Why make a showroom when you can make a showhouse? This wasn’t the original plan for Eric Brand to display his Juniper collection in China, but it turned out to be the best one.
Some accidents are indeed happier than others. In 2013, Eric showed up at the XingYe mall in the Guangdong province to check in on his Juniper showroom. It turned out that his space was being used otherwise, so in order to make up for it, the mall offered a much larger space in one of its ample atriums where Eric could do whatever he wanted. Immediately, ideas began percolating.
By October, plans had begun on Eric’s bold vision: an entire house made of glass that would be decorated exclusively with Juniper. The intention of the project was to create the sensation of peeking into a real home, which would enable people to imagine themselves living the Juniper lifestyle, as well as introduce Juniper to the Guangdong market at large.
Working in close collaboration with Allison Foto, AIA, Eric meticulously designed the two floor structure, complete with a rooftop garden. They both agreed that one of the principal attractions for the entire exhibit top to bottom would be its flow. Eric and Allison wanted to create an inviting space people could enjoy whether they were inside or out. Every angle, every perspective, needed to yield new and compelling appreciation.
High quality finishes, stone slab, metal work, and enormous panes of glass were utilized to bring this unique vision to life. Significant time was also spent on the decorations and accessories – everything from the art to the carpets were comprised of Juniper China’s “Cosmopolitan” collection. The products and their colors were chosen specifically for the Chinese market to work well with many styles, a concept we know of as “transitional.” In this way, the Glass House brought the Western culture and concept of lifestyle living to China.
Eric and Allison oversaw a team of dedicated builders and craftsmen for three months until the structure’s grand opening in September 2014. The response was overwhelmingly positive – no one had seen an entire transparent house created from scratch within a mall as a retail showcase home. People loved visiting the different rooms and seeing how each one gracefully unfolded into the next.
This prototype served as the ultimate marketing tool for Eric Brand’s Juniper collection, and it was just the beginning. Moving forward, Juniper China plans to enter the hospitality business in a much bigger way, while still maintaining a lifestyle residential presence.
It turns out, sometimes more is more.
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ERIC BRAND
Founded in 1996 and based in San Francisco, Eric Brand offers custom-styled furniture and worldwide sourcing along with exquisite materials and finishes, specifically for the high-end residential design market and hospitality industry.
JUNIPER
Named after the fog-licked Juniper trees on the hills of San Francisco, Juniper is an in-stock furniture collection by Eric Brand reminiscent of the Art Deco movement in Paris that pays homage to timeless materials, techniques and silhouettes – brought to life through expert craftsmanship.