Blending into an Urban Oasis

Challenge

We were asked to design a shop for the Nasher Sculpture Center, which would harmonize with the museum building designed by the world-famous architect, Renzo Piano. Because we wanted to maintain visual continuity with the museum and its galleries, the location of the store presented challenges as a retail site.

SOLUTION

The museum as a whole offered an oasis in the midst of the commotion of downtown Dallas. The 810-square-foot shop was thus conceived as a seamless blending with the museum, and as part of the transition between the bustling street and the serenity of the sculpture garden and galleries inside.

In order to avoid any visual blockage to the inside, we designed internal uplighting in low base units through clear glass risers. To establish an effective circulation pattern, we carefully placed large-scale fixed and nested tables along an axis around a cash wrap and showcase island. The layout was developed to be consistent with the museum's overall theme of calibrated spaces and proportions, as well as to fit comfortably with the strong physicality of the building's travertine stone gallery walls. The floor fixtures and perimeter designs make a vital connection with the museum using matching finishes and design vocabulary.