Barneys New York Chelsea Passage

New Shop-in-Shop Within an Existing Full-Line or Specialty Department Store
First Place
TPG Architecture LLP, New York

This project also won a Special Award for innovative merchandising

When converting 15,000 square feet of Barneys' back-of-house space into destination retail at its Madison Avenue store, designers used attractive lighting, curved fixturing and an inventive materials palette to create a well-appointed, loft-like space. The home furnishings department, called Chelsea Passage, houses everything from tableware, home accessories, gifts and stationery to bridal, linens and kids' clothing.

To unify this vast product range, designers got creative – and had a little fun. A series of 32-foot-long, undulating, internally illuminated shelves display art glass; formal place settings are mounted on nickel-silver “potato chips” set into a curved wall; and a sculptural steel fixture system houses clothing in the kids' department. And the breathless list of materials runs the gamut from teak, oak, rosewood and sycamore veneers to marble, Venetian plaster, concrete, aluminum honeycomb, cork and industrial felt. To add to the high-end, art-infused atmosphere, Barneys worked with designers to create a series of installations, including a 26-foot-wide entry gate with laser-cut aluminum sculptural panels and column-mounted wire stork sculptures in kids.

Client: Barneys New York, New York
David New, evp, creative services
Tracy Edwards, vp, Chelsea Passage

Design and Architecture: TPG Architecture, LLP, New York
Michael Hayes and Vincent Iacobellis, principals-in-charge
Alec Zaballero, associate principal, design director
Milosh Seckulich, RA, senior associate, project manager
Marina Benfield and David Gomez, designers
Eric Mailaender and Vera Nediko, project architects

General Contractor: OD&P, New York

Lighting: Johnson Schwinghammer Lighting, New York

Audio/Visual: Ambrosino dePinto & Schmieder, New York
ECI Communications Corp., S. Plainfield, N.J.

Ceilings: Barrisol, New York

Fixtures: Otema, Markham, Ont.

Flooring: Stone Source, New York
Hawa Bamboo Flooring Corp., Sayerville, N.J.

Photography: Mark LaRosa, Brooklyn, N.Y.