Inside the Rise of the “Stealth Showroom”

For the hand-painted wallpaper and fabric brand De Gournay, which just introduced a by-appointment-only pied-à-terre for the Cecil Gurney family in Los Angeles’s Hollywood Hills, physical spaces must be as thoughtfully curated as their products. “The role of brick-and-mortar sites for brands has never had to be so multifaceted in illustrating the tenets that set them apart from the herd—especially for a handmade product, the qualities of which are clearly reflected in the price. Our clients deserve to comprehend the products in the most stimulating context we can demonstrate them,” explains director Hannah Cecil Gurney, whose company previously made headlines for the Paris “apartment” above its St. Germain showroom, where guests and clients are entertained. During Paris Déco Off each January, for example, the space becomes the setting for happenings, from intimate dinners to cocktail parties. The West Coast residence even has programming in the works with a planned exhibition of Pierre Bergian’s artworks slated for Frieze Week in February 2025.

In 1994, when AD100 interior designer Rayman Boozer opened Apartment 48, the subterranean shop on New York City’s 17th Street that more closely resembled a chicly accessorized apartment, little did he know his instincts would pay off. “In the beginning, it was an incredible critical and financial success,” he says. Its pinnacle was before online retail took over and his interiors business of the same name took off. Eventually the interiors business outpaced the store, Boozer says, who shuttered the brick-and-mortar shop in 2011. But his early example taught him an important lesson: “There are different ways to express yourself as a designer without walking around with a portfolio, which is what people did at the time. Many of my longtime clients came from that store.”

That same savvy for animating one’s oeuvre resonates with the likes of Ozemba. “Something our industry could do a better job at is storytelling and contextualizing things for people,” he says. “I think often you get fed a photo of a beautiful light fixture in a beautiful environment and that’s it. We’re trying to build on that context with Quarters.”

And, for Egelund, whether guests walk away from a stay at a Vipp guesthouse—or a visit to the New York City stealth showroom that doubles as her residence—purchasing a soap dispenser or a full kitchen, they feel connected to the brand, and cultivating that loyalty is a win. “Some of our clients have purchased a small product, the bin, 20 years ago, and eventually they buy a kitchen. It could also be the other way around.”

That said, she insists Ian Schrager has nothing to worry about. “The guesthouses are not a great business model,” Egelund says, but that isn’t the point. “It’s about something else. We’re catering to people who will travel to explore interesting design. It’s like showing our pieces in a haute couture setting.”