It’s All Relative (Space)
A playful new concept reinvents the showroom in the Castlefield Design District
There’s a hint of Alice in Wonderland in Relative Space’s new showroom. Circle cut-outs act like windows in wavy wooden hallways. Follow the trippy colonnade of terracotta arches into immersive landscapes of oversized floral wallpaper. Futuristic light fixtures twist and turn. What looks to be enlarged swaths of sedimentary rock ripple across a wall. “From room to room, we wanted people to have a sense of discovery,” says Tyler Greenberg, product manager at Relative Space. “So that was the starting place—asking ourselves ‘how do we create a showroom experience and make it a little more conceptual, a little more fun?’”
An accordion-style feature wall displays samples of the brand’s newest flooring.
The renewed space reflects the uniqueness of Relative Space’s products: carpets by Fletco, printed wood panels by Giacaobazzi, lighting by Anony, furniture by Andreu World, Chevron floors by Sumo and wallpaper by Yo2. In this showroom, shopping becomes an experience of artful discovery.
Madelynn Ringo, founder and creative director of Ringo Studio, in the Relative Space showroom.
Private spaces were no exception for the showroom’s revamped look.
Architectural details distinguish the Relative Space showroom from a typical flooring shopping experience.
“There’s an area we call the exhibition where the lighting is much moodier and the walls are kind of a darker mauve and maroon colour,” says Madelynn Ringo, founder and creative director of Ringo Studio, which designed the space. “Then you pass through this threshold and all of a sudden you’re in a gallery style exhibition to feature some of luxury products.” Ringo says she wanted the space to celebrate more of the luxury products in a curated environment with an architectural environment that showcases the hallmarks of their surfaces: new textures, and creative designs.
The showroom spans a total of 4,500 square feet.
Relative Space breaks down into approximately one third office and two thirds showroom, which then is broken into a series of zones, each reflecting a different experience in each. “The main showroom is broken up with the main volume right in the middle. We call it the belly of the space,” says Ringo. “It’s a workspace area where you can converse with our team, lay out materials and really get messy and curious and build your own palette.”
Relative Space — Castlefield Design District, Toronto.
With an official opening scheduled for September 3rd, Relative Space’s new showroom aims to feel more like a hospitality experience for the brand. “Ultimately, the showroom creates this special circulation of space,” says Greenberg. “You feel like you could really invite people in and stay for a while.”