Stitch

Thinking about the retail project, a concept hit me. Stitching. Because jeans are made up of stitches this idea seems very important because without stitching, the jeans wouldn't hold up. its what makes the two sides of the jeans connect, just like the what I am trying to do with the community. Im trying to make the custom jean store that im designing apart of the community and make it bring different parts of Greensboro together.

Sketch Perspectives

Possible Textures

Concrete

natural wood

Scored metal

Texured Fabric

Narrative

Walking through my retail store, I want there to be a mood that is reflected in the space, comfort. Usually when you are shopping at a store and you try on something in the dressing room, you have a somewhat uncomfortable feeling when you walk out to see yourself in the three way mirrors, just because there might be people watching you. In this space, I want to design a way for someone to be confident in what they try on and have a way to view themselves in a three way mirror in a semi private space. In this custom jean store I want to use texture on the walls and furniture. Using texture from nature provides a similar concept to the idea of custom jeans. To make this retail store connect to Greensboro and the North Carolina area, there would be texture from nature that would be represented in the space, like wood, rocks, clay from the mountains, etc.Thinking about the layout of the space, there needs to be two display areas, one for the custom jean area displaying the wash of the jean and the fit, and the other display area for the already made jeans. The already made jean display should be closer to the front of the store, so that it attracts customers attention, making it look like an average retail store, but once they are inside they see more than that. The cashier area should be located in the central part of the store near the display areas. There should be a in house tailor area, located in the back of the store near the changing areas. To think about the comfort level at the changing areas, I was thinking that there should be separate changing areas for getting jeans custom and trying on jeans that are already made. The changing areas for the custom jeans should be connected to the tailor area in some way, either by a door or opening, so that when someone tries on the jeans they don’t have to be connected to the outside public. Lighting plays a key idea in this space and if used correctly the lighting can display the jeans to its fullest capabilities. The display window should be one of the most important parts of the space because of the fact that it draws people into the space. Since the front of the store is made up of glass, the display window can take any shape and any scale. For the display window I would probably design something that has to deal with the detail and texture of the jeans that I am selling.
The idea of the store as a whole is a great retail space for Revolution Mills and Greensboro for the simple fact that this retail store sells jeans that are custom fit to the body. I think that this store would bring a lot of business to this area and the design of the store would help display some of the most unique parts of North Carolina.

Schematic Layout

Jean Advertisements

Inspiration 2

Inspiration

For inspiration I found images that were very bright and intriguing. I want to use a variety of texture and color, since the retail store is steered towards women, there are more feminine colors such as reds, pinks, yellows. The design of the store is going to be concentrating on light and detail with unique furniture and objects.

Retail Precedent Study

Earnest Sewn in New York, New York

This retail seems to be similar to The Jean Shop, which is located in New York as well. Earnest Sewn reminds me of Anthropologie because of the antiques used to display products. The antiques they use specifically remind me of what an old barn or farm would have. This particular store is very sustainable with its brick interior and ceiling, as well as furniture.


The Blues Jean Bar in San Francisco, California

Looking at this retail store, it seems like they are marketing towards women instead of men because of its sleek interior design, using chandeliers and furniture that is simple. The Blues Jean Bar only sells jeans unlike the other retail stores mentioned. They have a jean wall which showcases all of the jeans they have to offer. The jeans seem to be located in one area, while the other walls and areas are blank.




Upside Down in Laguna Beach, California

I thought that the display for their clothing was really successful. They used built in shelving units to display multiple size items. The design ideas seems like it mixes eclectic with modern, in terms of its furniture and lighting, especially with the lighting over the table, using flowers hanging upside down. It seems as though their concept might be moving to opposites together in a subtle way.





The Jean Shop in New York, New York

The Jean Shop in New York makes custom jeans designed to fit your body. The interior of the shop is organized in the sense that the jeans are located all over the store but are either folded or hung on the wall. The jeans seem to be spread out, on the benches on the countertop, and even used as display for a detail on the high wall. The space looks very masculine because of the dark wood and light pale colors as well as sustainable, reusing materials like hangers, ladders, wood and even jeans.



