The showroom of hardware manufacturer Blum in Avondale, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland has always been something of a pleasant surprise: its abundant natural light and expansive view mark it as a different sort of space to the usual. With a faintly industrial feel – steel and concrete – it is an excellent showcase for the brand’s hardware, paired with knowledgeable, on-hand staff to guide you through.
But even the best spaces need updating, and 12 years on, Blum has just spent several months refitting the entire thing. “It was time for a change,” says Tania Bailey, specification consultant at Blum, who worked alongside a team of experts on the refit. “Globally, showrooms have evolved to demonstrate how our fittings can be used across the entire home – not just kitchens.”
Because, while the Austrian brand’s award-winning hardware is most commonly associated with kitchens, its entire range can be used in multiple areas – from wardrobes to laundries, home offices to living spaces. In essence, you can use it anywhere you want better storage, and a more ergonomic design.
Additionally, in the past 12 years, the brand has launched a number of new products, including Revego, a space-saving pocket-door system. The door panels slide back and out of sight with a light touch, enabling you to hide functions, and introduce multiple work areas in one space.
At Blum’s showroom, this finds its home most obviously in a new hero kitchen. With dark timber and moody tones, it provides contrast to the lighter spaces elsewhere. “It’s a working kitchen designed to host group activities, including cookoffs, across four workstations,” says Bailey. “It was designed to feel refined, yet robust – beautiful, practical and capable of supporting multiple uses without compromise.”
The showroom has a clear, intuitive flow. You arrive in reception, move through product displays, before arriving at an island kitchen for a coffee, then moving through to the working kitchen. It also features an inspirational space with products across a wide range of standalone applications, including laundry and office.
Crucially, Blum has also moved its Kitchen Test Drive area, where kitchen designers and homeowners can experience a 1:1 model of their prospective kitchen design, allowing them to trial its functionality in real time. The new, improved space allows you to build and test kitchens with wall runs of up to 10 metres long.
In all, it’s a welcome update. “We wanted the showroom to deliver a more emotional and inspirational experience,” says Bailey, “one that helps visitors immediately connect with the possibilities of the products, rather than simply viewing them as components.”
Blum
621 Rosebank Road, Avondale, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland
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