Sensuous Simplicity for the Thinking Woman: La Garçonne in NYC - Remodelista
“Working on an interior space is a nervous journey,” says La Garí§onne founder and creative director Kris Kim of her new store on Greenwich Street in New York’s Tribeca neighborhood. Photographs by Michael A. Muller for Remodelista. Entering the shop, designed by architect Solveig Fernlund, is like walking into the loft of that friend whose style–thoughtful, informed, under-the-radar, a touch boyish–you secretly want to copy. It’s not just about what’s in the closet; it’s the whole environment. The exterior of the shop is understated, with the shop name printed in tiny lettering at the bottom of the glass. The wall-to-wall inset floor mat, made of coconut fiber, serves as a practical welcome mat for shoppers. A constellation of incandescent light bulbs is the only light in the front of the store. Before it was La Garí§onne, the long loft-like building functioned as administrative offices for a dance company and before that as a bakery. Solveig designed custom clothing racks from solid Douglas fir–”no veneer, the ways things used to be made”–which were crafted by a New York City–based woodworker. The front counter is built from marine-grade plywood that “is the same material that Donald Judd used,” Solveig notes. Solveig played with the layering of chalky white tones, starting with the floors painted with Fine Paints of Europe Hollandlac Traditional Oil Paint in their factory color, 7034 Winter Sky. The Jean Pocket Pullover and the Jean Rollneck Pullover, both in Chalk, are stacked on custom shelving. The central display tables running the length of the store are lined with a thick, pale gray felt. “The shop’s kitchenette is a working kitchen–we offer tea and water whenever it makes sense,” says Kris. A series of tiny bowls and cups from Dutch artist Kirstie van Noort, who applies oxides as paint to the porcelain clay. Black granite trivets and Carrara marble candleholders from Fort Standard are paired with testers of Aesop hand soap near the sink. A series of Noguchi Ceiling Lamps are carried down the length of the store. The skylight was pre-existing but had been roofed over by the previous owners. A Wall Screw Hanger from German company Bless holds a simple white shirt. In the back of the store are three tiers of Alvar Aalto Wall Shelves in white, which function as the main shoe display. One wall of the room and a single pillar are made of exposed brick, which Solveig painted white to bring out the texture against the surrounding flat walls. A collection of objects from Kirstie van Noort, Masanori Oji, and Saskia Diez are artfully scattered across the custom dining table, also built of Douglas fir. A detail of Solveig’s crate stool design, which is inspired by Le Corbusier’s Miracle Boxes (and by the modular quality of Kris’ in-house clothing collection). The bench that runs the length of the back wall is upholstered in a Japanese rinsed canvas from the Moderne collection. The dark navy rug was sourced from Double Knot on Franklin Street in New York City.