Schwartz & Benjamin

Schwartz & Benjamin, a 75-year-old shoe importer, wholesaler and distributor, recently moved into new headquarters on W. 57th Street in New York that formerly housed art galleries on two adjoining floors. BergerRait Design Associates Inc. (New York) capitalized on that prior use to create gallery-like showrooms for the shoes Schwartz & Benjamin sells to retail buyers as a licensee for Kate Spade, Anne Klein and Michael Kors.

“We kept the walls in the space white and unadorned,” says Michael Rait, BergerRait's partner-in-charge of the project, “so that they served as a clean, simple backdrop for the shoe lines on display. Accent colors for the showrooms are provided by the furniture we placed in them, such as the bright red chairs in the Kate Spade showroom. We also took advantage of the space's high ceilings and lack of columns to create an open, flexible environment that can host fashion shows and other events.”

Visitors enter the showroom on the building's fourth floor, which houses a reception area situated behind a glass wall, as well as the Spade and Klein showrooms. The next floor up is the Kors showroom, along with a design studio and executive offices. Connecting the two levels is a striking concrete-and-steel staircase that sits above a rock garden. “Typically, the space under a staircase is a void, and we installed the rock garden to add some visual interest to that area,” Rait explains.

Client Team: Schwartz & Benjamin, New York – Daniel Schwartz, president; Barbara Schwartz, vp

Design Team: BergerRait Design Associates Inc., New York – Michael Rait, partner-in-charge; Michael Bonomo, project designer; John Maleri, project manager; Victoria Aldenese, project architect; Miran Hadziosmanovic, draftsperson

Construction Manager: Manhattan Business Interiors, New York

Suppliers: Knoll, New York (fabrics, furniture); Herman Miller, Zeeland, Mich., Monica Armani, New York, M2L, New York, Unifor, New York, B&B Italia, New York (furniture); Farmington Displays Inc., Farmington, Conn. (millwork); Lightolier, Fall River, Mass., Tango, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Neoray, Brooklyn, N.Y. (lighting); Ardex, Coraopolis, Pa., Monterey, Santa Ana, Calif. (flooring); Solar Shade by DFB, Long Island City, N.Y. (window treatment); Alliance Welding, Floral Park, N.Y. (steel fabrication); Cavart Architectural Glass, Brooklyn, N.Y. (glazing); Adjustable Steel, New York (shelving); Benjamin Moore, Montvale, N.J. (paint)

Mark Ross, New York