For clothing and furniture retailers, showrooms offer inviting spaces where visitors can be immersed in their brands. More akin to galleries than retail storefronts, these appointment-only places are intended to cultivate a rapport with seasoned buyers, not provide eye candy to walk-in customers. To achieve their unique goals, designers of the following trio of showrooms combined a muted palette, targeted lighting, and a flexible floor plan to create interiors that allow products to shine.

Montalba Architects had specific aims for the showroom of premium denim brand Citizens of Humanity: The space needed to enhance the clothings’ neutral color palette, function as a work studio for company designers, and serve as a venue for PR events and fashion shows. “We had to create a simple backdrop that wouldn’t compete with the product,” explains principal David Montalba, “but rather let it be about the product.”