Design is in the Details

The pages of my passport are filled with entry stamps from around the world. As I flip across this government-issued travelogue, I envision Rome, Paris, Istanbul, Seoul, Lima, Florence and Barcelona. Next month, I'm off to Düsseldorf and then to Ancona, Italy. Not just points on the globe or cities on the map — they are sources of inspiration. I have learned in my 30-plus years in this industry that inspiration is everywhere, and if you don't see it, you must open your eyes. Whether traveling for business or pleasure, my work has clearly been inspired by the sights, sounds and flavors of our amazing global mosaic.

I am, however, a New Yorker, born and bred. And wherever I've been in the world, it always seems there's no place like the Big Apple. While it might not be the idyllic “melting pot” we hear so much about, it's clearly the confluence of so many of the world's cultures. It's a city of neighborhoods, celebrating different walks of life, points of view and aesthetic sensibilities. A walk down any street or avenue is an architectural field trip. Great design is everywhere, whether in the canyons of Wall Street, the bedroom neighborhoods of the outer boroughs, or the great bridges that span our rivers. As visual merchandisers and store designers we must open our eyes.

My office is a short walk to Park Avenue and 53rd Street. This is perhaps my favorite intersection in mid-Manhattan, as the Seagrams Building and the Lever House Building are diagonally across the avenue from one another. Both structures have radically changed modern architecture with their striking minimalist lines, open plazas and light curtain walls. Mies van der Rohe, who designed the Seagrams building in 1958, believed the structural elements, rather than ornamentation, should be evident in a building. As such, he gave us the maxim “less is more.” Of course with his use of extravagant materials in the Seagrams Building, such as tinted glass and bronze curtain walls, marble benches and travertine lobby walls and floors, he also told us that “God is in the details.”     

Taking a cue from the master, I suggest that great design is in the details, and it too is everywhere. Some of today's store and fixture designers have turned to the clean functionality of the Seagrams Building as a source of inspiration. The resultants are store environments and fixture concepts that not only look good, but also work; a clear nod to Louis Sullivan's often quoted “form follows function.”

While inspiration is everywhere, successful designers look beyond obvious trends and fads, and reference the classics. Trends are ephemeral; great art and architecture are timeless and universal. In a recent design challenge, Kevin McPhee, veteran industry fixture designer, referenced van der Rohe and the international style that dominated mid-century architecture. “I wanted a modular, linear fixture devoid of ornamentation,” said McPhee. With an understanding of the philosophies that drove the Seagrams design, McPhee examined basic building structures and experimented with a hot rolled steel T bar obtained from a local steel supplier. Considering proportions and yields, he developed a wall system to hold and present merchandise. With inspiration from the German born van der Rohe, McPhee created a functional unit that is new, yet timeless. 

So while “steampunk” seems to be rolling off everyone's lips these days, it too is ephemeral and will fade, while the classics remain. Great design is timeless and universal. Great design is in the details.

Eric Feigenbaum is a recognized leader in the visual merchandising and store design industries with both domestic and international design experience.  He served as corporate director of visual merchandising for Stern’s Department Store, a division of Federated Department Stores, from 1986 to 1995. After Stern’s, he assumed the position of director of visual merchandising for WalkerGroup/CNI, an architectural design firm in New York City. Currently, he serves as the chair of the Visual Merchandising Department at LIM College (New York), and was also an adjunct professor of Store Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology. In addition to being the New York Editor of VMSD magazine, Eric is also a founding member of PAVE (A Partnership for Planning and Visual Education). Currently, he is also president and director of creative services for his own retail design company, Embrace Design.