The Westfield Design Within Reach studio is situated
in a suburban shopping mall heavily trafficked by a
diverse clientele that mostly includes single family
homeowners from the area. DFA wanted to channel
the residential feel of the local neighborhood to
recreate the feeling of entering into a contemporary
home while maintaining an elevated design that is
the signature of Design Within Reach’s branding.
The design walks a fine line in terms of scale,
feeling both domestic yet expansive. For this
project, the zinc component from San Francisco
was again used. The right side of the studio begins
as a roofed, small zinc box and is residential in its
proportions. On the opposite side of the studio,
the design language speaks to the large scale of a
retail store. Three simple but elegant components
make-up the design: the materiality of zinc, the
louvered component that encapsulates the
zinc block and the minimal, white paneled main
structure. The amount of glazing was controlled,
so the few times clients see windows it feels like
peeking into a high-end home. There is a beautiful
moment at the northeast corner, visible from the
most heavily trafficked corner in New Jersey. A
secondary Light Cloud hangs in this corner window
giving the impression of a lantern glowing from
inside this “home”.