Omnipoint Communications'new regional flagship on Boston's Newbury Street could be mistaken for an art gallery, and that's the point, says its designers. The concept team at Selbert Perkins Design Collaborative, Cambridge, Mass., aimed to convey the company's state-of-the-art wireless technology through a gallery-like, high-tech environment. To offset the gallery-like austerity, designers used blue neon as the dominant interior color, with hints of yellow adopted from Omnipoint's New York City flagship. Phones are suspended within their own framed display boxes to emphasize their unique features and to accentuate their wirelessness. Sales pods take the shape of wooden, glass-topped cones and round curved walls add a friendly touch. A curved, patterned carpet softens the space and helps move customers through the store. Apparently designers have made their point: since the Boston store opened, two new satellite locations of the store have been opened in Natick, Mass., and Nashua, N.H.
Design: Selbert Perkins Design Collaborative, Cambridge, Mass. – Clifford Selbert and Robin Perkins, art directors; Greg Welch, project manager; Ben Dempster, senior designer; Julie D'Andrea, designer. Omnipoint Communications, Cedar Knolls, N.J. &endash; Daniel Bowman, director of marketing Outside Consultants: Guzman Architects, Boston Fixturing: Modern Industries, Providence, R.I.; Mark Richey Woodwork, Essex, Mass. Flooring: Re:Source, Boston Lighting and Signage: Signs O'Life, Boston Sculpture Wall: Addsource, Lincoln, Mass. Photography: Anton Grassl, Boston