Description:

SKAPC was tapped by Ligne Roset – a high-end French furniture manufacturer and retailer– to expand its existing Soho location and create an upscale, contemporary space. The project involved the vertical expansion of its 3,800-square-foot ground-level space by building downward and transforming an unused 2,800-square-foot basement into an elegant, well-lit showroom. At the time of this project, retail was not permitted in the neighborhood, although the SKAPC team discovered that in this manufacturing district every warehouse is permitted a showroom for product viewing, but traditional retail transactions cannot occur. Following these parameters, SKAPC extended the showroom and created extra selling space using the stair landing as a floor for. Customers now are invited into the new merchandising area via a gradual, two-tiered stairway, designed as an extension of the first floor. An interesting aspect to project is that SKAPC received initial plans and specifications from the client in French. The firm’s multi-lingual team translated the working documents into English and then re-visualized them into the American components that were used.