Inside A Luxury Remodeler’s Kitchen Showroom Design for the 1%

Aaron Horner
So most remodelers build a showroom that displays the material selection so they can provide for their clients. But a few weeks ago, I drove down to Roswell, Georgia and filmed a walkthrough of Rainy Blair Weidmann showroom. And upon doing so, I noticed that their showroom felt entirely different from all the other remodeler showrooms I had been in before. And I wanted to know why. So today I’m sitting down with Rainy Blair Weidmann’s co owner and head of sales, Peter Rainey, to get a behind the scenes look at his showroom design. We’re going to be talking about the kitchen showroom design philosophy behind their new space.

Aaron Horner
Common mistakes that many remodelers make when designing their showrooms, and the most important things you need to include in your showroom to make high end homeowners walk in and say, yeah, there’s something different here, even if you don’t have the same scale or budget for your space. So let’s jump in.

Peter (Walkthrough)
How you doing? I’m Peter Ranney with Randy Blair Weidmann, head of sales. Excited to take you through a tour of our showroom today. Come on in. All right, welcome to our showroom. You’re going to see a lot of working examples here, starting with tongue groove on the ceiling. We call this the patio or the porch. We have stone on the floor, we have some water table stone on the wall over there. Just a lot of working examples so you can see what it actually looks like installed.

Aaron Horner
Okay, so first thing is immediately on coming in, there’s, you have a bunch of different spaces, whereas most showrooms are basically just some design selections and then a few conference tables for people to talk at. Can you tell me why you guys decided to do the spaces themselves, like breaking up, like having a patio specifically?

Peter (Live)
I think most people get carried away with like showing all the options and that’s the exact opposite of what we want to do. We want to show very curated selection and really more importantly, showing the product installed and actually in use. We want our space to feel like a home, right? And so when you go to a home or a house, you walk up to the porch or through the patio or right, this kind of feeling. So I would hold it, you know, like a front door, so to speak, but want to elicit those emotions and that feeling of a space that was a house, cool thing.

Peter (Walkthrough)
As you first walk in, we have a panoramic door and this is a really unique door system. So this is like the entry door to get in and out obviously as daily use. But this one’s unique because these panels all individually slide over so you can create a really cool opening pretty quickly. Really in a matter of like a minute or so, you go from a completely closed off window system totally open. Great for basements, great for like connections out to decks or patios or something like that. This is really probably a smaller door. Typically these are much larger, 10, 15, 20ft long. So you can have really wide openings and you can rearrange the panels however you’d like to have them.

Aaron Horner
Are you showing them like these demos every single time? Like, hey, here’s the demo of the sliding door.

Peter (Live)
I mean, literally the same way we walk through and did the video and how the video is portrayed. That’s pretty much how we do our walkthrough with everybody. I think bowling down to every interaction we have, certainly with a prospect, but ultimately with a client is we want to show that we’re different without saying we are different. And so having working examples and you know, the type of vehicle you drive to ourselves, the way we dress, the way we speak, the way we interact, this kind of everything to where it just is like this place is different. And maybe they understand and see why it’s different or they’re just like, this place is different. I need to learn more and understand more.

Peter (Live)
But really, I think every showroom is an opportunity for remodelers and design build pokes to show the client without saying to the client, this is how our space is clean because we keep clean job sites. Our space is well installed because we care about construction standards. I think that’s really the most important thing is like show your clients what you’re capable of and the creativity you can have.

Aaron Horner
Yeah.

Peter (Walkthrough)
So as you come into our showroom, what you’re going to see is we have a lot of cool examples of different things you can do. And we brought in be really intentional to show you how they look while they’re installed and so you can feel, touch, see and interact with the things before they actually get installed into your space.

Peter (Live)
Oh, there’s a panelized dishwasher right there. Every time I show someone, they’re like, that is crazy. Like I have to have that. The canister with the knife and the cutting boards and all the stuff. Like people don’t know what’s, what actually exists out there. It sounds weird, but like we take it for granted, remodelers, like that’s our job as remodelers, to show them what exists, whether they buy it or not, it doesn’t really matter. You know, it’s like, oh, this company can think of things that are a little bit different. Really hitting at the heart of why they’re buying a remodel and allows them to see like, oh, there’s other things that are possible.

Peter (Live)
So they may not get the fancy dishwasher at the pull out, but it may lead to some other thing where you can introduce them to some other concepts from other product that may help their. Help solve their problem better.

