NEW YORK, NY— At Davis & Warshow, general manager Sheldon Malc believes that if you re-build it, they will come. And the greener you build it, the better, he notes.

While the popular New York City showroom has served as a resource to design professionals for a quarter of a century, a dramatic remodel and expansion has upped the ante.

The 58th Street showroom – a space meant to cater to contractors, designers, builders and remodelers – is now bigger and better than ever, with a dual-focus design and a greener profile, according to Malc.

Following a company-wide sustainability initiative, “Practically Green,” the showroom incorporates green design and construction features such as low-VOC paints and coatings, FSC-certified woods, locally sourced materials and fabrication and high-efficiency/low consumption lighting, Malc reports.

The firm commissioned Emanuela Frattini Magnusson, AIA, LEED of New York, NY-based EFM Design & Architecture, who transformed the 3,600-sq.-ft. space into an inviting environment that now boasts some 150 brands displayed across more than 7,500 square feet of space.

Magnusson constructed “Phase One” of the showroom; design staff from the WI-based Kohler Co. designed “Phase Two,” which features lines by Kohler and Kallista.

“When we did ‘Phase One,’ it was designed as a plumbing showroom, but [we also wanted] to give the effect of an art gallery,” says Malc. “Kohler wanted the other half of the showroom to follow suit so that the showroom would flow together and there would be a definite ‘wow’ factor for designers.”

Magnusson says: “The challenge was to design a space that could adapt and grow with the vast array of collections. The idea is that a customer won’t have to fight through 20 vignettes to find one specific faucet. However, you still have an array of products in front of you.”

She adds: “This design also needed to properly reflect the status that kitchens and baths have ascended to in current culture.”

Magnusson’s vision was unveiled at the recent grand opening, which drew 170 design professionals – including Davis & Warshow president David Finkel and Kohler president and COO David Kohler.

A Functional Layout

While the “Phase One” space offers a definite sense of whimsy and serenity, it’s much more. To maximize functionality, Magnusson divided up the space by product category to simplify the selection process. This also helps visitors compare different features, since the showroom offers a diversity of product lines. These include Duravit, Dornbracht Americas, Wetstyle, BainUltra, Lacava, Vitraform, Rohl, Gessi USA and THG USA, among others.