Home Furnishings & Whole Home Design Center To Open In Barbados

Furniture World Magazine

Dwellings, an 8,500 square foot home furnishings and accessories store and whole home design center designed by New York based GRID2 International is under construction and scheduled to open in November according to the owner, Luis Carrillo. Dwellings’ two-level retail emporium anchors the second building at Millhouse, a destination shopping center that includes leading kitchen and home furnishings retailers on the Caribbean island. Millhouse is located just outside the town of Warrens, the fastest growing commercial area in Barbados. “We wanted to focus on the customer experience in the store,” says Martin Roberts, president of GRID2, whose company conceived a prominent cooking- demonstration island to engage shoppers’ attention. Additionally, a 20- by 20-foot staircase at the store’s core makes the upper floor accessible both physically and visually – a design solution to a cramped stairwell at the store’s rear. “The idea in both cases is to whet the appetite for more,” adds Roberts. After reviewing proposals from three design firms, Carrillo selected GRID2 for their progressive ideas and professionalism. A contemporary offering of kitchen, tabletop, home décor and bed and bath items will reflect the island’s colorful personality, says Carrillo of his new store. “It’s like the Crate & Barrel of the islands,” he adds, which will target local and international residents owning upscale villas on the island. ABOUT GRID2 INTERNATIONAL New York City-based GRID2 is an award-winning team of retail consultants, architects, and interior and graphic designers whose primary mission is to help clients in every consumer segment maximize profits through innovative design solutions. For more information about GRID2 and to review the client list, please visit www.grid2.com Martin Roberts is president of GRID2 and a design industry veteran of over 40 years. Among his commercial successes, Roberts’ most respected work is included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.