CASE STUDY
Carnegie Fabrics
m+ services provided
Interior Architecture
Interior Design
Showroom Design
Branded Environments
Product Display
Sales Strategy
Brand Strategy
Business Strategy
Brand Positioning
Brand Voice
Website Content
Website Content writing
Environmental Graphics and Signage
Graphic Design
Reinterpreted Victorian gas light suspension covers
brand and marketing strategy driving a new showroom approach and design
Our work with Carnegie Fabrics started with the initiative to develop a new Chicago showroom that manifested the brand identity evolution they were in process of developing.
The approach to the showroom was inspired by not only the finished product but the process Carnegie used to get there. Designers became more passionate about Carnegie product after remote tours of their development studio in Long Island, which provided an understanding of the fabric design process and resulted in an elevated respect for Carnegie’s raw creativity, unbeknownst to designers beforehand.
This motivated Carnegie to relocate their product development studio from their remote factory to above their NYC showroom so designers could experience product development in action. Carnegie realized their raw product development was the core brand truth of the company itself.
Left: Showroom concept presentation in the raw space in the style of Carnegie product development studies; Right: Example of demo remnants creating product display suspension grid
When we first met with Carnegie we were immediately struck by their willingness to push themselves outside their comfort zone with material experimentation. They freely spent time considering ideas that may not come to production yet would fuel subsequent concepts. We were inspired by their openness and sincere love for their process. There was no pretense, just passion and a proactive eye for unconventional materials and inspiration. Our job was to express this as the brand essence of the new showroom design.
The leased space was made up of remnants of adjoining spaces with no visual connection except for archways that allowed a path to the rear of the space from a single entry. The conventional reaction would be to gut, clean up, and open the space. However, we realized the disjointed bays and pathway ironically supported the brief and narrative. We retained the imperfect spaces and layers of past use, further exposed through demolition and display insertions, so the space and process used to create it would align with the Carnegie story.
Visitors experience an environment that showcases what Carnegie offers and also how Carnegie gets there. The rough space elevates the finished product and expresses the design process that created it.
SBID
International Design Awards Finalist
Commercial Space
Entry facade revealing first bay of narrative pathway
Work room with resolute custom lighting with Carnegie fabric embedded in shade resin
Reception bays with product development display cabinets
The textures and marks of construction were not erased but celebrated and utilized to solidify the connection to the Carnegie brand and product development story. We finished by displaying the product development teams’ inspiration materials and sources with the resulting products, exposing the thinking behind them to designers directly. The result is an experiential showroom that puts forward the Carnegie brand essence in every detail in a very honest and deliberate way.
Actual product development materials, including products still in development at time of opening
showroom video walk thru
The clients and users find the space intimate, tactile, and inspiring. Below is the video of the space during opening with Tom and the Carnegie team speaking about the marketing and brand strategy process that manifested in the showroom experience.
Video courtesy of Carnegie. Video created by Nickycheese.com: Nicolas Hall & Jessie Deveraux
Subsequently marquardt+ and team have been involved in yearly strategy and showroom updates, including Tom leading Katherine Putnam and the Chicago team at HDR to again transform the showroom product presentation while maintaining the spirit of the original design and brand.
brand focus and voice
In 2019, Carnegie reached out to us to start ideation on a completely new showroom presentation. We also were retained to provide a refreshed brand strategy and to work with their team to create a new brand voice. marquardt+ was tasked to develop a narrative to support the evolution of the company into furniture and interior architectural products beyond textiles themselves. Carnegie recognized the need to proactively focus on providing design solution partnerships with their client base. Additionally, they wanted to harness the heightened importance of digital as the primary touchpoint for communicating the brand and products, while providing solutions for specifier needs.
Slide from brand voice work session with Carnegie team in NYC
Subsequently the new showroom design was put on hold due to the pandemic. Carnegie asked marquardt+ to pivot and deliver the narrative interpretation of the brand voice we created into the new website copywriting, providing content and narrative pathway advisement to their internal team. Carnegie is on an exciting journey and continues to launch new product and service models, once again proving they are a leader in brand and marketing strategy in the A&D product manufacturing industry.
design team, marquardt+
+ Tom Marquardt
+ Jim Wild
+ Vince Gammino
+ Katelyn Landeck
+ Jaysen Goranson
subsequent showroom refreshes, marquardt+, HDR
+ Tom Marquardt
+ Vince Gammino
+ Jaysen Goranson
+ Katherine Putnam
brand voice, website content writing and advisement, marquardt+
+ Jennifer Fondrevay
+ Billie Knipfer
+ Tom Marquardt
Photography: Jaysen Goranson Photography, marquardt+