Projects: Accessories Retail

Eddie Cohen -- Interior Design, 12/1/2011 2:00:00 AM

Project: Carlo Pazolini
Location: Milan

A spectacular piece of real estate, a corner of a busy piazza near Milan's Duomo, has become a boutique for Carlo Pazolini shoes and accessories. Giorgio Borruso's 4,150-square-foot interior pairs visual high jinks, characteristic of his expansive fashion portfolio, with utterly creative fixtures and furnishings. His primary element is a folded leaf shape in polymer lined with five colors of felt: Three smaller versions cantilever in profusion from the focal wall on the women's side; literally expanding on the idea is a trio of leaf chairs, eminently flexible when the different sizes are ganged together. On the more tranquil men's side, meanwhile, the colorful leaves disappear in favor of aluminum shelves supported by a curved white wall. The two sides meet at the central cash-wrap desk, emphasized by a canopy of oak-veneered slats.
Italianissimo? Almost. Carlo Pazolini is a fictional designer invented by the brand's Russian owner.

Merit: Peter Marino Architect
Project: Hublot

Location: Paris

Wrapped in suede and ebony, accented with bronze, a boutique on the haute-luxe Place Vendôme showcases watches alongside chairs by Paul Dupré-Lafon.

Merit: EOA/Elmslie Olser Architect
Project: Sunglass Hut

Location: New York

Floor-to-ceiling lacquered MDF fins, fitted with glass shelving above and closed storage below, make a nautical-inspired gesture along a sidewall.

Merit: Slade Architecture
Project: Flight Club

Location: New York

Clear-finished plywood flooring stretches unobstructed between a wall of
baseball caps, on wire hat forms, and a wall of sneakers, on a shelving grid.