SKS, the appliance brand driving innovation in the world of luxury, built-in appliances, has opened its new showroom at The MART, the renowned Chicago landmark and Midwest design hub.
Extending for over 850 square meters and designed by Piero Lissoni with Lissoni Architecture New York, the space is inspired by the “theater” of cooking and establishes a close dialogue with the industrial nature of this historic Chicago building.
The products take center stage against a backdrop of neutral materials. Refined white oak flooring unifies the entire space, while the walls and columns are hand-troweled with an earthy shade of roman plaster, revealing the imperfections of the pre-existing architecture. Almost all the ceilings were left exposed in order to reinforce the relationship between the modern interiors and the rich history of the site.
“For me, the spaces where design pieces are presented are like theaters where the product takes the leading role, an actor moving through the set. When I began to think of an architecture for the SKS showroom, I imagined it as a stage where the scenery periodically shifts and the products have the capacity to change roles. The beauty of this project lies in the fact that every SKS product can take centerstage, and each space is a story that can be illuminated. On the one hand we show the role that each product plays within its own particular setting, and on the other we tell the story of the extremely sophisticated, wide-ranging and distinct collection of an international brand leader.” Piero Lissoni
