Luxe Leatherette

Edelman Leather opens its first Chicago showroom in time for NeoCon 2001.

Sheila Kim -- Interior Design, 8/1/2001 12:00:00 AM

Having been represented in Holly Hunt's Merchandise Mart showroom for nearly 10 years, Teddy and Arthur Edelman, the owners of Edelman Leather, decided to heighten the company's presence and identity by opening their own showroom, just in time for this year's NeoCon. Edelman consultant Jack Terrace designed the new 1,800-sq.-ft. space with that promotional sentiment in mind—everything from display table covers to floor tiles made use of Edelman leathers.

"We made special sections so that people would notice that they weren't walking on just any floor," says Teddy Edelman of the leather-tiled floor areas, which they highlighted with the surrounding zones of plain, tinted cement. The furnishings also showcased applications of some of the company's 30 different types of leathers, from a Bright-manufactured side chair in a cream-colored Luxe marble calfskin to a platform and mattress in rich, dark suede. Display tables situated at the showroom's glass façade were finished in a leather with a "sun-drenched" color that Edelman began promoting recently. Even the smallest details, such as pillows on the furniture and a mid-height wall divider, were finished in Edelman leather.

The rest of the company's product line, available in 465 colorways, were displayed on simple and sleek aluminum wall systems, produced by Edelman Metalworks, an architectural metalwork company run independently by David Edelman, the couple's middle son. To show the full spectrum of offerings, leather samples were arranged by color groupings on one wall, and by type on the opposite wall.

The Edelmans' other children, John and Mary, are also part of the family business, in production and international sales respectively. After all, the Edelman Leather motto is that "companies do not make leather, families do."

Construction of the Edelman Leather showroom spanned seven weeks from conception to completion.