Muscatine, IA – November, 2009 – Big changes are taking place in the nation’s capital, and they’re not limited to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. The HON Company has revitalized its Washington D.C. showroom, bringing a fresh, modern look to the space that highlights the design and functionality of HON’s furniture.

 

Located five blocks away from the White House, the showroom provided SmithGroup with an ideal setting to showcase the company’s furniture solutions – especially its new flexible panel systems and innovative laminate and veneer lines.

 

“The renovation of our Washington D.C. showroom presents great examples of HON furniture and workplace solutions; and highlights the progressive nature of the HON brand,” said Betsy Hoye, national resource center, advertising and public relations manager. “The showroom’s redesign has turned the space into a flexible, sustainable pavilion that embraces the direction of HON’s new offerings. New design features reflect the future developments of office interiors, showcasing a strong, clean, modern appearance that was conceived and executed in partnership with the SmithGroup.”

 

Hoye continued, “SmithGroup has been a valuable partner in this process, as their teams have designed multiple showrooms – and our recently rejuvenated headquarters building in Muscatine – to better showcase not just our products, but also to incorporate the core values that are integral to everyone at HON.”

 

The showroom underscores the rich local heritage of the D.C. area by incorporating wall dividers which feature maps of several different neighborhoods throughout the city – DuPont Circle, Foggy Bottom, Navy Yard/Near Southeast and Capitol Hill/Lincoln Park. The overall showroom design and the incorporation of these dividers is based on the L’Enfant plan of Washington, which for nearly 100 years has kept a legal height limit of 160 feet on buildings to preserve the broad horizontal nature of the city, allowing light and air to reach the pedestrian level.

 

“The design plan for the showroom is more open, and therefore allows views throughout the entire space and brings more natural light to the whole room,” said Rob Moylan, designer, SmithGroup D.C. “With a unique design for HON that is also specific to D.C., this space now reflects HON’s vision, the feel of a modern showroom and a look that will keep people engaged and coming back.”

 

Another design initiative in the showroom was to “flip” the furniture away from the windows so that all product vignettes are centered in the space. This allows for more natural light to enter the showroom and promotes a more logical circulation flow.

 

The company’s new Vicinity work storage solution is the first product visitors will encounter when they enter the showroom, as it serves as the reception station, demonstrating how it readily adapts to many different environments and work styles. HON’s newest panel system, Abound™, takes center stage in the showroom.  Abound provides a streamlined look with straight lines and crisp edges that complements any office environment. The 6,700 square-foot showroom also houses a number of additional new HON products, including the Announce™ Veneer Line and the Attune™ Laminate Series. A private office furniture line, Announce includes desks, credenzas and storage units that provide complete personalization and improve the productivity of busy executives. Attune is designed for both private offices and open-plan environments, and provides workers with a stylish, contemporary and flexible work area.

 

Other products that have a notable presence in the showroom include HON’s Park Avenue Collection®, Initiate® Panel System, F^3TM seating with ilira® - stretch, Valido series, Perpetual® Lounge and Tercero^TM conference tables.

 

For more information about the newly redesigned Washington D.C. showroom, visit www.hon.com.

 

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The HON Company is a leader in the design and manufacturing of workplace furniture including chairs, files, panel systems, and desks.  Headquartered in Muscatine, Iowa, The HON Company has numerous manufacturing facilities strategically located throughout the United States, and markets its products through a nationwide network of dealers and retailers. For more information please visit www.hon.com.