Highland Park, IL — Armed with a positive perspective, Rick Glickman, president of Dream Kitchens, has opened a new showroom in the northern suburbs of Chicago. The new showroom is designed to be as inviting as the staff itself.

“I feel like we get the jobs where the customer comes in and likes our personality. If they have a question for our firm, even if they don't go with us, I consider that it’s meant to be. That attitude creates peace of mind and your clients feel at ease. That’s how we look at the business here,” Glickman pronounces.

Smart Technology

The 2,500-sq.-ft. showroom was originally a bare concrete area. Audrey LaVecchia acted as lead designer and Glickman oversaw the project, but the entire team helped to create the space. With 18' ceilings, the space was designed so that the lights hang down 9' to meet the vignettes.

Glickman has designed 20 showrooms and creates a zigzag-shaped wall for the displays in each store. This allows the client to easily view displays from front to back.

The showroom features 14 vignettes, including a working galley-style kitchen. The team incorporated eco-friendly elements into the displays, using LED lights, recovered wood countertops and cabinetry made of synthetic materials.

A large island sits in the rear of the showroom and serves as a product selection center. Instead of displaying the offerings on the wall, however, the drawers hold samples for various products. The office, which doubles as the conference room, is located at the back of the showroom. This space is used for Dream Kitchens’ mini-seminars and meetings with clients.

Incorporating technology is important to Glickman. Within the office there is a 42" high-definition television, a mouse and wireless Bluetooth keyboard linked to the PC on Glickman’s desk. This involves clients in an interactive presentation of their design plans.

“Using Planit, I show the clients their kitchen in 3-D photo realistic dimensions. They walk around the plan on the large format high-resolution TV. It looks realistic to them and they immediately understand what we’re talking about it. It helps them make decisions quicker,” explains Glickman.

When this setup is not used for clients, the computers, televisions and digital photo frames throughout the showroom all run screensavers of past projects. This technology extends to the entire company’s computer network and is considered a cornerstone of the firm’s selling strategy.