LAS VEGAS - Vancouver wood component firm Metrie showcased interior finishing based on its extensive millwork profiles and expertise. Applied in kitchen, bath and dining rooms, Metrie is raising the moulding products category from commodity to aspirational design.
Metrie transformed its booth at the IBS Trade Show in Las Vegas to demonstrate how designers, architects, builders and homeowners can use Interior Finishings such as trimwork, doors and mouldings in principle rooms of the home to create impact, achieve design flow and save money.
Building off the success of Metrie’s Then & Now Finishing Collections — what it calls "the first professionally designed, perfectly proportioned and coordinated collections of interior trim and doors in North America," Metrie’s booth used the collections to demonstrate how moulding can drive room design, as surely as cabinetry or furniture.
The space also exhibited the impact architectural trim can have on the feeling and flow of a space.
Metrie, known as Moulding & Millwork until a rebranding at last year's Builders' Show, takes it's new name as a shortened form of the word "geometry," explains Jan Rutgers, who is director of architect designer marketing.
"No one has done anything exciting in these areas, before," says Rutgers. One exceptional room on display, "French Curves," shows shows millwork's potential.
"They can be aspirational fixtures," Rutgers says. "Our philosophy is that the set the stage." Metrie's DNA is rooted in moulding and millwork. The company has thousands of profiles that it has accumulated since it was founded in 1926. The branding of lines, and presentation of inspirational interior decores built around this millwork, helps make the possibilities of so many profiles more accessible.
"The only problem with having so many profiles is the chaos of choice," says Rutgers. "The idea is to tame that chaos of choice with these collections. "We lost the art of building during the construction boom after World War II," Rutgers says, with quick construction and spare interiors replacing the classic proportions of well placed moulding and millwork.
Instrumental in the repositioning of Metrie in the marketplace is Kent Bowie, Executive Vice President.
“It’s been a big year for us between our rebrand, and the most successful product launch in our history," says Bowie. "This year we showcased different use of our Then and Now Finishing Collections to demonstrate how impactful trim and doors can be when applied to the most important rooms of a home.”
Other Metrie booth highlights included visits by celebrity designers Andrew Pike and Amanda Forrest, and interactive areas with touch-screen TV’s where attendees can digitally create and change the look of rooms using architectural trim to suit various decor styles using the ‘Room Styler’ tool (also available on Metrie’s website).
A new door was also launched as part of the Very Square Finishing Collection, offering a lower-cost option.
To push the product to market, new merchandizing displays were introduced for channel partners and homeowners to navigate that "chaos of choice" in choosing the right proportions and styles for casings, baseboards and doors. Home Decor Modules featuring doors and product from Metrie’s five Then & Now Finishing Collections were displayed.
Metrie also created an educational seminar that builders, remodelers, architects, designers, or kitchen and bath specialists can take part in, learning how, when and why to integrate interior finishes into the design process and the right languag to communicate with customers about interior finishes.
“New online tools helping to make it easier to choose our design-centric offerings have just been added to our website,” says Bowie.
Metrie’s award-winning digital marketing program includes a highly-interactive website and planning tools, including their Style Quiz, a feature that helps customers find a coordinated collection that most matches their personal style, and a Room Styler, which enables users to digitally customize the look of a room. The site’s Inspired Living section hosts galleries of before and after rooms, home decor projects with detailed how-to instructions and videos, and their inspirational blog, The Finished Space, shares design trends and industry news.
About Metrie
Our story began in 1926 as a small, family-owned and operated business. But our innovative designs and commitment to fine craftsmanship have helped us expand operations to include seven solid wood and MDF manufacturing facilities, plus 26 distribution centers in the U.S. and Canada. Our legacy has grown to include more than 5,000 moulding profiles and products manufactured in an environmentally responsible and sustainable manner. This enables us to help create finished spaces where life can unfold, one story at a time. Visit www.Metrie.com, our blog TheFinishedSpace.com, or check out our eNewsletter Metrie.com/finishedstyle for more information.
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