The World Trade Center Retail Floor Plans (Part 1)

The popular home-swap-interior-design show, *Trading Spaces*, concluded its initial run in December 2008 with a Christmas special, having captivated audiences for eight years. The premise involved neighbor pairs exchanging homes for two days, undertaking a room makeover in each other's residences with the guidance of an interior designer and a budget of $1,000. While the homeowners provided the emotional core, the true essence of the show lay in the innovative and sometimes controversial visions of the designers. This article ranks the original eight designers, many of whom reappeared for the 2018 reboot, based on their approaches and the impact of their designs. Doug Wilson is placed near the bottom due to his history of unusual choices and a notable disregard for clients' preferences, exemplified by the infamous "prisoner of love" bedroom and a covered fireplace. His designs were often deemed strange rather than interestingly creative. Kia Steave-Dickerson is also positioned low, with a memorable critique stemming from a "graveyard room" design, suggesting a rule against overly morbid themes in home decor. Edward Walker, while pleasant, is noted for his lack of distinctive or memorable designs, failing to leave a lasting impression on viewers. Frank Bielec, despite his amiable personality, is acknowledged for a recurring preference for chicken-themed decor, which, while endearing to some, might not universally appeal. Laurie Smith is described as a source of “Southern sunshine,” consistently delivering tasteful, though somewhat conservative, designs that were generally well-received. Genevieve Gorder, despite a memorable misstep involving moss on a wall, is recognized for her creative and ambitious approach. Her designs, even when unconventional, demonstrated an original consideration for the client's space and needs, showcasing a willingness to take risks. Vern Yip consistently delivered elegant, classy, and thoughtful designs, earning him a top spot for his talent, efficiency, and consistent consideration for homeowners. His faultless execution made him a reliable choice for aesthetically pleasing outcomes. Hildi Santo-Tomas presents a complex case, occupying either the highest or lowest rank depending on the criteria. While her designs often resulted in unhappy homeowners, such as the hay-stapled walls, the upside-down room, and a mosaic of her own face, she undeniably provided the most dramatic and unforgettable moments on the show. The article argues that viewers often watched *Trading Spaces* for the thrill and imaginative, avant-garde, and sometimes horrific designs that Hildi delivered, making her superlative in a category all her own, albeit a controversial one. The final assessment encourages viewers to apply their own *Trading Spaces* DIY spirit to determine her ultimate placement. #TradingSpaces #InteriorDesign #HomeRenovation #RealityTV #DesignersRanking #HomeDecor #TVShowReview #TLCShow

Color walls, merchandising displays designed to showcase a wide range of colors and style options for flooring products, are increasingly being utilized to attract consumers and facilitate the sales process for both soft and hard surface flooring. These displays aim to simplify the shopping experience for consumers and retail sales associates (RSAs) by presenting numerous options in an organized and accessible format. Mohawk Industries, for instance, has evolved its color wall approach. Previously offering a limited number of styles across many colors, their current color walls typically feature eight to 12 styles in multiple weights, constructions, and colorations, all sharing an expansive colorway. These displays often include 60 to 80 color options. Mohawk's core strategy is to provide a simplified shopping experience, and for 2020, they highlighted SmartStrand Silk with an interactive anchor display targeted at 2,000 premier retailers. This SmartStrand Silk Destination display features over 40 styles in various constructions, colorations, and weights, a significant departure from earlier, smaller merchandising formats. Mohawk's objective is to emphasize the product's unique attributes, design, and style, offering dealers an exclusive method to attract consumers and comprehensively present the product narrative. Similarly, Shaw's "Color that Speaks to You" display is an updated version of their Anso color wall, initially introduced in 1997. This iteration showcases 138 colors, including solids, tonals, and accents, and is exclusive to the Shaw Flooring Network. It also provides 20 color options in three coordinating small-scale patterns. The display incorporates "Designer Pick" colors, curated based on best-selling options and current design trends, to help consumers narrow down their choices. Consumers can also select their preferred plushness level and enhance their flooring investment with LifeGuard Spill-Proof Backing. Shaw emphasizes that the color wall serves as a showroom destination within their Flex Merchandising system, characterized by clean, white lines and an inviting lighting system, designed to simplify the carpet buying process. Coretec The Original offers a curated selection of 48 styles, exclusively available at Shaw Flooring Network (SFN) retailers. This 