West's Furniture Showroom, Heritage furniture showroom in Fortitude Valley, Australia
West's Furniture Showroom is a building at 620 Wickham Street featuring large display windows and a cantilevered awning that juts out over the street. The interior contains open spaces filled with natural light that were designed to showcase furniture pieces.
Architect Karl Langer designed the building in 1952 as a modernist retail space that became Queensland's main location for Knoll furniture from 1956 to 1962. This period established the building as a key address for designer furniture in post-war Australia.
The showroom changed how retail spaces were designed in Brisbane by introducing new ideas about organizing commercial areas. Visitors can still see how the open layout made the furniture displays the focus of attention.
The building was carefully restored in 2009 and preserves its original features, including the display areas and workshop spaces. Visitors should know that historic original elements like the large windows and awning area are part of the preserved structure.
During the 1954 Royal Tour, the Duke of Edinburgh visited the showroom, marking it as a recognized retail destination in post-war Australia. This royal visit shows that the place was seen at the time as a destination for upscale design furniture.
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