luxury products such as jewellery, automobiles and fashion, but also fine furniture that offers a relaxing and quality living space for to live in, socialise, gather and relax in.
Inside the Baker showroom in Shenzhen.
The Shenzhen showroom was designed by the Baker Shenzhen team, says Lin. The new store “is a much more open space than the Hong Kong one, and it has a more vibrant colour scheme.”
“We created real living rooms and dining rooms to let customers experience how they would apply the furniture in their own home,” she continues. The team created the sense of separate rooms by diving them with panels in glass, brass and wood. These decorative panels are transparent, so that “one can view the whole space from any corner of the showroom.”
The opening event for Baker’s new showroom in full swing; Shenzhen locals and Hongkongers flocked to the party to check out the new space.
The interiors aren’t the only thing that’s different about Baker’s Shenzhen showroom: the products on offer also differ from those available in Hong Kong. “We have more colour options in Shenzhen, whereas in Hong Kong, we use more neutral colour tones,” says Lin. The collections available in Shenzhen also come in a wider range of sizes than those available in Hong Kong, taking into consideration the relatively larger size of homes in China, says Lin. Visitors to the new showroom will find Thomas Pheasant’s contemporary-classic collections on offer here, among many others.
Thomas Pheasant’s designs are available at the new Shenzhen showroom.
Baker
bakerfurniture.com
Atelier A+
atelieraplus.com
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Channelling the enchanting ambience of the Caffè Greco in Rome, Budapest’s historic Gerbeaud, and Grossi Florentino in Melbourne, Ross Didier’s new collection evokes the designer’s affinity for café experience, while delivering refined seating for contemporary hospitality interiors.
Marylou Cafaro’s first trendjournal sparked a powerful, decades-long movement in joinery designs and finishes which eventually saw Australian design develop its independence and characteristic style. Now, polytec offers all-new insights into the future of Australian design.
The Sub-Zero Wolf showrooms in Sydney and Melbourne provide a creative experience unlike any other. Now showcasing all-new product ranges, the showrooms present a unique perspective on the future of kitchens, homes and lifestyles.
Savage Design’s approach to understanding the relationship between design concepts and user experience, particularly with metalwork, transcends traditional boundaries, blending timeless craftsmanship with digital innovation to create enduring elegance in objects, furnishings, and door furniture.
A hospitality venue in the heart of Osaka comprising four dining options – a place where nostalgic pastimes meet high-end dining.
With Milan 2024 only a few weeks away, we sneak a view of some of the most exciting pieces set to go on show – from lighting design to furniture, here are nine preview products.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
Extrapolating the typology of farmhouse architecture, Cameron Anderson Architects (CAARCH) has drawn on the local architecture of Mudgee in both form and materiality to deliver a surprising suite of buildings.
In the pursuit of an uplifting synergy between the inner world and the surrounding environment, internationally acclaimed Interior Architect and Designer Lorena Gaxiola transform the vibration of the auspicious number ‘8’ into mesmerising artistry alongside the Feltex design team, brought to you by GH Commercial.