New Design Center To Open In South Florida

Furniture World News

Design aficionados and trade professionals will have an exciting all new design campus to source and explore in Spring 2006. The International Design Center (IDC), by Miromar Development is strategically located midway between Naples and Fort Myers. More than 80 internationally acclaimed showrooms will anchor the 250,000 square foot Phase I, expanding to 400,000 square feet with Phase II. The new IDC offers thousands of design products for new construction or renovation projects, from showrooms including Ann Sacks, Baker Furniture, Black & Lenet, Campaniello Imports, Clive Christian, Elegante Hardwood Flooring, Francesco Molon, Gallery on Fifth, Kravet Fabrics, Keys Granite, Lee Jofa Fabrics, Paris Ceramics, Minimalista, Mobelform, Murano Glass Creations, Pierre Deux, PranaSleep, Premier Home Theater, Silk Loom, Stickley, The Wood Floor Company, Walker Zanger, Waterworks, and many more. World renowned designer Juan Montoya is the artistic design director for the project, explaining “I am very excited about this opportunity, being creatively involved in a commercial space that will be used by other interior design professionals.” One of the top designers in the United States today, Montoya and his interiors appear frequently in national and international publications. His work is showcased in a lavishly illustrated coffee table book, “Juan Montoya.” A consistent Architectural Digest Top 100 Designer, Montoya has received numerous awards including the S.M. Hexter Award for Interior of the Year, the Chicago Design Sources Award for Excellence in Residential Interior Design and the Resources Council Roscoe Award for Furniture Design. Montoya is a panel member of the National Endowment of the Arts, serves on the Pratt Institute Board of Trustees, and was inducted into the Interior Design Hall of Fame in 1998. “This is the first design center developed with a first floor that presents exquisite new collections in an easy, “consumer friendly” environment that welcomes shoppers into the fascinating world of design, while the second and third floors are restricted to professional trade access only. A brand new designer concierge/shopping service is offered for consumers to access the exclusive “trade only” showrooms on the upper floors. This personal shopping service (DOC –“Designer on Call”™) provides a professional designer to assist with custom specification and purchasing options, and is available daily. Interior designer Maxine Corbett believes such a “one-stop shopping” venue is invaluable and that the International Design Center will prove a beneficial addition to the Southwest Florida marketplace. Corbett’s interior design firm, Richlin Interiors, has offices in Naples, FL. “Buyers will get to see and touch actual samples and prototypes of what is available, and such hands-on experience generates great enthusiasm,” said Corbett. “Also, people today lack an abundance of time. I have clients who are simultaneously furnishing four or five residences and a design center becomes more than a convenience. It becomes a necessity.” The Design Center will offer an abundance of conveniences including educational programs for design professionals, CEU’s (Continuing Educational Units), as well as inspiring events and lectures covering new product designs and trends for both designers and consumers. Also offered by the IDC for trade professionals includes a “fly and buy” program for designers and their clients, to source projects at the center. A provocative ongoing calendar of events will include guest lectures and magazine hosted events. Additional on-site amenities include valet parking, a restaurant and designer lounge defining a new millennium for design centers. Future plans call for a 125-room hotel and professional office park. The IDC is the newest addition to the impressive portfolio of Miromar Development Corporation, the international real estate development firm who successfully launched the upscale Miromar Outlets, which has over 120 stores directly across the street from the IDC, with an additional phase opening fall 2006, as well as the award-winning luxury residential resort Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club. Miromar Lakes is noted for its 700 acres of aquamarine freshwater lakes, over 2 miles of white sandy beach, two 18-hole championship golf courses, and a Beach Club featuring a state-of-the-art fitness center, European-style spa, and the Blue Water Beach Grill. University Village, at the main entrance of Florida Gulf Coast University, will include shops, restaurants and housing for faculty and students. Margaret Miller, President and CEO of Miromar Development Corporation noted, “The IDC is the first full design center to be built in the last 20 years. Miromar is committed to Southwest Florida and its continuing growth, beauty and development.” Joan Kerns Kauffman, Vice President and General Manager adds, “We have established a roster of important players who anchor this design center, as it sets new standards in the industry. We are in the heart of one of the most affluent areas in the country, ideal for business and pleasure, where the IDC will undoubtedly be a dream destination for designers and consumers alike.” The IDC is located at exit 123 off I-75 and is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.– 6 p.m. and the ground floor will host Saturday hours 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. For more information please visit www.idcfl.com or contact the International Design Center at (239) 390-5111.