Video: Division Twelve: a bright, bendy addition to theMart in Chicago
Chicago is an architecture and design mecca; there’s a head-snapping design moment on practically every corner so grabbing attention isn’t an easy ask. That was the challenge for Division Twelve, a new office furniture brand moving into a small 170-square-foot space in the Merchandise Mart building, located just across from Chicago’s iconic Millennial Park. The bendy, lightweight and stackable metal furniture in an array of Pop Art colours represents a new facet of office furniture, and it was important to convey the “irreverent joy” at the heart of the line.
Knowing that the target group was designers, this was a chance for Division Twelve to set themselves apart and create an Instagrammable moment, according to Mardi Najafi, VP, Retail Strategy and Design at Figure3. “Having a strong sense of place, a unique location, environment and culture that’s easily readable as distinct and ownable is how you create that moment — but also how you draw people back,” he explains.
The first steps were literally about first steps: a facade that would catch the eye of designers walking down the corridor of theMART, and how to pull them in. The previous tenant of the space had relied on a standard company logo over the door, but Najafi had to persuade the landlord to let the signage extend into the hallway to hint at the immersive experience within.
For us furniture is the pinnacle of what we do, we want to treat it like art.
Meghan Sherwin
“The shopping journey starts from the outside; we wanted that compelling rubber-neck effect,” said Najafi. “I had been in theMART and no other tenant had extended their brand and signage beyond the lease-line. It’s a multi-storey story building that consolidates architectural and interior design vendors and trades under a single roof, therefore there is a ton of competition.”
To achieve that goal, a vinyl decal envelopes the exterior and gives the compact space a bigger visual presence. The signage is often tipped on its side, running vertically for a funhouse touch that plays with expectations. “One of brilliant things about Mardi’s design was to have a funnel effect into the store. It brings a communal, embracing feel to the brand,” according to Meghan Sherwin, VP Marketing at Keilhauer (Division 12’s parent company). “Designers aren’t trying to peek at furniture through a window, the vignettes work really hard for us and naturally draw them in.”
The entrance decal depicts an upside-down mountain, and exploded versions of a Division Twelve stool spinning through space, hovering from the ceiling and sprouting up through the floor, while a chair is halved like a magic trick. “When I saw this playfulness in the brand’s tone of voice and colour story, I just had to bring it to life. Because of limited space we artfully cut some of the furniture in half and applied it to the exterior niches,” explains Najafi.
Purposely severing a chair is arresting but it also puts craftsmanship on display, tempting designers to examine the perfectly bent metal tubes, modernist design, joints, details and even its welding. “For us furniture is the pinnacle of what we do, we want to treat it like art or jewelry, like it’s incredibly special. But these innovative vignettes showcase the craftsmanship in a different way, breaking the standard convention of furniture presentation,” according to Sherwin. Designers will sit on a chair or stool in a showroom, but they won’t flip it over to examine the construction, workmanship and materials. “This is amazingly simple furniture, but well-constructed. The manufacturing is outstanding,” Najafi explains. “When you turn it over and touch it, you can see it’s built to last a lifetime.”
When I saw this playfulness in the brand’s tone of voice and colour story, I just had to bring it to life.
Mardi Najafi
“The entire showroom is designed to constantly evolve and refresh. The furniture in the niches can be changed as well as the quirky imagery of a rusty mountain range printed on a vinyl mural inside the space,” explains Najafi. “Nature always gets it right,” surmises Sherwin. “The colour combo of scenic photography, part of Cosette’s branding, can be iconic and inspiring. Designers look all over the world for visuals that can spark some creativity. I hope they pick Division Twelve furniture but I also hope the colours speak to them. I love the friction and juxtaposition: nature with our man-made steel furniture is just really visually interesting.”
Another standout design element inside is the bold colour blocking (especially inside niches) that ties in to the palette of the furniture. “Colour sparks emotion,” says Sherwin. “We started with strong, unexpected colour blocking that complements or contrasts and hope that it sparks creativity with designers. Colour is a compelling part of the brand.” A teal wall is simply embellished with a mission statement in raised lettering, creating an art gallery effect.
Crucially, versatility was built in, with space for re-skinning the sidewalls and graphics that can be easily changed up based on marketing. The Division Twelve messaging can constantly evolve to reflect new messaging and product. “That’s a really big element in retail, it needs to be able to be refreshed,” Najafi says.
Next up, elements of Figure3’s design will be on display in Division Twelve’s New York and Toronto showrooms. The future of office furniture in a post pandemic world is a little harder to foresee. Candy-hued, stackable lightweight furniture that can be hastily rearranged to accommodate a shifting, transitory workforce may just be the shot of happiness that employers are clamouring for.
Photography / Daniel Kelleghan
Photography / Daniel Kelleghan
Photography / Daniel Kelleghan
Photography / Daniel Kelleghan
Photography / Daniel Kelleghan
Photography / Daniel Kelleghan
