Z Gallerie

Since 1997, Herschman Architects (Cleveland) has designed more than 35 Z Gallerie stores for furniture and home furnishings. When it came to creating the 10,000-square-foot space at Triangle Town Center in Raleigh, N.C., designers were challenged with a mall store that had two entrances – one exterior and another inside the mall. So they chose architectural elements that would visually unify the entrances while also communicating the retailer's upscale and urban image.

Both entrances feature black wood trim framing the large glass windows. Complementary red and tan masonry sets the store's exterior entrance apart from the existing mall façade, while black horizontal blinds fill the transom windows, directing shoppers' eyes down into the store.

Smooth black metal canopies further act as focal points at the entrances. Inside the mall, the canopy also serves as a support for the store's sign.

Designers created an urban interior environment through the use of random brick panels inset behind cabinets and wood bookshelves, which serve as flexible merchandising displays. On the floor, black granite slab defines the entryway, while the rest of the store features oak flooring, reminiscent of a New York loft.

Ceiling treatments, including random floating drywall and painted exposed structures, distinguish various merchandise departments while adding a sense of scale.

Client: Z Gallerie, Triangle Town Center, Raleigh, N.C. – Joseph Zeiden, owner/president

Design: Herschman Architects, Cleveland – Jerry Herschman, chairman; Michael Fant, associate; Eric Cox, project manager

Suppliers: Muzak LLC, Ft. Mill, S.C. (audio/visual); Lloyd's Custom Cabinets, Harbor City, Calif. (fixturing); Lightolier, Fall River, Mass. (lighting); Superior Electrical Advertising, Long Beach, Calif. (signage); Gilford, Jeffersonville, N.Y. (wallcoverings)

Photography: Charles Jones, Raleigh, N.C.