To accomplish this kind of interaction, we designed and fabricated 75 custom sample boards so that their clients could pull out a panel, get up close, and directly handle the material. Each sample board is made of UHMW material or "puck board" and cut out on our CNC machine to create a unique shape with a built-in handle. Our fab shop mounted the samples to each board, and labels were designed and printed out that stated the name, type, and colour of the product.
Now, where do all these sample boards live? A 14ft x 5ft custom cabinet piece with drawers explicitly designed to house the samples. This cabinet is the showroom's centrepiece and has lots of unique features. The inside of the drawers have specifically sized slots built so the sample boards can easily slide in and out. Each panel is perfectly spaced apart from each other so that the sample materials are not squashed or scratched. We made the drawer faces out of a white Corian for a high-quality, polished look. A dark grey Corian countertop with a touchscreen inset in it was installed and polished to perfection. The touchscreen lets clients access more information about the physical samples below.
To top things off, each wall and window was labeled with product signage that was rear mounted to Plexi and attached with sleek stand-off hardware. This showroom project was one of a kind and we're very much looking forward to working with Ply Gem and Mitten again in the near future.