Chown

When Chown Hardware asked us to imagine their new showroom in Seattle’s SoDo district, it felt like a long-standing relationship coming full circle. As the oldest family-owned hardware and fixture retailer in North America, Chown has been a trusted resource for our work for years. The design challenge was to create a destination that speaks to design professionals, contractors, and everyday shoppers alike, blending the charm of a vintage hardware store with the clarity of classic modern design.

We approached the space as a gallery for product. Wide-plank floors, crisp white walls, and white oak casework create a quiet backdrop that lets lighting, bath, and plumbing collections take center stage. Moveable display walls and adjustable lighting support inventory that’s always evolving, allowing Chown’s team to curate fresh vignettes and tell new product stories without rebuilding the showroom each season.

A second-floor mezzanine helps break up the volume and provides a dedicated zone to showcase bathtubs and working plumbing fixtures. Nearby, a conference room with counter-height tables offers a calm, functional setting for conversations with designers and manufacturers.

What we did: We led the showroom design from concept through documentation and implementation, developing flexible display and lighting systems, designing custom casework and fixtures, and managing procurement, installation, and full project management in close coordination with Chown’s team.