Ferguson Bath, Kitchen and Lighting Gallery

The view from the entrance of Ferguson’s new showroom is meant to inspire those building a custom home, or planning to remodel an existing one. Better yet, many of those shiny appliances and fixtures actually work.

“It’s a concept we’ve been developing for a considerable time,” says general manager Jay Ray. “Nobody in Hawaii has anything close to this.”

At 35,000 square feet, the showroom can easily spread out its dozens of exquisitely designed displays. The Ferguson company, among the nation’s largest distributors of plumbing and kitchen supplies, carries several exclusive high-end lines, such as Kohler, Dornbracht, and Schonbek—about 5,000 square feet are dedicated to Kohler Premier fixtures alone. Ferguson, notes Rodrigo Galino, the showroom manager, is the only Kohler Premier showroom in the state.

Rodrigo Galino, showroom manager.

For many customers, the display vignettes themselves are worth the trip to the showroom. Ferguson staff collaborated with several Oahu designers to create a variety of inspiring arrangements. Plus, next to each bath and kitchen vignette are drawers. Inside are alternative handles, knobs, hardware and arrangements for that vignette. Many of the fixtures are with running water. “It helps customers understand how they operate,” Galino says, demonstrating an infinity tub from the Purist Collection.

The sheer variety of inventory isn’t limited to just bath accessories. It also extends to kitchen appliances and hardware. Ferguson’s ranges and ovens include, among others, Miele, Dacor and Viking. In fact, there’s a complete Viking kitchen set up for cooking shows, Ray says. “Chef Chai, from Chai’s Island Bistro, was at our grand opening. Sam Choy will be filming his television show here—during our regular business hours!”

This unique arrangement between showroom and showbiz is the kind of partnership Ferguson likes to create, including partnerships with local contractors. Ray aspires to be the “easiest to do business with” and to “provide value to contractors.”

Of course, you don’t have to be a contractor to appreciate Ferguson. The new showroom offers many can-do services to attract homeowners: professional consultation to help clients plan and budget new designs, delivery and installation of appliances, and a 90,000 square-foot warehouse across the street to ensure fast delivery. As Ray points out, “We only sell to people who can pay us—in other words: anyone.”

Ferguson’s vignettes come alive with working appliances and fixtures.