Chanel
Palm Beach, Fla.
Peter Marino & Associates Architects

Materials Speak Out in the Redesign of this Classic

© Peter Aaron / ESTO

For more photos click on 'photos & drawings' above. To see the people and products behind this project click on 'people & products.'

The new Chanel boutique Worth Avenue is the first of the new Peter Marino designed Chanel projects to open in the United States. The 6,000 square foot store is divided into four areas, each featuring distinct Chanel products. There is a progression from dark to light, beginning with the dimly lit entrance, to the dark first room that displays accessories, progressing in lightness to the last room which sells readywear. The store is defined by a perimeter of patterned and textured panels of carbon fiber and gold leaf, poured resin, and faux ivory. Those panels, dynamically composed to accentuate the scale and detail of the Chanel product, support glass and silk fiber shelving throughout. Behind the panels, visible as background, surfaces are covered in elegant French wool. Plasma video screens within large mirrors punctuate the black, gold, and white structure, adding literal movement to the architecture. Peter Marino was inspired by Chanel designer, Karl Lagerfeld's emphasis on maintaining the traditional Chanel look and color scheme, but changing the materials to keep it fresh. The architecture created by such luxurious and elegant materials is fully in tune with the house of Chanel.

Formal name of building:
Chanel

Location:
Palm Beach, Fla.

Gross square footage:
6,000 sq ft

Owner:
Chanel

Architect's firm:
Peter Marino & Associates Architects
150 East 58th Street, 36th floor
New York, NY 10022
Tell: 212-752-5444
Fax: 212-759-3727