Stroll through the gardens in new AmericasMart wing
By Lauren Heist
This January, meander through a lush New Orleans garden, stroll past stately Southern balconies and take in the scene from atop European cliffs — all without leaving the confines of AmericasMart in Atlanta.
This January, meander through a lush New Orleans garden, stroll past stately Southern balconies and take in the scene from atop European cliffs — all without leaving the confines of AmericasMart in Atlanta.
AmericasMart has long been known as a destination for home accessories retailers who specialize in garden décor and outdoor home furnishings.
But now, thanks to renowned architect John Portman and a group of designers who used to work for Disney, the market’s Gardens section is being transformed into a flora-and-fauna feast for the senses that will encompass two floors in the new wing of Building Two at the Atlanta market.
The ninth floor has been designed with a Tuscan theme complete with carved wood, murals, stone molding, fountains and Italian Cypress trees.
On the 10th floor, visitors will feel as if they’ve be transported to a Southern Garden district as they walk past wrought iron balconies, old brick, crown and baseboard molding and white wainscoting on the walls.
All of the common areas, such as the cafes, parks and even the show managers’ desks will feature an organic feel with stacked stone instead of traditional workstations, and instead of the winding pathways that used to go through the Gardens section on the 14th and 15th floor of Building One, the new space has straighter paths that are marked with street signs.
But Karen Graeber, Vice President — Leasing, of Living. Outdoor/Indoor. The Gardens®, says the most dramatic part of the space is a waterfall that starts on the 10th floor and cascades down into a pool on the 9th floor.
“It’s in the center of both floors and is visible from the Building Two Corridor. It’s quite spectacular and everyone can’t wait to see it,” she says.
Officially titled “Living. Outdoor/Indoor. The Gardens®,” the new 170,000 square foot exhibit space, will feature more than 100 showrooms for companies that specialize in casual and outdoor furniture and other home furnishings appropriate for the garden or patio. Some of the companies that have already leased showroom space are Summer Classics, Inc., Artistic Creations, Zen Zen Garden Home LLC, H. Potter, The Elegant Earth and more.
Graeber said the new exhibit space reflects the growing importance of casual and outdoor furnishings.
The Gardens section first opened at AmericasMart 15 years ago, and since then, the casual and outdoor furnishings market has become more prominent as consumers have put more emphasis on making their outdoor living space part of their home.
“Over the years, we’ve watched outdoor living skyrocket,” Graeber says. “As consumers scaled back their traveling and focused more on home and nesting, our business has flourished.”
Graeber says outdoor products are more creative and beautiful than they’ve ever been in the past, and she says the new space will allow exhibitors to show off their products in more realistic lifestyle settings.
Graeber says she’s hoping that home accessories retailers who don’t currently carry outdoor furnishings or garden accessories will walk from Building Two into the new unique exhibit space.
“The evolution of the category has it offering a comprehensive collection of everything needed to fully furnish and accessorize outdoor and casual lifestyle settings — including more home accessories than ever before,” Graeber says. “With 100 new showrooms featuring more introductions than ever before in a uniquely created thematic setting, there will be more new products for buyers to add to their collections and more new ideas to soak in and implement back home.”
