When Martha Sturdy decided to close the doors on her Vancouver retail outlet earlier this year, she replaced it with a designer gallery/showroom dubbed Gallery M – a facility that would enable her and her staff to better serve the design community. Located next to Sturdy’s office/production facility at 16 West 5th Avenue, the new showroom is a 1,200-square-foot space that features samples of Sturdy’s art, sculptures, accessories and furniture. A selection of signature pieces is also available for sale to the public on select days of the week.
The new format will allow designers and corporate buyers to browse inventory, look at colour samples and work with a sales professional – or Sturdy herself – to place a custom order.
“I’m realizing that I can’t be everywhere at the same time,” says Sturdy. “There wasn’t enough time for the store, the staff, the displays. Besides, I’m doing a lot more export work now.” Locating a showroom next to her office/production facility also appealed to Sturdy’s hands-on management style.
The showroom is essentially one large space with concrete floors and an exposed ceiling. Access is via a 63- by 105-inch pivoting steel-clad door that Sturdy treated in her signature finish. Patinaed steel clads some of the exterior walls. Large sculptures stand outside like welcoming totems.
Inside, Sturdy’s trademark resin work makes repeated appearances – as panels in the overhead steel-frame light, but more notably in the bathroom where the sink, pedestal and accessories all match the resin door panels.
If you can’t make it to Vancouver to view Sturdy’s creations, rest easy knowing pieces are also available through select retailers across Canada.
