The Marvin Experience Center at 7 Tide helps clients see the aesthetic potential of windows and doors.
By Sarah Lippert | Photos Courtesy of Marvin
Windows and doors are more than just panes of glass and frames of wood. They are integral parts of any structure, but they can be designed in endless ways, and each combination of elements leads to a different feel in a space. Frames made from white oak or painted a color that matches your style? Expansive glass that still maintains a certain charm or details like a grid on one half that adds character? Those aesthetic choices are just the start — the choices multiply when you begin to consider what kind of functionality you need from that glass or wood.
“My favorite thing about working with clients is seeing their relief when everything starts to come together,” says Tim Davis, Marvin Brand Ambassador at the Marvin Experience Center at 7 Tide. “They can sometimes be overwhelmed with the number of customization options available. Our goal here is to empower them to make confident decisions about their windows and doors.”
Whether they are homeowners, architects, or builders, educating clients about their options and guiding them through the selection process is the goal of the Marvin Experience Center at 7 Tide. Brand Ambassadors like Davis welcome clients into a home-like setting with intentionally designed spaces that illustrate how Marvin’s windows and doors look in a finished space.
The showroom design focuses on actual rooms in a home — a dining room, lounge area, and living spaces — that feature Marvin products. These items are made from a multitude of materials to suit any need: high-density fiberglass, aluminum, and wood. Clients are able to see how all the product lines work in a real-life situation, and the Brand Ambassadors help them visualize even more specific options that may not be available in the showroom.
There is a dedicated space in the Marvin Experience Center at 7 Tide. for introducing myriad window and door options customized to a client’s space. The Marvin visualizer technology allows Brand Ambassadors to project images of their products onto a large blank wall on a lifelike scale and edit the finishing options in real-time.
“Research has shown that a majority of people have trouble with visualization,” says Sue Shockley, Senior Brand Ambassador at the Marvin at 7 Tide Experience Center. “When you can show them what a window or door is going to look like to scale in their different finishes, it opens their eyes to the design possibilities we can create throughout the Marvin portfolio.”
The showroom setup isn’t the only thing that makes the Marvin Experience Center at 7 Tide unique; the 90-minute, one-on-one consultation is a complimentary service with no strings attached. By alleviating the pressure of a sale, Brand Ambassadors can remain focused on educating clients and fully understanding their unique project and desires. In turn, clients don’t feel like they’re being steered in a direction based on the company’s latest sales goals, but instead, they’re seeing all of their options and guided to what will
truly resonate in their space.
“The consultation removes all sales and pricing from the conversation, which allows us to listen to the client and fully understand their design intent, so we know the best way to assist,” says Lisa Massari, Brand Ambassador.
Creating a Centerpiece
“The bright spot during our renovation project was the team at Marvin and JB Sash,” says Jamie Crowley, a homeowner who purchased Marvin products and utilized the Marvin Experience Center at 7 Tide. “It was just night and day compared to the other people we worked with during the process. They were on top of things; they did what they said they were going to do, which wasn’t our experience with the rest of the project.”
Jaime and his wife, Tara, selected the Marvin Skycove window and the Ultimate Multi-Slide Door for the large- scale renovation of their main floor. The Crowleys were initially looking for high-quality windows and doors that provided soundproofing, proper insulation, and functionality. What they got with their Marvin selections was the ability to bring their incredible exterior setting — the Boston Harbor and the view of Boston Logan Airport — inside the comfort of their home. “We were looking for a glass door, and we ended up with this room and a view that helps get me out of bed in the morning,” says Tara. “It’s so wide open; it’s a nearly180-degree view, and we can look out to the water and watch the boats or the birds or feel like we’re out there.”
The team at the Marvin Experience Center at 7 Tide helped Tara envision how her new Skycove — a projected glass window that creates a seating ledge with the feeling of floating — could fit into her living space. The opportunity to visit the showroom and see a Skycove within a real-life space, including how it was decorated and incorporated into the design of the room, gave Tara the confidence that it would become the new centerpiece of her living space. Marvin’s products test the limits and prove that windows and doors are more than glass and wood; they are pieces of a home that invite a better way of living.