Peter (Walkthrough)
So we did here with the white oak, instead of just having a door, we actually built a 12 foot long working sample. So you can see exactly what the white oak and see all the different variety you can get with the white oak. Obviously it’s very popular. People love it’s a beautiful wood. And really begin to see what it could look like in your house. Along with that, we have a Cambria countertop. Really beautiful countertop. This one has a lot of heavy veining. Some people like that, some people don’t. That’s okay. That’s why we have it installed here, so you can see it for yourself.

Peter (Live)
You also notice too, we have homogeneous displays. It’s like all the walnut cabinets, all the green cabinets. I vehemently against having a green cabinet, a gray cabinet, a blue cabinet, a stain cabinet. Right. For this example. Right. You know there’s six doors, right. We got six different door styles, colors, this, that it’s. You wouldn’t do that in your house. Don’t do it in a showroom. We buying a remodel. So emotional. This is a totally irrational spend. Why would you spend $200,000 on a kitchen when your kitchen is perfectly fine? You can cook food for your family and your kids, stuff like that.

Aaron Horner
I see. So you’re saying people are treating their showrooms very rationally, saying like, here’s all the different selections and let me make sure that you logically see all the different options. And you’re saying you need to treat it more emotionally by showing them, here’s a white oak. Here’s one of the most popular selections right now.

Peter (Live)
Exactly.

Peter (Walkthrough)
Okay. Transitioning to the main space, we have a couple different meeting areas. First being the island, eight seats. We do a lot of internal team meetings here. We’ll also do some client meetings here, potentially especially if you like big samples, stuff like that. The really the kind of the crown jewel of our whole design center here is our vibe board. And so what this is, it’s basically a giant iPad on the wall. And we have a lot of Interaction not only internally with our design team, but also with all of our clients. So we’ll bring you here, we’ll present the layouts to you, and the real fun thing is pull the pin out of my pocket. So as we’re talking about stuff, you know, okay, we actually want to, you know, move the stairs, call it over this way. Or actually let’s.

Peter (Walkthrough)
Instead of having the toilet there, let’s move the toilet over here. So this is a really unique, fun way that we’ve. We’ve been able to enjoy working with our clients. So.

Peter (Live)
Well, we. We’ve already updated since you’ve been here two weeks ago.

Aaron Horner
Oh, really?

Peter (Live)
The vibe board has been massive. It’s, it’s a really, really impactful tool internally and externally with our team of clients. And I think the biggest improvement we’re trying to make is the very few people actually, like, we really strongly encourage them to come interact with the board. Me, like, usually our team would sit on the couch and the clients would sit in these two chairs kind of in the forefront of the shot. Yeah, right. And just there was like a distance, you know, so there’s a physical separation. So we wanted to change the CD configuration around this to elicit more collaboration, more conversation. We’re going to bring in like this chat, conversation table kind of thing. So it’s round. We’ll be facing each other when we start the meeting, but we’ll also be physically closer to the board.

Peter (Live)
We want every space to have a, like, very direct, purposeful, like, way to interact with each other. And this didn’t feel like that. So those are the things that as remodelers, we know inherently. Like, we know space, we know how to make space, change space. Let’s bring that to our showroom too, and bring up to the interaction with the client.

Peter (Walkthrough)
Let’s move back to the other room. Our last meeting space for cl.

Peter (Live)
Yeah, yeah. This one’s unique, right. Because we need. We use that. It’s a frame tv. And, and you’ll see it’s displaying art. We do not display pictures of our work. Right. If you want to see pictures of our work, that’s why CGN made our website beautiful. They can see all the pictures of our work. We want to display a level of sophistication, like a something different. Right. Like. And it’s also beautiful. Right. It’s like, it’s nice to look at.

Peter (Walkthrough)
This is pretty intentional room. We built this table actually custom. It’s not rectangle, it’s not square, it’s Set so we can actually present things on TV about the project, pricing, etc. But also set up where we actually look each other and have conversation as we’re discussing the project. Things we should do, things we should avoid. All the good stuff to make sure we have successful modeling project with you.

Peter (Live)
We had one of our vendors who does cast concrete make this for us. So you kind of, you have the best of both worlds, viewing the TV when we’re displaying stuff to them and actually having like the ability to converse with each other face to face.

Aaron Horner
How do you guys approach conversations around these investments? I would think some people, that seems like a large step, making a custom table. Is it worth it? They have other expenses to worry about.

Peter (Live)
Well, I mean, we don’t like you talking about selling this, like this idea, this table to them or just in general for modeling.

Aaron Horner
Not to clients, but like yourselves, like amongst the three of you, how do you make those decisions? How do you weigh pros and cons?

