Today, I am working on the top story of our showroom–The Fourth Floor. It’s our piece de resistance, our penthouse. Think loft ceilings. Think exposed pipes and track lighting. Floor-to-ceiing glass walls with great views of the city. When we bought our building, it was a boarded-over, graffiti-covered, three-story mess. With some foresight and great architects Gensler Architects and Eric Colbert & Associates, the space was transformed. Now on this new floor, there’s a marble fireplace; a design center housing our fabrics, rug, and table top samples; and room after inspirational room of clean-lined, modern furniture. The wrap-around balcony houses our outdoor collection. Customers arriving up here for the first time usually exclaim, “I want to live here!” Me, too–and I work here!
I love it up here.
It’s the place I go when I want a healthy dose of sunshine. When I am meeting a design client who needs substantial time, or when I want to catch up on my paperwork. It’s generally quieter up here than in other parts of the store. Sometimes that’s a nice thing.
What I love most about The Fourth Floor is that we donate the space to non-profits for events. We’ve had some amazing, classy functions up here: House Beautiful and Home & Design magazine events; Washington Improve Theater (WIT) gala; The Harlem Dance Theater pre-performance party; an artist exhibition, several wine tastings; Sam Sifton’s Thanksgiving book-signing; the Washington Gay Men’s Chorus Preview Party; and many more. It’s a true win-win. The non-profits appreciate free use of the space and we get to show off our furniture. The Fourth Floor is great party space, and we enjoy a good party!
As one of my customers put it, visiting The Fourth Floor is like spending time at the home of a cool friend in the city who has really good taste. Come check it out: You may just want to live here….
