Construction plans are moving along for the Washington Design Center (WDC), which is preparing for their highly-anticipated move this year from Southwest to DowntownDC.
The luxury showroom, the mid-Atlantic region’s single largest resource for high-end home furnishings and décor, is preparing to occupy its new space in the trophy building digs of the Franklin Court Building (1099 14th Street NW). A total of 22 home design showrooms are moving from their nearly-windowless current space in a remote location to 116,438 square feet of space on three floors. The new space features dynamic high ceilings, large floor-to-ceiling windows and natural light.
[Check out our exclusive photos of the showroom space in progress above]
The showrooms will be moving into their new location this spring/summer with a grand opening planned for September. In preparation for their move, the Washington Design Center is getting a fresh new look, complete with new branding, marketing outreach and all new interior design showrooms.
WDC offers the finest in home furnishings, furniture, fabric and building products for interior designers, architects and space planners seeking custom design options for their clients.
In 2012, the center’s current building at 300 D Street, SW was sold for $50 million to be converted into a Bible museum. The center considered space throughout the area but settled on Franklin Court. The building is in proximity to Franklin Park, which is undergoing a redesign of its nearly 5 acre space with the help of the DowntownDC BID and other entities.
WDC joins CityCenterDC in helping to increase Downtown’s profile as a high-end retail destination. The design center will also join a growing number of retailers along 14th Street.
CityCenterDC confirmed this week that French luxury handbag store Longchamp will join men’s shoe store Allen Edmonds and luggage retailer Tumi in their high-end retail space.