B&B Italia Showroom, Soho
New York, New York

Fusing the typologies of home, lounge, and showroom, this classically proportioned Soho loft on Greene Street forms a dynamic backdrop for the contemporary B&B Italia and Maxalto furniture collections. The conceptual intent of the two-level, 5,500-square-foot project, completed in 2007, was to reflect the innovative B&B Italia design legacy dating from the company's founding in 1966. Designed as a living, changeable laboratory for the incubation of new ideas, the downtown showroom presents a graphic, contemporary identity for a progressive and ever-evolving brand.

Hovering plaster ceiling planes are equipped with a recessed track system to hold color-corrected theatrical light fixtures and the layering of printed theatrical scrims. These full-height, moveable scrim panels articulate a series of interlocking salons within the expansive open space. Inside each floating walnut frame, two layers of translucent fabric overlap to create a diaphanous spatial veil. Additional scrim overlays along the cove-lit plaster perimeter walls enable moments of variable opacity and translucency throughout the showroom environment. Brazilian walnut flooring on the main level contributes to the warm loft atmosphere, while the natural-finish concrete flooring on the lower level conveys a more youthful modernity.

A suspended walnut stair touches down upon a theatrically lit landing platform, allowing guests to survey the individual collection groups - again veiled by moveable translucent scrim panels - arrayed throughout the lower-level space. The adjacent elevator is wrapped in iridescent metal mesh panels to create a seductive moray effect. Infused with the spirit of B&B Italia and its international stable of contemporary designers, the showroom provides a flexible stage for brand regeneration and evolution.