100 percent waterproof collection includes four distinct grain patterns, each available in 12 popular shades. The interactive display incorporates a large monitor to facilitate consumer decision-making by simulating an online experience for comparing styles and colors. The display also provides take-home samples for all 48 product options, along with trims and transition boards located behind the main sample panels, to help finalize the selection. While color walls occupy more retail floor space than standard wing displays, manufacturers assert that this is a key factor in their success. Mohawk’s Harry Scott notes that their productivity can be two to three times higher than smaller displays, making them a valuable destination display for attracting consumers. Mohawk continuously tracks placement numbers, productivity per style, and overall sales volume generated by these displays, committing to ongoing innovation in this area. Shaw’s Teresa Tran reports that extensive consumer testing and collaboration with Shaw Flooring Network retailers informed the design and shopping experience of their new color wall. The Shaw Floors color wall has historically been a successful merchandising system, with over 40 million yards of carpet sold through it. Coretec's Kathy Young highlights that monitoring the activation of each placement and SKU confirms the effectiveness of their style and color choices, and ongoing RSA training further boosts interest and conversions. The initial success with Coretec's exclusive aligned program and its WPC specific product assortment has provided an effective innovation platform, delivering solutions for performance and comfort. In contrast, The Dixie Group (TDG) intentionally avoids color walls for its Masland and Fabrica brands due to the extensive color lines—some styles featuring up to 100 shades—which they believe would be overwhelming. Instead, TDG utilizes flip board displays, where units can hold 60 products, each with potentially 100 colors. Fabrica also offers custom color options for as little as 40 yards with a small upcharge. TDG’s marketing vice president, Dan Phelan, explains that their approach focuses on integrating style, design, and color to offer unique products. He notes that consumers, often starting with a basic color preference, can find a higher level of service at specialty stores, where RSAs can assist in locating unique colors within TDG’s lines or even arrange for custom production. #FlooringRetail #ColorWalls #MerchandisingDisplays #MohawkIndustries #ShawFloors #CoretecFlooring #RetailInnovation #ConsumerExperience #InteriorDesign

The article explores the premature deterioration of the floor at the World Trade Center Oculus, a structure that opened in March 2016 and was designed by Santiago Calatrava. Despite its majestic Italian-marble walls and glowing white ribs, which evoke the grandeur of a cathedral and offer commuters a moment of uplift, the floor presents a stark contrast. The white stone slabs are chipped and flaked, with broken corners and dirt ground into the rough spots, making the damage highly visible. Some replaced slabs stand out due to their newness compared to the worn original flooring. The author notes that Grand Central Terminal, a structure 110 years older, has a Tennessee marble floor that, despite billions of footfalls, shows only gentle wear rather than extensive cracks and chips, suggesting it is in better condition than the Oculus floor. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, responsible for the Oculus, acknowledged the wear and tear as part of ongoing facility maintenance, stating that repairing and replacing damaged tiles is systematic. They mentioned a temporary halt in replacement work for the holidays, with plans to resume later in the year, but provided no detailed explanation for the problem. Calatrava’s office declined to comment on the matter. The material used for the floor is Lasa marble, sourced from Italy and imported through Vermont. This marble is known for its pure, uniform white color and slight translucence, and it has been used in European monuments and military grave markers. On the Mohs scale, Lasa marble is relatively soft (3-4), especially when compared to granite (6-7). An architect involved early in the project, Raffie Samach, expressed surprise at the choice of Lasa marble for a public space, citing its fragility, although he conceded its beauty and noted that the Port Authority had vetted material choices for durability. A comparative test conducted by the author revealed that the Lasa marble from the Oculus was significantly more fragile than the Grand Central Terminal’s marble, shedding crystalline crumbs when rubbed. However, the smooth top surface of a Lasa marble sample did not chip easily, raising questions about its in-situ performance. The highly polished, geometrically pure design of Calatrava’s structures means that even minor imperfections appear as damage rather than a natural patina, unlike the more ornate Beaux-Arts buildings where weathering can add to the aesthetic. However, the primary cause of the floor’s deterioration is linked to a radiant-heating system beneath the floor. This system, which circulates warm glycol solution through thin pipes, causes the stone slabs to expand. Due