There is one Trump who is not firing people these days, but hiring. Ivanka Trump hired the team at NY3 Design Group to design the space for her new jewelry store at 109 Mercer Street in Manhattan.
Since the store concept was already designated to match its previous iteration, the challenge was in making that brand image work within a 2,800-square-foot space. “The design concept for this new location was to take that brand, expand on it, de-compress the spaces, and elongate the experience along a series of display galleries that lead from one to the other towards the rear of the store until [the customer] reach[es] the pièce de résistance; the two-story bridal salon. The challenge was to maintain the visual interest of the buyer so that they continued walking through a store that is half a city block in length,” says David Freire, a partner at NY3 Design Group.
The most unique feature of the design was the beaded chuppah that hangs over the bridal salon at the rear of the store. “It was important that the chuppah not be literal and still work with the other elements of the space. The design team achieved this by creating a canopy using strands of crystal beads hung from an LED lit track, which worked well with the Schonbek chandelier, two-story tufted wall, and accent wall; it’s an exquisite piece,” says Freire.
Laura Reddy, a partner at NY3 Design Group, designed the chuppah. “Once I selected and sized the chandelier, the process of designing the chuppah was pure abstraction. I started with the concept of a traditional chuppah and kept simplifying the ‘structure.' The crystals were a natural selection of material to be in harmony with the chandelier and to be consistent with the design adaptation,” says Reddy.
Another unique design feature was that of ten custom-made urns to be displayed around the store. “They actually required four full prototypes to be built before we could finalize the design for the ten that are now on display. The design for these urns were inspired by an engagement ring, and the final product is faithful to that with curved legs representing the setting, and a Starfire glass box that depicts the stone,” says Jack Gold, owner of Presidential Interiors, who built and installed the display tables and cabinets, urns, and tufted wall.
The biggest challenge, however, proved to be time. “There were no cookie-cutter designed displays or materials. There was conceptualizing, color selecting, sample approving, finalizing, and then the actual execution — all with very limited timing. Yet we still accomplished all without jeopardizing any elements of the design,” says Joel Klien, owner of Continuum Group, a construction company.
The final result was a win for everyone involved. “Every aspect of this project has been an amazing experience,” says Laura Reddy. “I’m still smiling.” Visit NY3DG.com to learn more.
