Chicago’s Magnificent Mile is one of America’s premier retail destinations, and for over thirty years, 900 North Michigan has served as the gateway to this shopping district and the standard bearer for approachable luxury. AvroKO was brought on to re-think and re-design the 6-level venue creating outdoor-to-indoor interiors and helping to conceptualize the addition of new food and beverage vendors throughout the space, including a new food hall.
The building features multiple concourse levels that encircle a large open atrium creating unique bird’s-eye and sky views that can be enjoyed from various vantage points on each level. AvroKO emphasized this existing layout by designing open framework structures on each level to draw the eye upwards but also to create smaller pockets within the larger space to section off more intimate seating and dining areas. The natural light pouring in via the atrium inspired the team to bring the outside indoors creating a luxe, park-like atmosphere with gilded thresholds, manicured nature art installations, lamppost-style lighting, and a nature feature wall on each floor’s elevator lobby. Channeling the ever iconic Coco Chanel and her avant garde approach toward luxury and fashion, the choices for color palette and materials reflected Chanel’s flawless ability to blend subtle masculinity into a more feminine vision featuring materials like tweeds, boucles, and wools all set in a rich two-tone color palette dubbed “Signature Coco.”