We Card

We Card gifts and stationery wanted an “eye-catching” and “razzle-dazzle” store that would rival the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas and give its 1200-square-foot space a presence at Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas.

Designers at AkarStudios (Santa Monica, Calif.) used a combination of playful colors and curvilinear-shaped forms and fixturing to create this theatrical setting.

A graffiti-styled store logo hangs above the doorway, while the glass-front exterior allows shoppers to see the colorful environment even before they enter.

Inside the door, a curved internally lit column sits aglow in bands of colors. The multicolored effect continues on the walls and ceiling, where different colors are used for each architectural element.

A rainbow-colored cashwrap, comprised of interlocking tinted woods, sits beneath a blue angular piece, suspended from the exposed ceiling. In the back of the store, a large backlit shelving unit draws shoppers further inside.

Since the colorful environment creates quite a display, designers chose neutral maple wood-finish fixtures to showcase the merchandise.

Client: We Card, Fashion Show Mall, Las Vegas

Design: AkarStudios, Santa Monica, Calif. – Sat Garg, principal; Kristi Jack, project manager; Corey Graham, Claire Downs, designers

Suppliers: AkarStudios, Santa Monica, Calif. (graphics, lighting); Image Lighting & Sign LLC, Las Vegas (signage); Nakamura-Beeman, Santa Fe Springs, Calif. (millwork); Crossville Porcelain, Crossville, Tenn. (floor tiles)

Photography: Randall Michelson, Los Angeles