What was once the furniture department on the third floor of the
historic Doerflinger department store at Fourth and Main streets in
downtown La Crosse is now the new home of Pertzsch Design. In planning
the space, the firm's owner, Kate Pertzsch, attempted to restore the
splendor of the original structure, built in the early 1900s. The
original maple flooring, large and plentiful windows and lofty, high
ceilings are evident in the new space, thanks to an open design
concept. The clean, simple lines of the furniture and finishes are in
perfect harmony with Doerflinger's artchitectural elegance.

Pertzsch Design shares the 14,000-square-foot space with Authenticom,
owned by Kate's husband Steve Cottrell. Since both of their companies
are growing and expanding, Kate and Steve focused on flexibility in
planning the space. "We wanted to be able to reconfigure the space
overnight if we had to," Kate says.

Their plan started to come together during a 2006 visit to Germany to
see VS, a furniture manufacturer. The contemporary lines of the
manufacturer's line accommodate the diverse needs of the technology
emphasis of Authenticom and the high-quality design that sets Pertzsch
Design's apart from other interior design firms.

Other innovations in the space include a conference room constructed
entirely of glass that disappears in the center of the space to make
the most of the room's generous natural light. As the first of the
boxes are being unpacked amid the whir of drills as the furniture is
being constructed, Pertzsch Design's staff watches the vision come to
life. "We're looking forward to the sense of space," Kate says.