Leather manufacturer Elmo has opened its first standalone showroom, choosing Madrid as the venue, writes Leatherbiz.

Sweden-based Elmo Leather has a shared showroom in Stockholm and a similar set-up in Cologne, but the showroom in Madrid will be the first it will run on its own.

It worked with Swedish designer Mattias Stenberg on the project, a regular partner for the leather producer. The result is a space that “guides the observer’s gaze toward carefully selected encounters with Elmo’s leather in a choreographed sequence”, Mr Stenberg has said. He said the showroom had “a genuinely relaxed ambiance, where Spanish warmth meets Scandinavian coolness”.

Elmo marketing manager, Jimmy Ahlgren, has told World Leather that Elmo admired Spain’s long leather heritage but said the company believed the time was now right “to put leather back on the map in Spain”.

He said customers from all market segments were welcome to visit the site, which is in Vallehermoso, a central district of the city, but that creatives and buyers from architecture and design were likely to be the most frequent visitors. He said many customers and contacts from that sector had already expressed strong interest in visiting the showroom.

“Spanish furniture manufacturers now sell in many markets around the world,” he said. “We think this is an interesting market with huge potential.