REHAU | Canada Showroom | Montreal

The REHAU Montreal sales office is the Canadian hub for both returning customers and those discovering the wide array of REHAU’s polymer solutions products for the first time. Located in a suburb of Montreal, the sales office is co-located with the REHAU Plant Baie d'Urfé. Premium materials and innovation are core to this plant’s production, but the facility had no place to display the quality products it produces and the additional doors and surfaces REHAU offers.

“Customers come to the plant to see how we produce things, and the only place we had to meet with them was a small, outdated conference room,” according to Jesse Collins, marketing manager with REHAU’s furniture solutions division. “The facilities inside the plant were not up to standard as a place to bring customers,” added Doug Harkless, REHAU sales engineer.

When the company decided it was time to create a modern space that would showcase the company’s top products to customers visiting the 40-year-old facility, Collins and Harkless were joined by Antonio Sacco, REHAU’s regional sales director, to form the project’s design team. In addition to displaying products, the new showroom would be a venue for hosting events to meet and develop further business with designers.

The team chose the plant’s old cafeteria as the ideal site for the new showroom, because of its proximity to the production hall. “The showroom is connected to our edgebanding plant, so it’s easy to bring customers in for a tour,” said Collins.

The team brainstormed ideas for presenting REHAU components in an effective, stylish manner without crowding or disrupting the flow of the space. “We tried to show a mix of the materials that we offer,” said Harkless. “We couldn’t show everything, but we could take a little bit from each category.”

Rather than creating a museum-style showroom, the team designed a kitchen and media room to showcase key REHAU surface and edgebanding products. The kitchen includes countertops, cabinet doors and a backsplash using REHAU's matte surface, RAUVISIO crystal Fumo and Sabbia and RAUVISIO terra Lakefront Elm. In the media room, RAUVISIO crystal Bianco surrounds the TV, while the conference table is made from matte. The showroom also includes areas for displaying surfaces samples as well as other REHAU product lines, such as radiant floor heating and a uPVC door.

The decor demonstrates how the company’s high-end modern surfaces, which include high-gloss, matte, glass, metallic and natural designs, can be combined for maximum impact. The soft matte finish of the matte lends overall comfort to the showroom and is complemented by the shiny RAUVISIO crystal and natural, wooden texture of RAUVISIO terra. Not only is each surface seamlessly stylish, thanks to REHAU LaserEdge technology, but it is durable too. These qualities protect the showroom from wear and tear, keeping the space looking brand new.

Fashion and innovation were the driving forces behind the design, with a particular focus on customer satisfaction. Because the showroom also serves as a conference room, the design team used aesthetics and lighting to their advantage.

“We incorporated more black surfaces and mood lighting, and things that are not traditionally used in REHAU showroom design,” said Collins. “We used lighter lumens for soft lighting, and dark tiles on the roof, and darker concrete on the floor to create a calm, yet interesting environment for customers.”

The final product is impressive, and the showroom has already made big strides on REHAU’s behalf. “The showroom has made a huge difference in the perception of the company,” said Sacco. The office finally has its crowning centerpiece, and cornerstone, that successfully represents the work, ideas and innovation that exist within every REHAU product.