CHARLOTTE, NC – Design house Schumacher has opened a new showroom and boutique in Charlotte, N.C. which includes a to-the-trade showroom experience exclusively for interior designers as well as a separate luxury shop for both designers and others to source smaller items.
The shop tapped Barrie Benson, who is from Charlotte, to design the interior. Company officials say the 3,500-square-foot loft-like space channels Benson’s signature style with compelling juxtapositions of old and new and a tantalizing color palette. It features a terrazzo floor, custom oak cabinetry, antique mirrored walls, and Schumacher’s fabrics and wallpapers throughout.
“It was a natural choice to have Barrie design our new space in Charlotte, a city I have come to know and love,” said Dara Caponigro, Schumacher’s creative director. “I have known Barrie for more than 20 years, meeting her when I was an editor at domino (she was one of our cover girls!). Barrie’s sensibility, with its sophisticated twist on tradition, has always spoken to me.”
The boutique sells antiques, unique home accessories, and gifts including pillows, throws, rugs, baskets, coffee table books, photography, art, tabletop items, and handmade ceramics. Monthly educational and inspirational events will be held to bring together Charlotte-area design lovers along with fun activities including flower-arranging classes, trunk shows, book signings, and workshops for interior designers.
The to-the-trade side will be set up as a design lab with two big open tables, offering designers plenty of space to scheme and shop the 7,000+ fabrics, wallpapers, trims, and rugs.
Schumacher chose Charlotte for its rapidly growing art and design community, recognizing it as an important new hub for interior designers and like-minded individuals with an interest in entertaining, living in beautiful spaces, and self-expression. The shop is located at 301 East Blvd. in Charlotte’s South End. The company has 18 corporate showrooms across the U.S. and Europe and 20 partner showrooms around the globe.