OLATHE, Kan. — Furniture Mall of Kansas, set to open here in late May or early June, has released a few renderings, photos and other details on what’s to come in the design effort led by Martin Roberts Design. According to Roberts, sprawling pathways will guide shoppers through a natural progression of home furnishings in the 160,000 square foot space, once the home of the former Benchmark Home Furnishings.
Published first in Furniture Today
“Landmarks” like an Amish Barn, café, and large color coded rings will help visitors locate their desired destination, he said, adding that the challenge of designing a space larger than three football fields is creating a comfortable environment.
Furniture Mall of Kansas enters the greater Kansas City market next month with the opening of its showroom in the former 160,000 square foot Benchmark Home Furnishings in Olathe, Kansas.
A rendering the upcoming Mattress Headquarters in the Furniture Mall of Kansas in Olathe, Kansas, which will feature a 15,000 gallon digital fish tank in addition to bedding. The retailer sells Serta, Sealy, TempurPedic, Stearns & Foster and other brands.
A rendering of the interior of the upcoming Olathe, Kansas store shows color-coded rings that will help shoppers find their destinations.
“We tried to truly be sensitive to the multitude of life possibilities customers could be experiencing, apart from shopping,” says Roberts. If a customer needs to take a break, she can have a cup of coffee at the café, he said. Or if the kids are getting antsy, two outdoor patios will provide relief.
In addition to the Amish Barn — which will be home to Amish Impressions by Fusion — the patios and the café, the space will include an interactive 15,000 gallon digital fish tank, designed by Furniture Mall co-owner Jamie Winter, an electrical engineer by trade.
A similar digital tank, where consumers can feed the fish, has been a big hit at the retailer’s first 193,000 square foot Furniture Mall of Kansas, which opened in Topeka in the fall of 2013.
The Olathe showroom in greater Kansas City, like the Topeka mall, will consist of five store banners under one roof: Discovery Furniture, a multi-line mid-priced format; RoomMakers, the family owned retailer’s version of an Ashley Furniture HomeStore; Marling’s Furniture, for upper middle and high-end product; Mattress Headquarters; and Abbey Flooring Headquarters. The Winters have said the goal of their mall concept is to maintain a small store fee and service but with big store selection for consumers.