SEPTEMBER 2015 \ BUILDING DIALOGUE \
57
F
rom the inviting front entryway at Roth Liv-
ing’s newappliance showroominKansas City’s
historic Country Club Plaza shopping district, a
series of luminous, wavelike edges and layered
linear planes draw you in. The state-of-the-art atmo-
sphere is not what most expect from an appliance
showroom and that is exactly what Roth Living had
hoped for.
Appliance technologies and the kitchen’s place in the
home have changed significantly since our firm started
designing residences more than 20 years ago. We’ve no-
ticed that kitchens have expanded in size, becoming the
focal point of most homes we design. And these spaces are
often required to do double – or even triple – duty for entertaining, dining
and home office functions, along with the sophisticated (or elemental)
task of meal preparation.
In 2010, Arch11 received awards in two categories for the design of the
Boulder foothills Syncline Residence kitchen at the international awards
ceremony for the Sub-Zero and Wolf Kitchen Design Competition. These
awards have a reputation for offering insight into the latest design think-
ing. So when Denver-based Roth Living – official supplier of Sub-Zero,
Wolf, Asko and Best Hoods brands in 14 states – was ready to rollout a new
“next generation” showroom, they turned to Arch11 to help create the new
architecturally driven, consumer-centric shopping experience they envi-
sioned.
“Our showroom space is an important element in sparking our custom-
ers’ imagination,” remarked Denise Manu, vice president of marketing for
Roth Distributing. “Our goal for the showroom was to create an environ-
ment that integrated upscale modern kitchens that would speak to dif-
ferent personas,” she continues. “We also wanted to establish a common
design language that would enhance the overall flow and provide a clear
layout to guide consumers in their journey through the showroom.”
Combining our firm’s deep portfolio of residential kitchens and such
restaurant designs as OAK at Fourteenth, Humboldt and Ignite! with our
experience in repurposing buildings, we were able to reconfigure Roth’s
1930s all-concrete, 5,750-square-foot showroom space into a lively, loftlike
environment. To better communicate the company’s vast product line and
showcase different lifestyle approaches without overwhelming consum-
ers, we designed a series of kitchen vignettes with varying scale and appli-
ance applications. With names like Urban Living, Home Chef and Active
Claire Jordan
Associate,
Arch11
Design