Peter (Live)
Well, someone’s got to be in. Someone’s got to be responsible, right, for said thing. And I am responsible for the showroom as the sales person of the company. So it’s my responsibility to make sure the showrooms clean, updated, right the way that I think it should be. But you know, certainly I’m going to bring some things back to my business partner and go, hey, this is what I want to do, right? Like, I wanted to buy new furniture. We’re getting towards the end of the year. And Scott says, well, how much budget do we have left for our showroom upgrades? Like, well, I don’t know. So I had to go figure out how much money we had left to spend. And we had like 1200 bucks or something. I think after we’ve done some stuff this year.

Peter (Live)
So it’s like, great, we can get all the things we need for $800.

Aaron Horner
So prior to making these decisions, having the right infrastructure and budgeting in the company, then that makes it decisions easy. That makes sense.

Peter (Live)
But like anything, it’s like the. The why, how, what, right? Most people sell. Like if you think about the bullseye, the whys in the middle, the how we do it, then the what most people sell the what, right? Oh, the fancy this, the fancy that. Like we have the what, that’s fine. But the like you drive it into the why. Like why people buy certain brands, you know, or why people buy remodeling from us or what, like all this stuff, right? So like, I think what we’re really trying to hit is like why work with Randy Blair Weidman. Right. And it’s not. Oh, let me sell you on why you should come here and experience and that coming to the showroom is a 100% necessary step with all of our new clients. It’s not. It’s not a skippable thing.

Peter (Walkthrough)
Come on back. This is more of the office side. Save the bessel for last. Welcome to our design library. The goal of this design library is where we can make most, if not all, the selections with you here. So we’re not asking you or requiring you to run around town, go to this place, go to that place. We can come here, work with a designer, make all the selections you need. So we have the countertops, cabinets, tile, everything. When you work with us, you just.

Aaron Horner
Mentioned suppliers and stuff. Do you guys get deals from suppliers to have their products in your showroom?

Peter (Live)
We tell our clients, and we do. We pass on the. We pass on our manufacturer’s discount as a showroom. Right. We are. Like, for Bridgewood or these other cabinets we carry. Right. We’re getting a better cost than having to buy through another cabinet supplier. We pass those costs on our clients. We don’t mark up our clients any additional. Right. We get our markup and margin everything through our regular pricing exercise.

Aaron Horner
Okay, so you have a good relationship with Bridgewood, but there’s no special. Like. Like these cabinets here that you put in at the beginning on these. Like, you’re not telling clients, this is Bridgewood. You aren’t getting a special deal with Bridgewood for having a big display of their cabinets in your showroom.

Peter (Live)
No, I mean, I. They. You know, they listen to this. They probably not be happy. I’d say this, but no, I. I don’t care that I sell Bridgewood or pick any other cabinet brand. I care that I’m taking care of my client. And it’s not my job to sell Bridgewood. It’s my job to make sure my client gets the best product for their project. Now, Bridgewood we like working with. They’re a good company. Right. They produce good products for us. But, yeah, that’s secondary. My first job is take care of my client. But those cabinets are Bridgewood. If client asks, like, hey, these are Bridgewood. They’re made in Kansas. This, that, and the other, like, you know, right now we’re experiencing tariffs. Our other main cabinet companies, like Canada. So, yeah, we’re gonna explore our US Options more.

Peter (Live)
Again, what’s good for the client if I can get a product for the same product for less money? Yeah, I’m going to sell that to the client for sure, you know, why wouldn’t I?

Peter (Walkthrough)
When you work with us, you’ll be assigned a designer, specifically not only for your conceptual development, but also the finishes, helping you pick all the materials and colors to really make sure your whole design is brought to life. Thanks for coming by the showroom. This concludes the tour. Hope to see you guys soon.

Aaron Horner
I have a few other questions from the group here. First one being, do you have any idea of like ballpark price of what you guys are investing in your showroom? Like what kind of budgeting you’ve set aside for this.

Peter (Live)
Through? I think our current budget I have to double check, but I think we budgeted like 12 grand for next year for kind of upgrades. It’s in pretty good shape. We’ve been talking about doing Dan’s special, the retractable backsplash right there. So you walk in Alexa, raise the backsplash and it starts going up.

Aaron Horner
Oh, that would be sweet.

Peter (Live)
Yeah, we budget 12 grands for next year and probably total invested. I mean we’re probably, I don’t know, 150, give or take over the years we’ve been in this space four or five years, something like that.

Aaron Horner
And is it just that you guys are at a more stable point in business? You guys have more infrastructure to invest this kind of money in a showroom? Or do you think other people just don’t have the same amount of buy in that you guys have or the importance of having a space like this?

