The Galleria Gourmet Emporium

If Armani were going to sell fish, what would it look like?

The Galleria Department Store, one of South Korea's trendiest luxury retailers, recently redesigned its Luxury Hall West in Seoul's affluent KangNam neighborhood. And that was the question Pavlik Design Team (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) asked itself before undertaking the project.

The Pavlik team's goal was to create a unique design that would celebrate the richness of The Galleria while set within a supermarket environment. The grocery store needed to be dramatic, sophisticated and exquisite. The displays had to be unlike any other grocery store, the food presented in a gallery-like setting.

Despite a showy exterior, featuring a massive light show, the six-level interior is a master of minimalism.

The final phase of the project involved remodeling the basement-level gourmet supermarket, featuring a bakery, wine shop, specialty butcher, food court, florist and organic fruits and vegetables.

The retailer's franchise had been fashions and accessories. But establishing itself as a new standard of gourmet grocery shopping required an international product assortment and a shopping environment that would reassure its wealthy and loyal customers that this was the place to buy their food rather than at the more specialized retailers in the area.

The Pavlik team designed the fixtures and gondolas to be of furniture-quality detail. They were manufactured by SID Inc., Seoul, Korea. Even in the fish and meat department, for example, distinctive refrigerated cases have furniture-like designs and open bottoms. Just like Armani.

Client: Hanwha Stores/Songpa-Ku, Seoul, Korea

Design: The Pavlik Design Team, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

General Contractor: JimYang Interiors Inc., Seoul, Korea

Fixtures: SID Inc., Seoul, Korea

Furniture: Andreu World, Valencia, Spain

Photography: Troy Griffin, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.