Newell Rubbermaid

Design Center

Kalamazoo, MI

With brands as diverse as Sharpie and Levolor, and 2013 net sales of $5.7 billion in more than 100 countries, Newell Rubbermaid continues to set its sights higher. To facilitate the achievement of this goal, its new Design Center gathers the industrial, graphic and usability designers from all of its brands around the world under one roof.

Perkins&Will, engaged Xibitz to confirm its designs for the Center through prototypes and mockups and to carry out fabrication and installation. The project focused on two key elements that elegantly articulate the spirit and energy of the Design Center. First, more than seven miles of ash wood slats run the length of the wall and ceiling of the Center’s main corridor, creating a continuous link between all of the design teams. The second element stands opposite the entry doors. Seemingly random wood blocks form a solid wall that conveys to visitors and reminds designers of the fortifying power of collaboration. Together the two elements deliver a message of cohesion, flexibility and experimentation.