For Pasta & Co., store design was the first course. So when the 20-year-old Seattle-area specialty food store decided to expand in western Washington State, it not only got a new look but also a new logo and reconfigured product mix that centered around all the delicacies that go into creating a gourmet meal.
"The company prides itself on serving efficient, tasteful, approachable food," says Tom Maul, partner at Hutchison & Maul LLC (Seattle), "so we took that same attitude with the architecture and chose things reflecting that style."
Inside the 1000-square-foot store in Issaquah, Wash., designers replaced the old, muted color palette with red walls and a dark concrete floor, creating a more contemporary shopping environment. Finishes and fixtures were updated from galvanized to stainless steel, while ash wood was chosen for the central service island and the front door, providing an immediate connection point for shoppers as they enter.
White walls, stainless-steel and glass cases and chalkboard signs create a clean, bright and orderly open kitchen environment that is juxtaposed by the warm, inviting and saturated sales floor. Raw plywood boxes align the perimeter for flexible merchandising options for the expanded product line, which now includes appetizers, desserts and wines.
Adding to the tasteful merchandise presentation are additional plywood boxes stacked in freestanding vignettes for showcasing products and stainless-steel platters clamped onto shelves for tasting areas.
Client: Pasta & Co., Issaquah, Wash. - Jennifer Seversen, senior vp
Design: Hutchison & Maul, Seattle - Tom Maul, partner; Robert Hutchison, partner
General Contractor: Wilcox Construction, Edmonds, Wash.
Outside Design Consultant: Level, Calistoga, Calif. (graphic design)
Suppliers: PlayNetwork, Seattle (audio/video); IWS, Redmond, Wash. (fixturing, furniture); Paul West, Woodinville, Wash. (flooring); Lightolier, Seattle (lighting); National Sign, Seattle (signage)
Photography: Alex Hayden, Seattle