Kia Car Showroom: Zentia Dune Ceilings Across Offices and Showroom

A franchised car dealership operates two operationally and aesthetically distinct environments under a single roof. Back-of-house covers the sales offices, administration, staff facilities and operational support areas. Front-of-house covers the main showroom floor, customer reception and the vehicle display area: a customer-facing environment where the ceiling specification contributes directly to the brand perception the OEM is investing in. Eastledge installed Zentia Dune 600 x 600 mm exposed-grid ceiling throughout both environments at this Kia dealership in Burton-on-Trent, with the showroom ceiling installed at a slope to maximise perceived height in the vehicle display area.

The brief

OEM brand standards for franchised dealerships typically prescribe materials, colours, reflectances and finishes as part of the franchise agreement. The contractor's responsibility is to deliver the prescribed specification precisely within the building shell, to the geometric and aesthetic tolerances the brand standard requires. Working to an OEM-specified document differs from a design-and-build brief: the specification is fixed, and the contractor's skill lies in executing it accurately, integrating with the building shell cleanly, and managing the installation without generating remedial work.

The Kia Burton-on-Trent dealership was specified with Zentia Dune 600 x 600 mm exposed-grid ceiling throughout both the office and showroom environments. The showroom ceiling was to be installed at a slope to maximise the perceived height in the vehicle display area, which introduced a more complex installation challenge than a standard flat-ceiling specification.

What we did

Zentia Dune throughout

Zentia Dune is a medium-density mineral fibre ceiling tile with a fine fissured surface texture: one of the most consistently specified commercial ceiling tiles in the UK market. Its surface is uniform in appearance across large areas; the fine fissure pattern scatters light evenly and avoids the visual directionality or shadow variation that a more pronounced texture produces. Dune carries Class B sound absorption and integrates cleanly with standard services layouts, luminaire types and perimeter details.

For a dealership project, where the specification is prescribed and the expectation is consistency across zones and across multiple sites, Dune's predictability is part of its value. A specifier or brand manager reviewing the finished installation can verify compliance with the brand document straightforwardly: the tile is a known commodity with documented colour, reflectance and acoustic performance.

Using the same tile in both the back-of-house offices and the front-of-house showroom also produces practical benefits alongside visual consistency. A single tile specification across the building simplifies the stocking requirement for the building manager: one tile reference rather than two, one grid system rather than mixed. When tiles need replacing, the replacement is a direct match from a standard stock item rather than a matched order from a secondary specification.

Sloped showroom ceiling

The principal installation challenge in the showroom was sloping the ceiling rather than running it horizontally.

A flat ceiling at the height permitted by the structure and services would produce a constrained perceived volume in the vehicle display area. Vehicles, particularly larger SUVs and crossover models, are tall relative to a standard office ceiling height, and a flat ceiling that sits close to roof height reduces the visual breathing room in the display space. By sloping the ceiling from the lower perimeter walls upward toward the peak of the building, the maximum height of the interior is exposed rather than concealed, and the ceiling plane introduces a sense of volume and spatial generosity that a flat ceiling at the same average height would not achieve.

Installing a slope in an exposed T-bar grid requires the hanger lengths to be graded progressively from the low edge to the high edge of the slope, so that the grid itself slopes to the specified angle rather than hanging level. The perimeter trim detail at the low edge, where the sloped grid meets the wall face at an angle, requires a bespoke resolution that a standard flat-ceiling perimeter trim cannot provide directly.

Lighting in automotive showrooms is typically display-led: track systems and spotlights positioned to highlight vehicle bodywork, glass and surfaces. Display lighting tracks fixed to the structure above the ceiling need to be positioned before the ceiling grid is installed, because the grid layout must be set out around the track positions. We agreed the lighting track positions with the project team before ceiling installation began, allowing the grid to be set out without subsequent conflict between ceiling and lighting layouts.

How we worked

OEM-specified fit-outs require close adherence to the brand document throughout. Materials, colours and installation tolerances are all prescribed, and any deviation generates a remedial instruction. The discipline on this type of project is in the preparation: confirming the specification, resolving the installation geometry for the sloped showroom ceiling in advance, and agreeing the lighting track positions before the grid was set out. Each of those steps done in advance is one less source of remedial work during installation.

The project was managed by the same supervision team throughout, providing a single accountable interface for the client and project team. All operatives held current CSCS cards appropriate for commercial fit-out environments.

Outcome

A brand-compliant ceiling specification across the full building, with a single tile and grid system throughout. The sloped showroom ceiling maximises the perceived height in the vehicle display area, contributing to the open, brand-aligned environment the Kia dealership standard requires. The single tile specification simplifies maintenance and tile replacement for the building operator.

What this project demonstrates

Kia Burton-on-Trent demonstrates Eastledge's automotive sector capability and the installation discipline required to deliver an OEM-specified fit-out accurately within a dealership shell. It also demonstrates the use of a ceiling specification as an architectural device: the sloped grid in the showroom is not primarily an acoustic intervention but a geometric decision that shapes the perceived volume and character of the customer-facing space.

Enquiries about automotive showroom, dealership or OEM-aligned fit-out projects are welcome; visit the automotive sector page for more.