New York-based architecture studio Rafael de Cárdenas Ltd. has completed the design of a new showroom for women’s fashion label Ulla Johnson in SoHo. Occupying 2,100 square feet on Lafayette Street, the space was conceived to reflect the brand’s evolution, while also infusing a sense of tranquility via de Cárdenas’s signature modern and sensual aesthetic.
“We wanted to create a domestic style of familiarity and comfort,” de Cárdenas says. “There is a kind of quiet exuberance throughout—in a juxtaposition of three different and distinctively rich types of marble, for example—yet not detail obtrudes so much as to interrupt the simple breadth and warmth of the overall space.”
Soothing neutral tones of blush, bone, and sand compose the light but decadent palette of the new showroom, which is anchored by a silver-gilded display niche that showcases fashion, punctuated by a satin-finished brass hanging rod. The lofty sundrenched interior is detailed by custom marble shelving and unlacquered satin brass, while the sinuous reception desk is crafted with a fluted plaster finish in figured avodire wood. Hand-travished screen doors made from Filipino mahogany handsomely partition the reception and spacious lounge area, which is populated with a curated collection of objets d’art, vintage furniture, and custom pieces by de Cárdenas. Walls comprising hand-troweled white plaster and mother-of-pearl infuse a subtle luster, complementing white oak parquet floors that sweep the interior in a herringbone pattern. Handmade Italian gilt mirror tiles and travertine stone display benches serve as the backdrop for the accessories on display as well.
