âItâs a manifestation of our purpose,â Lalonde says. âWe design for a beautiful life. We want to beautify the world. At home, outside in public spaces, hotels, retailâthatâs our mission. Iâm very moved by how weâre able to capture the essence of our purpose in this space.â
The showroom feels effortless, but the need to give space and light to half a dozen major brands, each with its own identity and legacy, posed a few unique challenges. âThere were a lot of conversations,â Lalonde says with a laugh. âIt was important for me to steer the ship, but I asked Piero to design something that would be a solution so that each brand would feel they can express themselves. We didnât want to merge the stores, but to interlock them.â
Lissoni points to the mesh material as a way to make the brands, well, mesh. âThe semi-transparent walls divide the space,â he shares, âand establish a certain fluidity, allowing the brands to dialog with each other while maintaining their individual identities.â
Lalonde agrees. âItâs not an easy exercise,â he says, âbut itâs a beautiful exercise. When you get it right, I feel so happy. I donât think thereâs anything like it in our industry.â Until now.