Transforming an industrial building into an exquisite showroom

Founded in 1879, Chown Hardware is the oldest family-owned architectural hardware company in North America. Located in Oregon, Chown offers the best selection of decorative fixtures and it’s committed to providing the best quality products and customer service imaginable.


With the decision confirmed to open a new showroom in Seattle, Chown Hardware wisely chose Weedman Design Partners to create their vision of showcasing products to the Seattle market. Located in Portland, Weedman Design is a family-owned firm with extensive experience in commercial and residential projects across America. Below, we discuss a few highlights from Arielle Weedman’s experience with the Chown project.

engineered hardwood Berkeley Cottage. Chown hardware

The new leadership team consists of the youngest Chown generation who have a much fresher view. They decided to open the Seattle showroom in an industrial-style building in the Soho area. Relying on our expertise to transform the space where they could display the myriads of products they offer, we kept the design clean, bright and simple.

Getting inspiration from the look and feel of the Soho area was key but the space also had to be elegant and modern. We knew we wanted a level of rusticity on the floor but it had to really straddle contemporary and clean with some undertones of warehouse-type esthetics. The engineered Berkeley Cottage oak ticked all the boxes we needed to create the perfect backdrop for the showroom.

Woodpecker definitely stood out among other wood flooring products we have seen and to their credit, we have seen a lot

Berkeley cottage oak

Woodpecker definitely stood out among other wood flooring products we have seen and to their credit, we have seen a lot of wood flooring samples! It’s one of those categories where products tend to look the same… but Woodpecker has something else. We love the good quality, good range and as a designer, I love the fact that I can talk to a real person if I need some information about the flooring.

After the showroom was finished, they all fell in love with the space and the floor. They cannot believe the before and after, that it is the same place! In general, it was an amazing project to work on, and even more so as we all share the same family values.