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Shelley Steffee
Shelley Steffee
New York, NY, United States
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Other Projects by Jaklitsch / Gardner Architects
Shelley Steffee
New York, NY, United States
The project sought a balance between the desire to provide a
clear view to the interior of the store and the pragmatic need to allow access
to a service elevator on the premises by proposing a series of thresholds that
meet both requirements. The landlord called for a minimum four-foot corridor permitting
access to the freight elevator for all other tenants in the building; this
would have cut the storefront almost in half, restricting its street frontage
and creating a narrow entry into what was already an elongated space.
The proposal was to eliminate the access corridor to the
elevator by effectively making it the entire width of the space. The relocation
of the security barrier deeper into the store, to a point just beyond the
freight elevator, created a semi-public gallery zone at the front of the
building for changeable store displays. Building upon this transitional gallery
zone, the overall space is organized as a series of layers or thresholds that
transition from the raw, industrial character and rigid geometry of the
surrounding neighborhood to a softer and more intimate character deeper into
the retail space.
As the first threshold, a nine-foot by twelve-foot pivoting
glass window was inserted within the existing cast-iron storefront. This glass
expanse was intended to serve as a visual contrast to the solidity of the
existing building façade, allowing an uninterrupted view to the rear of the
space and increasing the shop’s visual impact. When opened, the pivot window
intrudes slightly into the public sidewalk to act as a form of architectural
signage. The security gate serves as a threshold to the main body of the retail
area, a more curvilinear space in which the geometry and material palette begins
to shift towards a softer character. Plaster walls were shaped and angled to
better display merchandise and encapsulate the central space, creating a womb-like
center intended to dissipate the entry’s strong axis.
The rear of the store, the most refined and intimate area,
is separated from the gallery and median spaces by a sheer grey curtain
suspended from a curving steel track. This delicate curtain acts as a foil to
the raw character of the front areas of the shop and a teasing veil to the more
private spaces behind. The curtain veils a private sitting area with lit
displays and two fitting rooms tucked behind an upholstered leather wall. The layered
use of upholstered fabric and curvilinear elements is intended to provide a
refined, private space furthest from the street and distinct from the industrial
character of the entry. Each threshold of the store registers a shift in both
geometry and character from the most raw and industrial to the most intimate.
clear view to the interior of the store and the pragmatic need to allow access
to a service elevator on the premises by proposing a series of thresholds that
meet both requirements. The landlord called for a minimum four-foot corridor permitting
access to the freight elevator for all other tenants in the building; this
would have cut the storefront almost in half, restricting its street frontage
and creating a narrow entry into what was already an elongated space.
The proposal was to eliminate the access corridor to the
elevator by effectively making it the entire width of the space. The relocation
of the security barrier deeper into the store, to a point just beyond the
freight elevator, created a semi-public gallery zone at the front of the
building for changeable store displays. Building upon this transitional gallery
zone, the overall space is organized as a series of layers or thresholds that
transition from the raw, industrial character and rigid geometry of the
surrounding neighborhood to a softer and more intimate character deeper into
the retail space.
As the first threshold, a nine-foot by twelve-foot pivoting
glass window was inserted within the existing cast-iron storefront. This glass
expanse was intended to serve as a visual contrast to the solidity of the
existing building façade, allowing an uninterrupted view to the rear of the
space and increasing the shop’s visual impact. When opened, the pivot window
intrudes slightly into the public sidewalk to act as a form of architectural
signage. The security gate serves as a threshold to the main body of the retail
area, a more curvilinear space in which the geometry and material palette begins
to shift towards a softer character. Plaster walls were shaped and angled to
better display merchandise and encapsulate the central space, creating a womb-like
center intended to dissipate the entry’s strong axis.
The rear of the store, the most refined and intimate area,
is separated from the gallery and median spaces by a sheer grey curtain
suspended from a curving steel track. This delicate curtain acts as a foil to
the raw character of the front areas of the shop and a teasing veil to the more
private spaces behind. The curtain veils a private sitting area with lit
displays and two fitting rooms tucked behind an upholstered leather wall. The layered
use of upholstered fabric and curvilinear elements is intended to provide a
refined, private space furthest from the street and distinct from the industrial
character of the entry. Each threshold of the store registers a shift in both
geometry and character from the most raw and industrial to the most intimate.
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