When it comes to kitchen and bath design trends, the urban mindset isn’t just for urbanites anymore. The pace and style of big cities clearly have an effect on the design preferences of those residents, but increasingly, they are also influencing those who work in the city and then head home to surrounding areas and suburbs.

Urban Homes, a kitchen and bath showroom in New York City designed for the urban cabinet market, is looking to capture both audiences with its upscale contemporary designs. Located on 11th Avenue, the showroom is near the Lincoln Tunnel, which connects Manhattan with the suburbs of New Jersey.

“It’s an up and coming neighborhood, and we get a lot of traffic outside,” comments Derek Zylewicz, president, Urban Homes. “People see us when they’re driving in their cars, and they come back for a look.”Style in a Small Space
Due to the showroom’s compact size, maximization of display space was paramount, according to the company. The overall design concept on the 1,000-sq.-ft. ground floor was based on creating a centralized piece that would tie the entire space together.

Architect Matthew Berman the principal of Workshop APD (New York–based firm Workshop/APD recently won the Global Green competition to design new sustainable housing in New Orleans) who designed the showroom, laid out the main floor space in a circular pattern that revolves around a full kitchen display in the center. The surrounding displays are small kitchen vignettes – in styles from ultra modern to extremely traditional – that each include two base cabinets and two wall cabinets.

“The ceiling, we have a ribbon of about 150 kitchen cabinet doors hanging to create a wave .This runs along the entire length of the floor, the back wall and ceiling, and guides visitors on a circular tour through the showroom. It also provides a unique way to display the showroom’s main product, the firm adds.

“It’s not your traditional showroom, which showcase huge kitchen displays,” remarks Zylewicz. “There is no kitchen display in the front window blocking the view to the inside. And, every display is angled toward the front window. As a result, wherever you are standing outside of the showroom, you can see different layouts when you look in the window. It really shows the variety that we offer.”

The main floor focuses on the company’s central product – cabinets for the kitchen and bath. Among its cabinet selections are products from Italian cabinet manufacturer Aster Cucine, a relative newcomer to the American market, according to Zylewicz. The firm’s cabinets are available in stainless steel, high-gloss lacquered and wood finishes. Canadian cabinet manufacturers Cabinets By Luxor and Kitchen Craft also showcase their products in the showroom. Products from The Hampshire Co. and Cabinets by Nichols Inc. are also part of the mix.

Urban Homes also features its own line of cabinets, Cabinets By Urban Homes. The high-end custom kitchen, bath and furniture-grade cabinets are available in a variety of wood species, stains and paints, with over 100 different door styles to choose from.

Sample Space
One floor down, the showroom’s remaining 500 square feet is a display area that includes tiles, plumbing fixtures, hardware, countertop samples and wood floor samples, among other offerings.

Countertops and vanity tops from CaesarStone and Corian, wooden countertops from Spekva, and granite and marble choices are highlighted on the lower level, as is an abundant tile selection from Dal-Tile.

Selections from Julien and the Whitehaus Collection are the major decorative sink and plumbing options available to clients, though Zylewicz stresses that the company can provide just about any brand requested.

The Urban Homes showroom was designed to draw in passersby who are looking for that dis-tinctive urban look, and its three-person staff remains focused on that goal.