When SHoP was commissioned to design
a new space for online retailer Shopbop, the goal was to create a branded
environment designed around the Shopbop Style Guide. The central figure of the
style guide was the lifestyle aesthetic of the Shopbop woman. By abstracting aspects
of her life from the way she spends her time to the objects in her home, the resulting
design reflects a feminine aesthetic with personal and vintage touches in a
trendy, loft-like environment.

The design philosophy simply played
color, material, and finish choices against one another: warm tones against neutral,
rough textures against smooth and muted surfaces against shiny. The existing
space was stripped in order to reveal raw concrete floors and columns and
expose the ceilings. Additional
industrial materials, such as blackened metal and reclaimed paneling, were
added to reinforce the roughness of the existing architectural shell.

Components that were obvious
additions to the space were incorporated as sleek elements: minimalist modern
workstations, monolithic countertops, and lacquered cabinetry. Workstations
were kept virtually uniform, with a limited variety of panel heights in order
to minimize visual clutter. Industrial fabrics were used throughout as
finishing touches—particularly on more traditionally styled furniture pieces,
to further the “rough yet polished” aesthetic.

Shopbop’s signature bright orange was
used with restraint. The color was incorporated into the space mostly as an
accent—in “peekaboo” moments such as on the inside of a drawer or behind a
wood-paneled wall. The visual warmth of the orange is also echoed in material
choices such as the antique bronze details and warm wood tones. A lacy
tone-on-tone metallic pattern stenciled on the walls contrasts the rough
concrete, wood, and steel. These warm touches act as a contrast to the
otherwise neutral color palette.

The office maintains a loft-like,
open feeling, with a variety of spaces that flow into one another designed for
collaborative working, global conferencing, and individual concentration. A pair
of nontraditional conference room spaces that look more like a living room and
library allows for larger gatherings and internal meetings, visits with designers,
or social events. Closing a set of large sliding doors allows the spaces to be
open to each other but segregated from the primary work spaces. By locating
these gathering spaces adjacent to the private roof deck, the series of rooms
flows up toward the roof to create a stunning event space in the evening.