Shining With Style: The Showroom on Hubbard

nat rosasco • July 27, 2016

It’s difficult to believe we opened our Chicago showroom well over a year ago! Though our previous showroom was located right in the action of our manufacturing space, just west of the city in Villa Park, we now appreciate having the opportunity to be near the heart of the design community. Our building can be found in the River West area of Chicago. It is one of the few to survive the Chicago fire, which, along with our reclaimed furniture, brings a unique history to the space. We worked with Whitney Architects on our showroom design, presenting them with a difficult design challenge: create a space that would not only serve as our furniture showroom, but also hold the dual purpose of being a venue clients could rent out for events. They definitely exceeded our expectations.

Whitney began with mostly white walls, as can be seen in the photo above, creating a blank canvas that allows the rich variety of our wooden furniture and paneling to pop and warm up the space. Neutral walls also make a great jumping off point for those hosting events here, allowing clients to easily bring the vision of their event to The Showroom.

Walnut paneling, walnut butcher block cabinets, wormy beech coffee table

We wanted to display as many of our pieces as we could, in a number of the different styles, species, and stains we offer. However, we didn’t want an overwhelmingly mismatched space. In order to do so, we separated the areas where the paneling is located, having walnut in the sitting area and red and white oak and white wood mix in the men’s and women’s bathrooms respectively. Placing the variety of wooden tables sprinkled throughout the main area creates a satisfying eclectic look, as shown below.

We employ a flexible layout, as we often bring in freshly-designed pieces of furniture so there’s always a new selection for designers and clients to see when visiting. We also have the ability to create the ideal furniture arrangement for the events we host, catering the space to our clients wishes.

This area near the entryway was transformed into banquette seating. The light streaming through the windows allows our 2-top tables to shine.

Hickory table in front, red oak just behind

White oak bar with butcher block cabinets, reclaimed elm table with custom I-beam rolling bases

The white oak bar creates a beautiful focal point in the space and shows off the expert craftsmanship Reclaimed Table offers.

Sycamore, poplar, and walnut live edge slabs

In order to display more of our live edge slab tables without taking up floor space, three of them are hung vertically.

Along with the navy curtain, the slabs also serve as a room divider for our back office.

Because Frank Sullivan, our founding partner, grew up in Chicago, and because we’re located there, we wanted to infuse a sense of the city into the space. Behind the above walnut live edge slab table hangs an original sketch of the Burnham Building on Randolph and LaSalle, drawn by architect Daniel Burnham in 1923. Other pictures of the city, many of which were taken by another of our partners, Jim Ruprecht, hang throughout The Showroom. Here are a couple behind the hickory butcher block table below.

The Showroom on Hubbard has not only grown to be the perfect design center and space for our clients, it has also become our home away from home. Interested in coming to see our products in person? Contact us to schedule an appointment. Wanting to learn more about renting out our venue for your next event? Visit The Showroom on Hubbard website here !

All photos by Jacob Hand Photography

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Inventory Sale

By nat rosasco • January 22, 2019

Reclaimed Table's huge selection of one-off, custom table tops are being sold at deep discounts at our Villa Park showroom. Find the durable tables you need for your next project, at prices you won't come across again!

Client Feature: Oak Tables & Benches for Navy Pier's Centennial Vision

By nat rosasco • July 17, 2018

Chicago’s iconic Navy Pier has always been a popular attraction since it opened just over 100 years ago in 1916. It currently welcomes 9 million guests per year. As explained on the Navy Pier website, the Pier was designed by architect Charles Sumner Frost and was originally based on architect’s Daniel Burnham’s “the People’s Pier” in his 1909 Plan of Chicago . It was originally known as “Municipal Pier,” but was renamed in 1927 in honor of the World War 1 Navy personnel who were housed there. As we blogged about a couple of years ago , Navy Pier has been undergoing renovations in honor of its “Centennial Vision” to reimagine and enhance the pier. While updating the pier with new programming and a greener landscape, this vision has also been attracting more local eateries ( like Tiny Tavern ) and shops, creating a space that’s more inviting to local Chicagoans. After providing pieces for the first phase of the remodel last year, we were pleased to continue to be part of this project for the recently completed phase two. Partnering with Gensler, we provided white oak tables and benches near the main entrance and for the brand new, 200,000 square foot Family Pavilion that features over 50 businesses. Fortunately, these pieces were created not only with their visual aesthetic in mind, but also to impressively withstand this sort of high traffic area. We also built the reclaimed red and white oak blade signs flanking all of the restaurants and shops, which creates a unified look within the complex. Much like the Pier, these signs have an interesting, rich history behind them. The red and white oak wood used to make the signs were actually horse fences on a farm in Mercy County, Kentucky that dates back to the late 1800s. Mercer county was one of the first settlements in the state, and the farm itself, Shawnee Springs, was originally over 2,000 acres. In the 1970s the farm was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. We knew the Navy Pier project was the right one for this specific wood-- historic wood for an historic landmark. (See our other applications of reclaimed red and white oak Kentucky horse fence here .) Check out photos of our tables, benches, and signs at the recently updated and unveiled Pier below. And if you’re in the Chicagoland area, you can check them out for yourselves in person, along with a whole host of entertainment on the Pier. Interested in some durable tables and benches for a high-traffic area? Contact us here to get started on your next project.

Aging Booker's Bourbon: Finding the 'Sweet Spot' for Flavor

By nat rosasco • June 18, 2018

When it comes to aging bourbon, Booker’s small batch bourbon has the process literally down to a science. Currently produced by the Jim Beam distillery, it was Jim Beam’s grandson, Booker Noe, who founded this brand in 1992 with bourbon from barrels he personally selected. According to the Booker’s Bourbon website, Booker was actually raised at a Kentucky distillery and brought his family’s six generations of master distillery knowledge to his bourbon batches. How does Booker’s perfectly age their bourbon? As we pretty much all know, bourbon ages in wooden barrels. When the weather becomes hot and humid, like it does during those sticky Kentucky summers, the wood expands and absorbs the bourbon, allowing for a chemical interaction between the bourbon and the wood. In colder weather, the wood contracts and the bourbon escapes the barrel’s walls. This interaction changes the spirit’s taste and color. The longer bourbon is in the barrel, the smoother the taste, (up to a certain point, that is). Barrels are kept in rackhouses where temperatures can easily be regulated. Rackhouses were originally built out of stone with several wooden floors and an exposed dirt basement to control humidity and large temperature swings. The windows were designed to keep the buildings well-ventilated.