From a mom-and-pop repair and jewelry store, the Singadia family had developed a strong retail jewelry and wholesale diamond business under the Barron's nameplate. With plans to develop a 21,000-square-foot strip center with a newly designed Barron's as the anchor, owner Ajay Singadia sought the help of GRID/3 Intl. (New York).
GRID/3 principal Ruth Mellergaard designed the showroom with five different islands and a bridal center with a diamond room. Behind the showroom, she situated the family's offices and the jewelers' workrooms, integrating the entire family business into one space.
Daylight streams through square windows that link Barron's to other stores in the center. Inside the store, on the left wall, a small circular window allows customers to see into the jewelry workshop.
To help target Barron's market of young professionals, the store design incorporates a coffee bar, as well as custom design features. Doors opening into the showroom have steel handles in the shape of Barron's logo. Inside, profiles of the ceiling and side walls create the shape of a diamond.
The showroom uses a gold palette with blues accents, including a translucent sculpture that floats below the ceiling. Showcases in an artisanal pear laminate reinforce the custom design aesthetic used throughout the store.
Client: Barron’s Fine Jewelry, Snellville, Ga.
Nanji Singadia, owner
Ajay Singadia, owner
Rakhi Singadia, marketing and customer relation
Design: GRID/3 International, New York
Ruth Mellergaard, principal
Keith Kovar, principal
Errol Demagajes, associate
General Contractor: Catamount Contractors, Roswell, Ga.
Outside Design Consultants: Pieper O’Brien Herr Architects (exterior store and shopping center design)
Audio/Visual: Muzak LLC, Seattle
Ceilings: Armstrong World Industries Inc., Lancaster, Pa.
Fixtures/Furniture: Grice Display & Showcase, Charlotte, N.C.
Flooring: Southern Woods, Lawrenceville, Ga.
Bolyu Contract Carpet, Adairsville, Ga.
Crossville Inc., Crossville, Tenn.
Glass Entrance, Presentation Room: Skyline Design, Chicago
Lighting: Indy Lighting, Great Neck, N.Y.
Columbia Lighting, Spokane, Wash.
Visa Lighting, Milwaukee
Paint: Sherwin Williams, Cleveland
Plastic Laminate for Millwork: Formica, Cincinnati
Wilsonart Intl., Temple, Texas
Pionite, Auburn, Maine
Showcase Displays and Mannequins/Forms: Alex Velvet Inc., Los Angeles
Signage/Graphics: Global Signs, Norcross, Ga.
Stool Fabric: ArtCom, Orangeburg, N.Y.
Wallcoverings: Steelcase, New York
Photography: Mark Escher, Villa Rica, Ga.
Muzak LLCArmstrong World Industries, Inc.Wilsonart Intl.