Ecommerce enters the brick-and-mortar space.
Parachute
New York
For the New York location of e-commerce linen brand Parachute, Jessica Helgerson of her namesake Portland, Oregon firm conceived a residentially informed space that is a “simple yet beautiful way to display linens,” she says. Included among the offerings is a sink to wash hands and try towels and comfortable seating that provides a tactile way to interact with the bedding, “rather than the staged beds that are so often in bedding stores,” she says. The bright, airy store is decked out in pale wood, brass accents, and hushed tones to not outshine the product. “The brand is known for its soft, inviting, and high-quality textiles,” she says, “and the space needed to reflect that.”
Everlane
Brooklyn, New York
For Everlane’s Williamsburg, Brooklyn outpost—only its fourth brick-and-mortar location, and second in New York—the popular, mostly online retailer opted for an airy, minimal design from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania-based Bohlin Cywinski Jackson (BCJ). The aesthetic is fitting for the brand, which hinges on classic styles and transparency in its process and pricing. Visitors enter the whitewashed brick building through a 20-foot-high glazed façade, leading to a 2,700-square-foot double-height space. The bright white walls are the perfect backdrop for Everlane’s simple items, with neutral-colored maple fixtures (designed by Everlane and BCJ) and shelving highlighting the tailored pieces. Other touches include polished concrete floors original to the building, a 700-square-foot mezzanine dedicated to menswear, a tree encircled by denim-upholstered bench seating, a ceiling lined with white louvers masking the mechanical and electrical systems, and a series of maple fins that screen the fitting rooms on both levels.
Framebridge
Washington, DC
The custom framing startup has made a name for itself in the digital world as storytellers. So, when crafting its first brick-and-mortar locations on 14th Street in Washington, DC and in nearby Bethesda, Maryland, local firm GrizForm Design Architects was challenged to “create spaces that embodied that connection and cultivated a collaborative environment where stories could be told,” says firm principal Griz Dwight. For the 14th Street shop, the firm selected materials that reflected the brand’s thoughtful, unpretentious approach to framing, boasting the brand’s signature colors of sage, red, blue, and yellow, as well as the Framebridge Story Booth. Unique to the space, the area encourages collaboration and pays homage to a 1960s-era recording studio. Meantime, in Bethesda, the firm had to get creative with limited space, devising a frame storage wall that is as functional as it is aesthetically pleasing, popping against a bright yellow backdrop. “Each design element gives customers an unexpected surprise—a modern twist on the traditional frame shop,” says designer Natalia Sicilia. “The two new spaces are designed to feel modern and inviting, but with an air of nostalgia.”
Framebridge’s 14th Street location
The store’s bright Bethesda location
Photography by Guillermo Cano and Claire Esparros
