Visual Merchandising and Store Design | VMSD.com

New Laguna Beach location takes on residential feel

By Whitney Harrod

When Tommy Bahama decided to open a location in Laguna Beach, Calif., a new ceo and creative director had just come aboard at the island-lifestyle brand. “They were interested in re-emphasizing Tommy Bahama’s relaxed origin, which manifests itself in the company's first beach house-type spaces in Florida,” says Silvia Kuhle, design principal at Standard LLP, the Los Angeles-based firm that designed the 5500-square-foot restaurant/retail space.

Designers also sought to create that beach house-inspired environment, using clean lines, a neutral color palette and natural materials, to broaden the brand's appeal to a younger audience. “We wanted something more contemporary and up-to-date,” says Jeffry Allsbrook, design principal at Standard.

With the Pacific Ocean in the backdrop, the space uses opened-beamed white ceilings, wood-paneled walls and windows that open to the outside. Authentic Bahamas-style shutters act as partitions and are hinged over cabinets and windows.

Nine months out of the year, when the weather is above 60 degrees, the display window’s accordion door folds up so people can look through to the retail store. “Laguna Beach has a huge sidewalk pedestrian culture so there are always a lot of people walking by,” Kuhle says.

Like several other Tommy Bahama locations, this one includes a restaurant, giving customers the chance to enter through one of two entrances – at the front of the retail store or by the restaurant area. “We made sure that when you walk through the door of the restaurant, you can see through to the retail space,” Allsbrook says. “It acts as one environment instead of two.”

The white linen-covered couches in the dining area invite customers to relax in a living room atmosphere, while the hickory wood floor was raised to resemble the Laguna Beach boardwalk.