Peter (Live)
That’s a good question. I mean, certainly you’re in our case, our landlord approached us and said, hey, your neighbor’s moving out. Do you want it? But we didn’t need it at the time. You know, it was like probably a reach financially for us to take on that kind of rent. We don’t own the building, if that’s the question too. We don’t. We do not own the building. I’d love to, but just that’s very expensive. Not really doable for us in the area. But it’s. When you think about like what Randy Blair Weidman sells, it’s probably similar to what a lot of other design build companies sell, but at the same time. Right. We live in an area that can support the type of thing that we are looking to sell people.

Aaron Horner
Right.

Peter (Live)
So that’s important. You know, if you’re in Anchorage, Alaska, I’ve never been there, but like, you know, there’s 500 people, you know, can you have a show, remodel, design, remodeling I don’t know, maybe not right, but we’re in a major metropolitan area, the biggest city in the southeast, you know, just north of Atlanta. And so that’s, that’s part of it. But I don’t know, it could be. I think a lot of us in our industry, you know, myself included, for various topics, like we have head trash around certain things, like, oh, people won’t come to my showroom, people won’t drive here. And really people are looking for an approach. They’re looking for a professional that has, where you can show them how you’re going to help them have a successful remodel.

Peter (Live)
Ideally, all our jobs are as close to the office as possible because we can best serve those people. But people come up from Atlanta. I mean, that’s a 45 minute drive or more sometimes for traffic. Think about anything you buy that is as meaningful financially or meaningful for your life. I mean, you’ll drive far.

Aaron Horner
Okay. Okay. Yeah, that makes sense. Next question here is if you guys. So like you said, you have a large space, like you have a much larger space than the other showrooms I’ve been in. If you had a smaller space that you had to make work, what things would you prioritize in a showroom? Like, what spaces have been the most impactful?

Peter (Live)
Well, the room that’s in the shot right here I would definitely say is important because that’s the primary space that we meet with our clients.

Aaron Horner
Okay.

Peter (Live)
So I would say that space in the shred lounge, as we call it.

Aaron Horner
Okay, okay. So, but those back two rooms, that’s that like if you just had a smaller space, that’s what you prioritize. The collaboration of the table or the screen where you guys can work on things together in a separate meeting room.

Peter (Live)
Yeah.

Aaron Horner
What about. So one of the things you didn’t mention there is having like room for materials and displays and things like that. You would, you would consider all that secondary to having like designated meeting spaces?

Peter (Live)
I mean, I think if you have room, I think that could make the list. But if you have those other spaces. Right. You can store your materials somewhere else potentially. But I say storm, but like I would say neatly organized in a place, you could invite the client. I think clients love. It’s like anything, right? It’s like if you’ve ever been a mechanic and the mechanics like, hey, come out to the shop and like, let’s stand on your car and look at it, you’re like, oh, I’m Getting like VIP backstage thing. When you invite a guest over to your home.

Peter (Walkthrough)
Right.

Peter (Live)
You know, I’ll just go sit out in like the junkiest room I have and, you know, I’ll be with you in a second, you know, kind of thing. It’s not. You invite them in, you offer them a coke or water or, you know, popcorn, whatever. You, you know, offer them gifts and drinks, and you want to make sure they. They’re comfortable and have a good experience.

Aaron Horner
So anybody else watching this video, if you had one piece of advice to give them on their space, their showroom.

Peter (Live)
I went to another space, Josh Nelson’s, about a month or so ago. If you. You got. It’s. And his space is like, blows my space away, I feel like. Right. Oh. And I had total space envy. Right. But it’s like, it’s okay. His space is my space and your space will be different. But I say make sure you do it, like, with whatever your intention is. Again, back to, like, the why. How? What? Like, make sure you know why you’re not just mimic mine or mimic someone else’s. Right. Like, have intention around, like, why? What are you trying to accomplish? And really driving that to your client.

Aaron Horner
Yeah. I mean, my main takeaway, like, going into this conversation, I definitely knew about your guys approach about the different spaces and the intended thing of like showing a big showcase instead of a bunch of little samples. But I didn’t know how much you guys thought about the intentionality of when somebody comes in, this is what they need to be feeling. And here’s how. We need them to functionally use this space. And designing everything with the why in mind, that’s new to me, which makes sense now that you say it. I just didn’t know that was so intentional for you guys. That’s great.

Peter (Live)
Yeah. But I’m sure you felt it.

Aaron Horner
Yeah, Right.

Peter (Live)
When you were there and people told us unsolicited, hey, this feels like a house.

Aaron Horner
Yes.

Peter (Live)
Thank you. Appreciate it. You know, that was the intention.

Aaron Horner
Yeah, that’s great, dude. Thank you again for your time. I think this will be super helpful for people.

Peter (Live)
Yeah, good.

Aaron Horner
Yeah.

Peter (Live)
Hopefully it sparks some people’s ideas.