Guhde Flooring America & Design Studio’s stunning new showroom is organized by colors and style within each product category
By Patricia Nugent
Elevating the home remodeling experience has been the mission at Guhde Flooring America & Design Studio since 1957. Having just finished its own showroom remodel, the family is thrilled to unveil a new state-of-the-art merchandising system that makes the design and selection part of the process quicker, simpler, and more fun.
“The new Retail 2.0 display system we’ve installed is clean, inviting and super user-friendly,” says office manager Monica Guhde-Rosa. “People have more room to explore, and the products are grouped by colors and styles within the categories. For instance, if someone loves the look of maple wood, the displays group together complementary products for that. Our clients are already loving the simplified experience.”
Experts in the One-Stop-Shop Business
Since moving in 2021 into the Design Studio located on the terrace level of the Platinum Center, the family has curated an impressive selection of trending lines that check the box of one-stop-shop for kitchen and bath renovation, as well as whole-home overhauls, including flooring, cabinetry, countertops, tiles, lighting, showers, tubs, and hardware.
“With our seasoned group of installers, we can do anything, from smaller jobs like carpet or hard-surface flooring installation, a backsplash, tile accent wall, or basement bar, to taking a home down to the studs and reimagining it,” says sales manager Shawn Rosa.
Monica points out that with the flooring industry especially, the evolution in quality the past several years has been drastic. “For instance, the appearance of luxury vinyl tile and laminates is rivaling that of hardwood flooring. When we show clients samples, they usually can’t tell the difference. And since it’s waterproof and scratch-resistant, homeowners are overall much happier with it.”
Local Leaders in Design Innovation
“Complementing the new showroom, and something we feel sets us apart, is our professional design service,” says Shawn. “With decades of design experience, we’re focused on pinpointing a client’s unique style, then taking it to the next level.”
This month, the design staff is gearing up for show season, traveling to international shows and industry conventions to bring back to the CLE all the latest and greatest.
“We find these shows to be inspirational for representing emerging trends as well as new product launches,” says Monica.
A Dabble of Dazzling Design
This dramatic, show-stopping whole-home renovation in Aurora is one of the most extensive pulled off by the design wizards at Guhde Flooring America & Design Studio last year.
“Our client’s goal was to transform a space that was simultaneously contemporary yet quite dated,” says kitchen and bath designer Jillian Brickman. “They had just downsized from a large, center-hall Colonial to age in place in a more maintenance-free townhome. The desire was to infuse the home with a more traditional vibe, layering warm wood tones with pale grays, whites, and creams.”
In gutting the wide-open, two-story kitchen, taking white laminate cabinetry to the curb in favor of rich and rustic, dark wood cabinetry in a medium cocoa shade, they chose mid-toned engineered hardwood flooring that also runs throughout the main level.
“The homeowner may be traditional, but their taste is refined and sophisticated, so we suggested creating custom Stanton area rugs with an abstract feeling that would pull in the dark grays and browns from the cabinets and earthy granite countertops,” Jillian adds.
The footprint of the former kitchen was awkward. “Even though the island was large, it didn’t accommodate for seating,” she says. “We designed a streamlined rectangular version that allowed for us to accommodate a 16-inch overhang on two sides of the island for ample seating.”
Black stainless steel appliances and range hood blended with the cabinetry beautifully. And to lighten things up, they selected a highly reflective, cream-colored, glass tile backsplash. The piece de resistance for the main floor? A breathtaking, custom-designed cylindrical glass light fixture from The Glass Asylum.
“We often coordinate with other trades to bring our clients’ vision to life and lend an artful, one-of-a-kind touch to the finished spaces,” she says.
The master bath also presented challenges, namely a massive Jacuzzi tub with built-in surround and the toilet sitting awkwardly next to it.
“We replaced the tub with a much smaller sculptural freestanding tub, built a large, curbless shower, and created a private water closet,” says Jillian.
New carpet throughout the upstairs, remodeled laundry room and guest bathrooms, and building a soaring stacked stone fireplace in the family room round out the scope of work.
The entire home renovation took about a year from design to installation, and the homeowners couldn’t be happier with their glamorous new digs.
Guhde Flooring America & Design Studio is in the Platinum Center, at 7200 Center Street, Suite 100, in Mentor. Access and parking are in the rear of the building. Backed by the buying power of a 500-store nationwide retail flooring group, Guhde Flooring America offers its clients some of the lowest prices, best warranties, and widest selection in the industry. Call 440-639-1990 or you can visit GuhdeFlooringAmerica.com for more information.