Yabu Pushelberg

LANE CRAWFORD, BEIJING

Nicholas Tamarin -- Interior Design, 12/1/2008 12:00:00 AM

At 780,000 square feet, the Beijing outpost of Hong Kong–based luxury retailer Lane Crawford was a renovation large enough to daunt even the most seasoned designers. George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg harnessed the leviathan by turning the curved staircase running through all three levels into a sculptural element against which to define individual spaces. "Each section of the store is designed with the customers' aesthetic pleasure in mind," says Pushelberg. That means wall-hung glass cases for fine jewelry, space-agey pedestals in women's accessories, and charcoal walls with sections of charred wood in men's clothing, which are all linked by the central marble stair. Interactive technology is also prominent on the third floor, where shoe displays rise and lower electronically.

Peter Marino Architect

project Christian Dior, Paris.

standout The 23-foot-tall rotunda features a gingko-leaf bench by Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne and video works by a rotating roster of artists, while the shoe salon boasts a Rob Wynne installation.

Giorgio Borruso Design

project Zu + Elements, Milan.

standout White concrete flooring with accents in lipstick red, walls and columns clad in silk-frosted mirror, and niches framed in stainless steel jazz up this 1,000-square-foot men's and women's denim boutique.

EOA/Elmslie Osler Architect

project Anthropologie, Albuquerque.

standout The walls and ceiling of the entry portal—a freestanding box of reclaimed-wood planks, blackened steel, and concrete—slope inward, creating a forced perspective centering on the front door and display window.