Let’s make 2023 one for the books, architecture, and design enthusiasts! It’s hard to believe we’re already done with 2022 and onto the next car dealership project. At Baker Associates, we accomplished so much in the last year and feel like we’re getting closer and closer to pre-pandemic life in the architecture and design world – so big yay for that! We’re so excited to see what 2023 will be like and to be able to share more of our work with you all! Speaking of work…
We’ve got a bevy of inspiring projects in store – but let’s start this year with an engaging exploration into our most recent creation: BMW of Minnetonka. Let’s dig deep and uncover all sorts of incredible insights that’ll have your creative juices flowing! Check out our comprehensive plans throughout this blog to see how we envision car dealership spaces and our video flythrough of what we expect it to look like.
Training Room
This dealership project was fun for our team as we dove into creating an inviting training space. We had to ensure the room could fit 35 people comfortably, so painting and new lighting fixtures were in order! The seating needed some love, too – updated options that would keep everyone comfy during meetings. Another interesting addition? Wallcovering, which brought some life and coziness to the environment. After all, training rooms don’t always have to be boring! It’s important to create enjoyable spaces for customers and those who work there – making it feel like home is critical.
Other updates include new lighting, new cabinets, built-in trash and recycling, and the addition of a sink and coffee machine. We also thought of the little things – like a dedicated circuit for a coffee machine, TVs, Cable, and WiFi. We had to ensure that this fresh and modern training room included all the essentials.
As you can also see, we offered various layout options for the training room, which we do with all our projects. It’s always lovely to give clients multiple options so they have the freedom to decide.
New Vehicle Delivery
We eliminated some glazing and walls for this area, added a sales station, and updated the doors. Our team also worked to create three separate sales offices with modified BMW-branded furniture, so working within those restrictions was a delightful challenge. We also updated finishes, including porcelain tile floor and carpeting!
As with the training room, we showcase multiple layout options to give the client an idea of how things could look and how we could make things work under their location restraints.
Kids Room, Transportation Room, and Lockers
For this section, we worked on a kid’s room, which is typical for car dealerships. Creating an engaging and fun kid’s room that fits in with the rest of the dealership design is always fun to work on and can be an excellent place for us to get more creative with what we decide to do. We also designed it to still give room for the sales and advisors’ lockers, which was an essential piece to add.
The kid’s room includes a table with three chairs, kids’ stools, some TVs, and a comfy lounge chair. There were no significant changes to any existing work besides the new furniture and some new paint jobs.
Conference Room
Every dealership needs an excellent conference room design, and this was no different! We explored design opportunities outside the conference room, such as glazing, features, etc.
Check out these design concepts we made for reference!
Break Room
With great conference rooms come great break rooms! This is always a fun part of any dealership design as we strive to ensure that employees have a great area to wind down during the work day. We included some nesting tables with stacking chairs and a banquette with dining tables and upholstered chairs for a fun look. We also incorporated quartz tops and had built-in trash, recycling, and an incredible double sink with a garbage disposal. A dishwasher was also requested, so additional plumbing work took place to help that come together. And, of course, no break room is complete without a coffee machine.
With some new LED lighting and decorative pendants, this break room will turn out to be a favorite area for employees of BMW.
Check out the rest of the design concepts below!
Finance Offices
This dealership already had some offices built-in, so we came along and offered ideas to maximize the space to make the best use of what was currently there. Some client requests included adding in two billing offices between the sales manager and F&I, enlarging the copy and support area to add more storage, and finally, creating more formal office layouts for HR, the sales manager, and the controllers.
For the finishes on this one, we included a new carpet, a new act for the ceiling, new wall paints, and new LED lights throughout. We’re pretty pleased with how this came together.
Refreshing Designs for the Perfect Dealership Experience
As you can see, car dealership designs are something we’re very proud to be so experienced in! Check out our portfolio to see more of our work in this space.
Also, as we experienced with this particular dealership, it didn’t need an entirely new design concept – some light architecture and interior design updates were sufficient. We kept many prior things there and updated the little things like lighting, floors, and furniture to keep things modern and refreshed. Sometimes that’s all a space needs, and with Kristy as our interior design consultant, she works to make a space pop within the constraints of the client and their branding. At Baker Associates, we want YOUR car dealership or business to succeed, and we hope that our updates, however big or small, can get you to where you want to be.
Are you a Minnesota car dealership looking for a remodel? Or maybe some light updates? We’d love to chat about our process and how we can help your design dreams come true. Contact us today to have a conversation!
Thanks for reading, and we’ll be back in March with more content and project updates!