to the limited number and narrowness of expansion joints, the expanding stone presses against itself, leading to shattering. According to Matthew Crawford, a superintendent involved in the floor’s installation and maintenance, the project team rejected recommendations for wider, one-eighth-inch expansion joints with caulking, opting instead for fewer, widely spaced joints to maintain aesthetic alignment with wall joints. Implementing wider joints or a thicker mortar setting bed (which would have limited stone movement and improved durability) was deemed too costly or detrimental to the building's LEED goals (by reducing R-value, or thermal resistance). Crawford also mentioned glycol leaks in the heating system, contributing to brown stains. Evidence supporting this theory comes from the Oculus’s upper levels, which use the same Lasa marble but lack the radiant heating system and are in much better condition. Furthermore, a section of the floor without heating pipes, re-laid by Crawford’s company with a thick mortar bed, remains largely undamaged despite heavy traffic. The Port Authority has seemingly begun to adopt some of these recommendations, with newer replacement stones appearing to be caulked rather than grouted. Repairing the entire floor, including re-honing, is an expensive and ongoing process that will likely result in a patchy appearance until fully completed. The author concludes that during the planning of the Oculus after 9/11, there was a strong desire for an aesthetically perfect and monumental structure, leading to a de-emphasis on practical concerns and long-term durability. This prioritization of beauty over practicality is evident in the current state of the floor, forcing visitors to 'look up' to appreciate the architecture and 'avert their eyes' from the damaged floor. #Oculus #WorldTradeCenter #SantiagoCalatrava #ArchitecturalDesign #UrbanPlanning #BuildingMaintenance #LasaMarble #RadiantHeating #ConstructionFlaws

Restoration Hardware has officially opened its doors at Yorkdale Shopping Centre, launching RH Toronto, The Gallery. This multi-floor design gallery was inaugurated with an exclusive, invite-only party attended by notable figures from various sectors. The event provided a dazzling display of design, gourmet food, and champagne, offering guests an immersive experience within the expansive space. The grand opening fête was characterized by its lavish offerings, including a champagne bar, a caviar bar, chic vodka martinis served in mini Ketel One bottles with an Instagram-worthy ice display, a Bellini bar by Cipriani NYC, and a mojito bar. The four-floor, 70,000-square-foot gallery also features a rooftop patio that provides views of the city’s skyline. Canadian supermodel Coco Rocha was among the many recognizable faces who explored the space, which also attracted prominent individuals from Toronto's arts, fashion, business, and philanthropy communities. Despite being located within a shopping mall, the design gallery aims to create an environment that transcends typical retail expectations. The interior and exterior decor, the skylit courtyard cafe with Venetian plaster walls, heritage olive trees, and a trickling fountain all contribute to an atmosphere of extreme home luxury. The gallery boasts various floors of installations and interiors, highlighted by an opulent showroom featuring an installation of 23 Helix crystal chandeliers. The anticipation for the private party was heightened not only by the intrigue of such a large-scale design space but also by the involvement of a distinguished host committee. This committee included Canadian supermodel Coco Rocha, Ben and Jessica Mulroney, National Post writer Amoryn Engel, architect Alex Josephson, real estate maven Krystal Koo, clothing designer Christie Smyth, and interior designer Colette van den Thillart. The event combined design, sophisticated drinks, and fashion, with music provided by New York DJ Chris Malinchak. Gourmet bites were served by RH Café, a culinary venture led by celebrated restaurateur Brendan Sodikoff. This marks the first time a Restoration Hardware store in Canada has hosted a restaurant, offering an integrated culinary experience for visitors. Guests enjoyed mini doughnuts from Sodikoff’s Doughnut Vault in Chicago and were photographed by renowned photographer George Pimentel, while others captured the event through Instagram stories and photos, making themselves comfortable on the gallery’s beds and couches. The rooftop patio was a popular spot, with attendees like fashion lawyer Anjli Patel remarking on its lush and serene ambiance. RH Toronto represents the first large-scale Restoration Hardware gallery concept in Canada. The project is a continuation of the collaboration between Chairman and CEO Gary Friedman and James Gillam of Backen, Gillam & Kroeger, an architectural firm recognized globally for its design prowess. The grand opening event also served a philanthropic purpose, being held in conjunction with Breakfast of Champions, an annual fundraiser organized by young professionals in Toronto to support underfunded priority areas at The Hospital for Sick Children. #RestorationHardware #LuxuryDesign #YorkdaleShoppingCentre #RHGalleryToronto #GrandOpening #HomeDecor #InteriorDesign #HighEndRetail #TorontoEvents