In their first-ever showing at theMART, contract furniture provider Hightower received awards for ‘Best Small Showroom’ as well as the ‘Best of Competition’ award.
Hightower was inspired by the new direction of interiors; blurred lines of commercial and the most comfortable elements of domestic and hospitality which play out uniquely in the new space. Remarked Hartkopf, “Workspaces are evolving with more of a hospitality feel and we’re showing how that aesthetic can be relevant and valuable for modern office environments.”
Hartkopf shared a top takeaway for visitors to the space: “‘Scale’ is on display here in a big way; some of our pieces are very large and audiences used to seeing our collection on social media might not realize the true size of some of our designs. Now, they can fully appreciate the impact these designs will have in workspaces as our square footage at theMART allows us to showcase some of our bigger, space-making pieces.”
Keasler shared details Hightower’s Chicago showroom saying, “This was a first for me; I started with Hightower’s furniture and then worked back with the other design elements. For each section, we included living room-type niches so people can stop, sit, look through a coffee table book. We wanted guests to feel warm and welcomed, without the traditional corporate vibe. Hightower’s collections are for commercial spaces but these pieces look like ones you’d select for your home, or see in a hotel—this is a space people will want to linger and spend some time.”
Beyond their own furniture collections, Hightower thoughtfully curated pieces from artisans including Concrete Collaborative (terrazzo and tiles), North Carolina-based Haand (porcelain pottery), Chicago artist Laura Berger (hand printed wallpaper designs), and artist Jen Garrido. Keasler remarked she and her team “searched for beautiful pieces but also considered the inspiring stories of the artists.”
Since starting in 2003, the family-founded and operated company has developed a proprietary collection of domestically produced products while also working with a wide network of global design partners including: Four Design, +Halle, Swedese, Ondarreta, Erik Jorgensen, Most Modest, Frost, and Fritz Hansen Lighting. “All our collections are simple yet thoughtful and this space highlights them perfectly,” said Hartkopf.
