Roto, a leading planning & design-build firm, partnered with the new American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame in High Point, North Carolina, US, to help tell the story of this $150 billion industry. The firm used its design expertise to showcase the details of form, fabric, quality and style throughout the 25,000-square-foot building, exploring all the ways that furniture connects people to make a house a home.
“This isn’t just another showroom,” says Karen McNeill, Hall of Fame Foundation CEO and president of the Board of Directors. “This is a state-of-the-art venue where the entire industry can come together to celebrate our successes, preserve our history, and be inspired.
“It is welcoming and experiential not only for its galleries and exhibits, but also for its integration of the latest technology and its creative combination of large gathering areas and small private spaces.”
Celebrating the history of the industry
In 2020, Roto began its collaboration with the Hall of Fame by creating a creative design appropriate for the new structure, which combines glass, steel, and concrete to reimagine parts of masonry structures typical of early furniture manufacture. The galleries and displays, which are largely geared towards professionals in the industry, chronicle the history of the home furnishings sector’s evolution, including its past, present, and future. They also honour Hall of Fame honorees and their innovations.
Two highlights are the Grand Story Wall and the Dynamic Story Wall, which are two-storey video screens with 36 interlaced digital displays each. They serve as dynamic canvases to spotlight the Hall of Fame’s always-changing stories. The Grand Story Wall, which is visible from the street, also displays event and exhibit information to passing visitors.
Guests can also explore the Presentation Staircase in Celebration Hall, which provides a vibrant setting for sharing and showcasing iconic home decor items that have earned a spot in homes all around the world. Large fabric banners that span the gallery from above provide drama to the setting during special events and seasonal exhibits, when colour-changing lighting highlights the cloth.
The Hall of Fame
The institution’s focal point, the Hall of Fame, pays tribute to the honorees who have had a lasting impact on the development and prosperity of the sector. 246 metal plaques honour the inductees and there are also adjacent kiosks that provide more detailed biographical information.
Additionally, the venue has three lower-level and four upper-level gallery spaces, which offer adaptable options for bigger or smaller shows as well as locations for hosting touring exhibits.
“It was such a pleasure working with the American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Foundation to create this beautiful space to engage visitors in an experience that celebrates an industry that has such an impact on the places we call ‘home,’” says Erek Nass, Roto project director. “We look forward to visitors feeling that sense of comfort as well as being inspired by the trailblazers and innovations that continue to move the home furnishings industry forward.”
It took 3 years to complete this $11.5 million project from the initial concept design through to installation. The facility’s official opening took place in April 2023.
Earlier this month, Roto celebrated the opening of Uniquely Human, a new young-adult-focused gallery at the Kentucky Science Center in Louisville, Kentucky, US. The exhibit is designed for teens and young adults. Through a number of custom-made exhibits and experiences, it explores the intersection of health and humanity and how those connections shape who we are.
