Lemay, the integrated design firm based in Montreal, has designed a second showroom for Artopex. For a new outpost in Quebec City, the office furniture brand returned to the firm responsible for its Old Montreal shop, which opened last year. In this initial collaboration, a desire to visually communicate Artopex’s deep Quebec roots was established and became the anchor of the design concept – and this quality carried into the new venture.

Founded 35 years ago in Granby, the company has stuck close to home and still manufactures its products there today, with two plants located in the town, in addition to others in Sherbrooke and Laval. The launch of a Quebec City showroom further exemplifies a commitment to the province and its pride in being a Canadian and Quebec-based brand. Positioned in the trendy Saint-Roch neighbourhood, the 370-square-metre space is large enough to showcase the company’s full line of products, and reflects home-province pride through a graphic narrative that runs throughout.

A ribbon of images depicting Quebec’s varied landscapes, from the urban and industrial, to the rural rivers and mountains, weaves from the front door to the furthest corner. The images not only adorn the wall, but run uninterrupted along the ceilings as a backlit mural. A pixelated treatment keeps the feature from becoming too distracting and allowing the focus to remain on the furniture.

In keeping with the local theme, Montreal-based lighting agency LumiGroup was brought in to deliver the lighting solutions that play such a key role, including the LED back-lighting on the ribbon and a second wall mural showing projects featuring Artopex furniture. Assorted lighting fixtures, including pieces from Flos, Dasal and Noralighting, are employed to create varying ambiances and show the diversity of the products, which, despite – and because of – the well-thought-out interior, are the real design highlight here.