New England Showroom Proves to Be a True Family Affair

STAMFORD, CT— One could say that the TileAmerica! Design Center, located here, is a family affair. Opened in May 2004, it serves as a design resource for an “extended family” of kitchen and bath designers and other trade professional, including “architects, remodelers, builders and tile contractors, as well as homeowners,” notes Brian Knies, president and owner of TileAmerica!

“Stamford is located in one of the highest per capita income areas in the country,” Knies reports.

“For that reason, we needed to build a showroom that would cater to the high end, [both for the trade, including upscale design professionals, remodelers and builders, and consumers],” he continues. “Yet we also wanted a showroom that was not intimidating to the average consumer.”

As a result, says Knies, the 9,000-sq.-ft. showroom displays tile and stone “installed and accessorized in realistic settings to help customers visualize the possibilities.”

Indeed, there are more than 20 fully accessorized vignettes (of which five are complete rooms) and more than 100 creatively tiled floors, plus an 8'-high, Italian glass mosaic mural.

SERVICE IS KEY
“When designing this showroom, we kept in mind the constraints of today’s time-starved consumers. We really wanted to give them all of the amenities we possibly could to make their shopping experiences worthwhile,” comments Knies. “By putting ourselves in our customers’ shoes, we treat everyone as if they were family members.”

That’s why the showroom prides itself on personal service. It has a staff of six design professionals on the showroom floor that meet one-on-one with clients in a specially designed private consultation room.

This centralized customer service area allows each design consultant to have his or her own individual space, yet takes advantage of a single centralized body of information and access to office equipment.

In addition, satellite workstations around the showroom ensure consultants are never far from an area to lay out some tiles or building plans and work on a design.

“The showroom is equipped with 10 PCs. Each one has Internet access and runs Image Builder, our tile-imaging program,” notes Knies. “It allows customers to put our products into a variety of realistic room settings and render them in different patterns and combinations. It even allows you to change the color of the grout.”

Customer Oasis
Overall, the showroom features a design that adheres to the philosophy of “always making you feel at home in our showroom… We consider it our job to entertain and cater to our clients,” shares Knies.

For example, such touches as a 150-sq.-ft. children’s play area, equipped with a TV and PlayStation, makes the experience more family-friendly, he remarks.

“A leather-clad library with a working fireplace, plasma TV and surround-sound system is another area for clients to relax – especially husbands,” he smiles.

Visitors can rest at the Tuscan outdoor patio, which features café tables and six types of fresh-brewed coffee. There’s also a custom-designed wine bar that offers luxe refreshment.

The showroom’s design – which won the 2004 Home Builder’s Association (HOBI) Award for Best New Showroom over 5,000 Sq. Ft. in Connecticut – is the brainchild of store planner Nancy Ottino of The Idea Co. Ottino designed it with the help of Knies and TileAmerica!’s Renee Duffield, director of sales and marketing; Ryan Abruzzo, product coordinator; Holly Winslow, designer representative; and Lana Camera, design consultant.

The showroom further illustrates the collaboration among many associated trade partners, indicates Knies. “Cabinetry and custom furniture, plumbing fixtures, lighting, appliances, electronics, fireplaces, wall finishing and painting were all donated in full, or in part, in return for recognition and exposure to our clientele,” he notes.