Studio BV Designs New Knoll Showroom in Minneapolis as Modern Office
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, enclosed walkways connecting various parts of the city center are, for locals, more than a convenience—they’re nearly a necessity. After all, winters in the area are frigid and often long, which makes the heart of the city an ideal and accessible locale for Parameters, a new Knoll showroom and dealership, says Betsy Vohs, founder and CEO of Studio BV, who designed the space with her team. The 15,000-square-foot space, which mirrors the aesthetic of a contemporary office and functions as one too, melds the design ideals of Knoll with those of Scandinavian brand Muuto. “Muuto’s collections are very beautiful, but very different than Knoll’s in general,” says Vohs. “So we thought: How do we create a space that feels like they’re both in harmony together?”
To start, Studio BV opted to design the showroom as a working office, enabling clients to experience products in a curated, cohesive environment and stay for a coffee or two, if they wish. “There are lots of entertainment spaces and in between spaces, enabling people to do work or collaborate,” adds Vohs. The showroom and dealership also features small 8×10 offices, often seen in contemporary workplaces, with 6×6 workstations and benching, offering visitors an opportunity to see multiple iterations of layouts using the same product and take in ways to blend legacy and modern brands. To create a unifying thread throughout, the design team turned to copper and cork contrasted by terrazzo and concrete. The result? A timeless, yet fresh nod to the showroom’s warehouse roots with lots of flexibility. “If a showroom can be an active lab then that will keep people interested—this was our goal,” says Vohs.
