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Glass tile elevates experience for California retailer

By Kelly Martin

With seven locations in California, Custom Comfort Mattress decided to improve the appearance level of its showrooms in Beverly Hills and Pasadena. Designed by Ernie Roth, Allied ASID, CID of Roth Design Group Ltd. in Los Angeles, CA, the design goal was to better showcase the Custom Comfort Mattress product and appeal to a more selective clientele, with the use of glass tile from the Modono Glass Collection by Modono Glass of Rochester, NY.

“Once I saw the Modono tile online, I called my client right away,” said Roth. “I knew this glass tile was something very special that would reflect my client’s use of the color red, however, the additional reflective qualities would add much more than just a static red tile.”

In the 4,500-square-foot Beverly Hills showroom, the glass tile is featured in the interior design. “I used Modono glass tile™ on an interior ‘wave’ wall,” said the designer. “I used 3- x 3-inch pieces, without grout, in order to let as much light into the edges as possible.” Roth further explained that the glass tile reflects the changing light of day.

As for the 7,000-square-foot Pasadena showroom, Modono glass tiles were employed on the exterior — both as accents on the front and rear of the building. Large-format pieces form vertical stripes that measure 4 feet wide x 25 feet high. For the front of the building, 12- x 12-inch tiles were used, while 1- x 2-foot pieces were utilized for the rear.

Roth noted that Modono glass tile was his first and only choice of material for the showrooms. “This tile gave me the idea of how to use it differently for each showroom,” explained Roth, adding that his client felt the same way. “We all loved it from the start. What’s not to like about it; it’s stunning.”

According to Roth, there were not many challenging aspects in regards to utilizing the tile. “We consulted with the company Modono recommended for adhesive materials, and they specified two different adhesives [from Laticrete] to use to mount the tile,” said the designer. “The exterior application used one type, which handled the heat expansion during the day, and the interior application used a more standard adhesive, as heat was not an issue.”

While spending an abundance of time on site supervising the installation, the designer said he was extremely eager to see how great the finished product was going to turn out. “Using this type of glass tile was a first for me, but I enjoy using materials that are new and exciting for both my clients and their customers,” said Roth. “These were both winning installations for everyone.”

Completed in August of 2010, both showrooms took about seven months, and were in construction during the same time. The Pasadena showroom was started first, as it was a complete rebuild of combining two existing buildings. The Beverly Hills showroom was a remodel of the interior space only.

Overall, the reaction to this project has been extremely positive. “Both locations have gotten rave reviews from customers,” said Roth. “When entering the Beverly Hills showroom, the wave wall is so striking people tend to spend time looking at it trying to understand why the color changes as they move.”