Poliform Slc | Ciao / Ci Presentiamo Poliform Partner Website

By Sarah Ericson

Though some people might be surprised to find a premier European brand of kitchens, closets, and furniture in the foothills of the Wasatch Range, the story of how it happened seems almost destined. Brent Jespersen, owner of Poliform SLC, has been Utah’s exclusive dealer for this luxury line for nearly 20 years. With a storied history that took him coast to coast and back again, Brent’s path to high-end interior design and installation has weathered the test of time.

“The late 1990s in Salt Lake City was an exciting time. The area was so growth-oriented and it felt like home instantly.”

–Brent Jespersen, Poliform

Brent Jespersen grew up in Houston where his dad was an architect and developer. At that time, Brent remembers that Houston was a boom town not unlike Salt Lake City today. “He grew his firm from two people to over 300, and I watched and learned. But instead of immediately following in his footsteps, I started surfing,” Brent says with a smile. After graduating from high school, he hit the road for San Diego where he spent the next few years surfing and living on the West Coast. He eventually found his way to Oahu where he lived and surfed on the North Shore while going to college. After graduation he changed course one more time and moved to New York City to attend graduate school and a business program at Columbia University. But the West was still singing its siren song, and Brent knew he had to answer the call. This time, he traded his surfboard for a snowboard and settled in Utah. “The late 1990s in Salt Lake City was an exciting time. The area was so growth-oriented and it felt like home instantly,” he says.

For the next few years, Brent was working in consulting and recruiting, and one ordinary day he was out on his bike and saw a house that would change his life. “I was riding my motorcycle through the foothills and I came upon something that stopped me in my tracks. It was a small house on a half-acre with a creek running through the property. The house was a small glass box on a concrete slab. I bought the house that night and from that moment on, I had the mid-century modern fever,” remembers Brent.

Brent began restoring the house, which turned out to be no ordinary house. It was built by John Sugden, a modernist design pioneer and student of Ludvig Mies van der Rohe. Brent was fortunate enough to meet Sugden, see the house’s original blueprints, and ride the wave of the mid-century modern trend with an insider’s view that few first-timers are privileged to have.

During the renovation, Brent discovered a challenge that would prove to be the opportunity he was waiting for. “Renovating that house made it clear how difficult it was to find quality high-end modern suppliers and finishes in Utah. There seemed to be very few options for suitable styles, textures, and designs. I had heard of Poliform and I loved their sleek, minimalist aesthetic. But after receiving a bid from Poliform Seattle, I ultimately decided to go with a local company who could build custom kitchen cabinets on site,” says Brent.

Brent sold the house after completing the renovation, and the years between renovation and sale saw the economy riding a turbulent wave. He took what he learned in that restoration and designed and built his first ground-up project. That house was featured on the cover of Dwell in 2002. All the while, Brent was building a clientele with his architectural and design services. “My design firm was growing steadily, and in 2007 I knew the time was right to pursue a high-end interior brand that I could integrate into the growing mountain modern, mid-century modern design evolution,” Brent remembers.

He flew to New York and met with several of the world’s premier brands. Many luxury lines focused on only one area of the home, either kitchens, closets, or furniture. Poliform was an all-encompassing brand offering cabinetry and furniture for the whole home. “Poliform stood head and shoulders above the rest. I had already been impressed from a consumer perspective, but after meeting with their executives, I was blown away on an operational level. They set the gold standard for the monobrand showroom that offers a true luxe experience and is backed by an intricately involved, family-oriented leadership team,” says Brent. And in 2007, Brent became Poliform’s exclusive Utah dealer.

“These products are things that you use and touch every single day, so it’s imperative that clients get to have a true in-home experience. Of course the showroom displays the products, but even more than that, it sells the lifestyle. ”

–Brent Jespersen, Poliform

Adding Poliform SLC to his repertoire enriched Brent’s offerings and launched him into a boutique industry niche with a full line of design products and construction management solutions. Steady growth continued and eventually enabled direct importing from Italy. “We had a vision and we built the infrastructure to accomplish projects from start to finish. Importing the product directly allows us to have complete quality control over the materials. No one touches the product between when it leaves Poliform’s manufacturing facility in Inverigo, Italy, to when it arrives to our headquarters here. And because we are a full-service design and installation firm, we don’t subcontract anything. We are truly a start-to-finish white glove solution,” says Brent.

