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No space was underutilized during the major renovation of A&B Hardwoods' showroom in Chicago, not even the bathroom. Officially belonging to CEO Carmen Muntean (it's in her office), but used almost exclusively as a showpiece, the bathroom was designed to be "splashy," says interior designer Susan Curry.
That meant outfitting the bathroom with wood floors and a wall of African celtis wood flooring (coincidentally, celtis is known colloquially as "white stinkwood"). Celtis was the exotic of choice because others, like santos mahogany, felt overused, and Muntean and her company are anything but same-old, same-old.
"I'm unique, and my company's unique in the way we do our business and the way we choose our products," Muntean says.
The placement of the wood on the wall is also a useful retail strategy—it allows the designers and contractors walking the showroom floor to not only see the wood as a flooring product but experience it face-to-face and "touch the beauty," Curry says. In between each column of celtis are strips of pearlized tile that make the texture of the celtis pop, she adds.
Customers don't expect to see much exotic flooring on a wall, much less in a bathroom, Muntean says. "Who goes and does that with a wall? It's a bathroom in my office," she says. The unexpected makes a memorable impression, she adds: "The customers love it."