It was quite a challenging project – an old building which not only had to be expanded to make it spacious enough for a Car Showroom, but also structurally strengthened to support the vehicular load on its slabs. All the same, the project had to match international design standards that would do justice to the Brand it proudly showcases. “Spacious – Strengthen – Showcase” are Three ‘S’s that we worked on simultaneously.

 

One of our main principles while designing Retail spaces is that the space should never try to out-do the product it’s meant for. Rather a lot of effort should be concentrated on creating a space that would accentuate its projects. In this project, while the Display Zones are simplistic in its White and Grey ambience, one does not fail to notice little details such as the use of large frosted glass that serve as a backdrop of the displayed cars or the raised café floor which is done up in Leather finish granite.

 

One more detail we worked really hard with was the area behind the reception. We weren’t sure how to camouflage the existing columns that came in the face and pretty much in the middle of an open space and as a result affecting our layout. We decided to apply a reverse theory and actually created multiple false columns of various sizes that just blended in, making the columns look like they were an integral part of the design.

 

The 10,000 square feet facility is broadly divided into Car Display areas, and other customer touch points such as a Café, Children’s play area and discussion lounges. The display areas are also divided vertically, so that the luxury cars are showcased on the first floor and the other products on the ground floor. Dealer Principal’s cabin, Conference room and the sales back offices are also located on the first floor.

 

The entire showroom is predominantly White, Beige and Grey, as desired by Nissan’s global standards. To break the monotony of vitrified tiles and a flat look, we introduced textured granite and played around with levels to bring in an element of freshness.

 

What we really enjoyed doing up in this project is the management space on the first floor, where we had complete freedom to explore various design possibilities. We brought in the flooring in dark grey granite to go with the look of the entire showroom. And along with it we used a variety of materials such as natural teak veneers, Italian marble, black coloured glass, neutral color upholstery and finally a dash of green and turquoise. The challenge was to use all these materials to create a subtle balance without making the space look overly cluttered.