In 2014, Poliform crested a new wave when they bought a residential property across from Salt Lake City’s Sugar House Park. Over the course of a year, Brent and his team designed and built a home overlooking Utah’s premier urban park. They outfitted every inch of the home with Poliform materials and transformed it into their office, meeting space, and showroom. “The Sugarhouse Studio is the beating heart of Poliform SLC. It serves many functions and it’s full of creative energy where everything is on display. When clients arrive, they inhabit this space and imagine how they’ll use Poliform to create the space of their dreams,” says Brent.

Inside Sugarhouse Studio, Brent and his team begin to forge relationships with their clients. Ryan Church, VP of operations, Lindsay McMullen, VP of design, and Brent start the process of designing and curating solutions. The studio is outfitted with Poliform’s full line of products, so customers can see, feel, and interact with a variety of styles, finishes, and functional options. And because it is staged as a home, there is a welcoming tone and a well-stocked fridge for meetings that feel more like friendly gatherings. “These products are things that you use and touch every single day, so it’s imperative that clients get to have a true in-home experience. Of course the showroom displays the products, but even more than that, it sells the lifestyle,” says Brent.

“Having a strong relationship with the Italian team ensures that we are aligned with Poliform’s first-class standards. Their unyielding commitment to quality and value starts at the top and proliferates through their worldwide network of dealers.”

–Brent Jespersen, Poliform

In an industry where material and brand options seem unlimited, Poliform stands out as a global leader with whole-home solutions. With an established quality that dates back over 50 years, Poliform adds value to any project, elevating spaces from merely functional to luxuriously exquisite. Founded near Milan and Lake Como in a region rich in kitchen and bathroom design manufacturers, Poliform’s history accompanies the brand worldwide. Poliform has monobrand stores in 95 countries worldwide, so discerning clients are often familiar with the brand. Brent remarks that he sometimes meets with clients in other locations when the opportunity arises. “We’ve met with clients at Poliform’s showrooms all over the world. And we’ve traveled with clients to Poliform HQ, the global showroom outside of Milan, and to the manufacturing sites in Italy to witness the quality of craftsmanship and undeniable value that a relationship with Poliform entails. Our white glove service isn’t just about the installation, it’s about the entire process from imagining their dream to everyday living inside the completed project,” he says.

“Poliform is not just aspirational for clients in Utah. We are proud to offer this sophisticated European line in our local market, and we’re excited to see where the future takes us next.”

–Brent Jespersen, Poliform

The luxury building market in Park City and Salt Lake City frequently caters to owners building dream homes and often second homes, and as such, clients are pleasantly surprised when they can stay in touch with Poliform here in Utah. “Having a strong relationship with the Italian team ensures that we are aligned with Poliform’s first-class standards. Their unyielding commitment to quality and value starts at the top and proliferates through their worldwide network of dealers. Laura Anzani, the CEO of Poliform Americas, took over Poliform at the same time we started our dealership and we kind of built our businesses alongside each other. We maintain strong relationships with corporate and we attend frequent trainings and events together. We aren’t just a remote dealership outside of Italy—we’re really part of the Poliform family and we take that responsibility to heart in every single interaction with our clients,” says Brent.

As Poliform SLC nears 20 years in business, there are plenty of successful projects to look back on and many more to come. From a single closet overhaul to a monumental heritage project like Olson Kundig’s Sommét Blanc at Deer Valley Resort, each client enjoys the same white glove service from start to finish. Brent and his team have built strong relationships with premier builders in Salt Lake City, Park City, St. George, and throughout the West, and their commitment to service and quality has lasted through many turbulent waves in the luxury building market. Some of Brent’s favorite projects over the years have featured Poliform products alongside the other luxury brands he represents like GANDIABLASCO outdoor furniture and antonio lupi bath finishing products. “Designing spaces with complementary sophisticated elements brings a level of elegance that is truly unmatched,” he says proudly.

Brent reflects on the journey that has brought him to the present, and he’s proud of earning a foothold for this leading global brand. “Poliform is not just aspirational for clients in Utah. We are proud to offer this sophisticated European line in our local market, and we’re excited to see where the future takes us next,” says Brent.

For more information about Poliform or to tour the Poliform showroom and learn more about their broad range of products and services, reach out to Brent and the Poliform team. They can help with that new reading chair or a whole home solution featuring Poliform products proudly made in Italy and imported directly to Utah.

whj PROFILE