With a rich history of collaborative and beautiful results on past projects for Giorgio Armani, S. Russell Groves was commissioned to apply Mr. Armani’s retail concept to locations across the United States.
To create the generous open floor plan, all service functions were located to the rear of the store. To increase this effect, the facade was conceived as a series of large frameless glass panels, which allow completely unobstructed views to the store within.
The walls of the luminous main volume are lined by backlit stainless steel panels supporting both shelves and hang fixtures. This central floor area, devoid of internal partitions, is defined through a series of low, linear wood and metal cabinets intersected by frosted glass panels. The ceiling maintains the rigorous simplicity through the use of custom designed square aperture light fixtures. As the store’s signature focal point, a large expanse of backlit frosted glass anchors the rear of the selling floor.
The material palette offsets cool sandblasted stainless steel against heavily grained lauropretto wood, complimented by an expanse of warm grey limestone flooring. In addition, the white walls, back lit panels, and frosted glass serve to bathe the store in warm, diffuse light.