The Chicago Botanic Garden bills itself as “the premier teaching garden in the country,” owing to its expertise in botany science and conservation education. When renovating the complex’s 3700-square-foot retail store, the garden’s operators sought to create an environment that reinforced that expertise, while also being more engaging and visitor-friendly.

Hired to work with the in-house team in meeting those objectives was Charles Sparks + Co., which has spiffed up the retail spaces for several other high-profile museums and attractions, including the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art and the Lincoln Park Zoo. In updating the Botanic Garden store, designers infused the space with natural finishes and installed a central esplanade with nested tables down its center. Each table grouping contains related products that tell a different “story,” such as “How to create that classic English garden look.”

Client: Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, Ill. – Barbara Whitney Carr, president and ceo; Sophia Siskel, vp, visitor operations; William Brown, vp, facilities and planning; Kris Jarantoski, evp and director; Barbara Voss, store manager; Zina Castanuela, design manager

Design: Charles Sparks + Co., Westchester, Ill. – Charles Sparks, designer; Stan Weisbrod, project manager; Rachel Mikolajczyk, director, resource studio; Stephanie Arakawa-Moore, director, graphic communications

Architect: SJW & Associates, Westchester, Ill.

Construction management: Featherstone Inc., Downers Grove, Ill.

Outside Consultants: Brown & Associates Inc., Lincolnwood, Ill. (project management); Grumman/Butkus Associates, Evanston, Ill. (MP engineer); Dickerson Engineering, Niles, Ill. (electrical engineer)

Area rugs: Ombre Inc., Evanston, Ill.

Fabrics: Knoll Textiles, Chicago; Nathan Chapin Ltd., Chicago

Fixtures: Custom Commercial Environments, Lincolnshire, Ill.

Glass: Twin City Creative Mirror, Burnsville, Minn.; Griffin Resource Group, Chicago

Materials: Architectural Systems Inc., New York; 3form, New Lenox, Ill.

Paints: Benjamin Moore, Melrose Park, Ill.

Plastic laminates: Parkwood Chicago, Wheeling, Ill.; Wilsonart Intl., Evanston, Ill.; Formica Corp., Cincinnati

Wallcoverings: Thybony Wallcoverings, Chicago

Wood: R.S. Bacon Veneer, Burr Ridge, Ill.

Photography: Charlie Mayer Photography, Oak Park, Ill.