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THUIS - the showroom

assignment
Supporting the client in making care-free choices!
results

The unification of service, interior and showroom products

The showroom concept revolves around "the 4 appointments"

High customer appreciation

Very efficient use of store floor area

Increasing turnover

assignment
Along the A2 motorway in Utrecht you will find the new Dura Vermeer Inspiration Centre. A multifunctional building of approximately 7,500 m2 where connecting, meeting and collaborating are key. With one another, with customers, with buyers, with clients, with partners - everyone is welcome. This philosophy of meeting and inspiring is reflected in the concept, the architecture and the interior.

In showroom THUIS (HOME), which is part of the Inspiration Centre, Dura Vermeer invites the buyers of a new home to decide on the layout of their house themselves. DuraVermeer develops homes according to the 'ready-to-live concept'. Your house is entirely ready. All you have to do is move your furniture and personal belongings. THUIS shows the home-buyer numerous options: for build-outs, dormers, walls, electricity points, kitchens, bathrooms, floor and wall finishes and window decorations. As a result, you find it all under one roof: you don't have to visit numerous showrooms for kitchens, bathrooms, walls & floors, architectural upgrades, window coverings and custom cabinets. And THUIS helps you make stress-free choices: the advisors will assist you in making your decision. The challenge; develop a full-service interior design concept for THUIS.

client

Dura Vermeer

category

retail and experience

scale

1800 m2

location

Utrecht

our approach
Service, interior and showroom products converge
Envisioning the buyer's customer journey became a starting point. Which decision-making moments lie between the moment you think you want a new home and the moment you actually move into your new home. THUIS wants to serve its customers in the best possible way at these particular moments. As a result, a shopper pays a visit to THUIS, scheduling four appointments on a single day in the showroom. An appointment regarding the future kitchen, sanitary facilities, architectural elements (extension, new dormer window) and wall and floor finishes. The layout of the showroom is designed around these 4 appointments. With the input of our specialised retail knowledge, we created an optimal concept in which service, interior and showroom products converge.
Tiny house as a recognizable design element
The challenge in designing the interior was to ensure that the product shown is really about the interior. The design of the showroom had to give space to this, without it becoming a chaos of elements and styles. And the space had to remain readable with this multitude of interior elements.

We solved this by applying a 'folly'. An alienating object as a style element and identity layer in the form of a little house. With a pointy roof, as the most basic and identifiable form. In a plain but with attention designed wooden open construction form. We applied this in full-size, centrally in the showroom that enables the location of the different parts in the showroom to be found. And in smaller forms to indicate the location of service desks or to enclose a quiet place like a cocoon.
Natural, cognac, anthracite
In the interior we worked in 3 color groups: natural, cognac, anthracite. These are colors from the house style of THUIS. For each color group, materials have been selected that have a contrast within themselves: hard - soft, warm - cold, smooth - rough. Materials and textures that inspire visitors to put together the right interior. This is the reason why people want to visit a physical showroom.
The design follows the customer's journey
The Layout of the showroom has "the four appointments" as main route. This route is clear and target-oriented. The second tier in the route is intertwined by the arrangements of kitchens, sanitary ware, dormers and wall-floor finishes, you wander and get inspired. Seats have been created where you can retreat with your partner to digest all the information from the appointments or where you can test out products.
A kitchen in use
You literally enter the kitchen of THUIS. The entrance desk is a kitchen in use, where drinks and snacks are served by the host/ hostess. But it is also the place where a visitor can test various kitchen appliances in use. Through a clear layout, route and bright sightlines, it is easy for visitors to find what they are looking for and at the same time to meander to be inspired.

team

Lieke Genten
architect & interior architect | partner
Floortje Broek
designer | finishes specialist
Luis Monteiro
architect | image maker
Judith Everaarts
interior architect

visit this place?

"HOME" is Dura Vermeer's generous showroom, covering 33% of the total area of the Dura Vermeer Inspiration Centre. The Inspiration Centre is designed as a professional, contemporary networking place where co-creation, collaboration and mutual learning are key. Call Lieke or Judith, they will be happy to take you on a journey to Home.

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