US firm Charlap Hyman & Herrero has mixed glossy red tiles with Queen Anne-style furniture inside a store for perfume brand Nonfiction, in Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
Nonfiction founder and creative director Haeyoung Cha worked with Charlap Hyman & Herrero to create a space that reflected the neighbourhood, while also evoking the brand’s hometown of Seoul.
Lime-washed walls and minimalist metal shelving contrasts oxblood tiles inside Nonfiction NYC
“Over time, Cha has found herself drawn to the neighborhood’s layered history and the many communities that have shaped it over generations,” said Charlap Hyman & Herrero.
“This echoes the place where Nonfiction first began, Hannam-dong in Seoul – a place defined by the coexistence of both past and present.”
Perfume bottles are displayed on a custom mahogany table by Doug McCollough
The space on Orchard Street features lime-washed walls and minimalist metal shelving displays that contrast glossy, oxblood-tiled floors.
Through the centre runs a long mahogany table, commissioned from Los Angeles designer Doug McCollough and designed in the Queen Anne style – typified by lightweight elements and curvaceous flourishes.
Tiles emblazoned with a black rose motif line a niche for testing products
An original Queen Anne candle stand (circa 1770) sourced from Jacqueline Sullivan Gallery is positioned beside the table, which is used to display the fragrance bottles.
Through an archway with chamfered corners lies a niche lined with tiles featuring a hand-painted black rose, which was custom-designed for Nonfiction by artist Pilar Almon.
Persian rugs add “element of surreal” to MW.S offices by Charlap Hyman & Herrero
Geometric forms found across the store include a triangular volume at the entrance that conceals a stair bulkhead and a monolithic cuboid service counter. A floor-to-ceiling mirrored column emits deep amber light.
Pieces by designer Minjae Kim – a longtime collaborator of Charlap Hyman & Herrero – include a fibreglass-and-resin sconce and an aluminium chair.
Triangular walls disguise a staircase bulkhead and provide a backdrop for an aluminium chair by Minjae Kim
A pillar of light stretches from floor to ceiling and is reflected in a full-height mirror, bathing the space in a soft, warm glow.
“The result is a bold retail environment for the brand, conceived as a place of pause — a space to slow down, reset and reconnect,” said Charlap Hyman & Herrero.
The store on Orchard Street is designed to reflect the Lower East Side neighbourhood
The studio, founded by Adam Charlap Hyman and Andre Herrero, has also recently completed an office for MW.S in Lower Manhattan’s WSA building, and a hotel in a former pocketbook factory in the Hudson Valley.
The Lower East Side is packed with boutiques and independent businesses, including the HommeGirls store by Rafael de Cárdenas, the Vowels showroom by ANY and a La Père store by BoND.
The photography is by Sean Davidson.