Oki-ni in London

This retail store is unlike the rest. In the picture there are only a select retail items that are on display. This is because their line changes all of the time so the clothing collections never last long at all they are always interchanging. Even though they don’t have a lot of items to display, they have a distinct place in the store. They are displayed in the middle of the room or on the wall. In order to buy on of these pieces, you would have to get a hold of a customer service person and ask for your size in the back room and if they don’t have your size they would order it for you.

retail idea 2: Jeans

Now that im thinking about retail stores. Im wondering whether to stay with the idea of selling lighting. After thinking about things to sell that would attract someone to Greensboro I thought about my personal life. When I go shopping I always have trouble finding one thing, jeans. They either fit too tight, too loose or too long on my body, I can never find the perfect fit. That got me thinking, what if there were a place where you would get a professional opinion and help on finding your best jeans, because after all every person in this world own a pair of jeans. If there were a store somewhere around this area, I would definitely travel long distances to at least go there once and I think that other people would do the same.

Since im thinking about this idea I dont want to completely give up the idea of selling lamps but maybe selling lamps that are more simple and not the complete focus of retail in the space but they would be for sale.

Retail Space Ideas

Artichoke Lamp

After a well rested fall break, we were given our final project in studio. We were given some idea of what we had to do but we didn't know all that was going to be given. Now we know. We have to design a retail store (of our choice) in either the Shops at Buffalo Bridge or Biomech Mills. Since I was working on the Shops at Buffalo Bridge I decided to stick with that idea. As for the retail store, I was thinking about selling lamps or organic lighting fixtures. I have a particular company in mind to sell from, Stray Dog. In my personal experience, the store that I worked for sold these lighting fixtures and they were very successful. People came from hours away just because of the lamps we had in the store, and they weren't cheap either. So I think that people will do the same if my retail store sells the same type of items, something that is unique and thoughtful. These lamps will draw people into Revolution Mills and the Shops at Buffalo Bridge.

Installation Ideas

Sketching in the Kitchen

Another boring day at home, making some cookies. YUMM..

Lighting Research

On my spare time I wanted to look up some objects that we could possibly use in the Revolution Mills space. The lighting that I sketched represents some of the items that would have an interesting appeal in the space . The item above is called Spade Drum Pendant. Its made of a thin wood material creating a three dimensional shape on the outside of the shade.

Arabesque Bowl

Cobble Sconce

Jeremy Cole

Metamorphosis at Revolution Mills

This section shows the ceiling planes and the wall heights.

Section south wall looking at just the cafe area and lounge. We took the existing windows and used them as walkways to the patio area.

This is the section of the stairway. The stairway is made up of glass, metal and cement.

These are the sections that I produced from this project. We worked in teams of three and we had to produce sections, perspectives, a conceptual plan, and details inside the space. When we first met as a group we decided to come up with ideas separately and come together later in the group and come up with a concept with ideas about the space. As we went over our ideas about this project we all had a similar idea, the idea of connection. We wanted the viewer to walk through the space and get a different take of the area everytime, thus the idea of metamorphosis. We used different ceiling planes, floor planes and provided areas of interest throughout the space. The entrance was in the basement and the exit was on the first floor, allowing the viewer to be forced to walk throughout the space, experiencing our design of evolution.

Moving Forward with Revolution Mills

As soon as our concept overdrive project was due we received yet another project. This project was for Revolution Mills. Revolution Mills is an old fabric mill on the other side of town in Greensboro, and might I add in the middle of NOWHERE. The exterior of the building looked as if the mill was still in use, but the interior was another story. The interior wasn't used to its fullest capabilities but it was a progress from where the mill was before. The mill used reused wood flooring, with drywall and pre-existing brick.
Our new assignment was to design a portion of the building that wasnt being built yet. So on our field trip to the mill we took pictures to better understand the idea of the mill and the emotions we feel when we walk through the mill.

Desk Crit with Classmates

Talking to some of my classmates I developed a better understanding of the project (Revolution Mills). Allison and Matt had suggested to me that I keep in mind the original building and add a sense of modern architecture, to where they could be looked at as a whole building and not a renovation. Looking at my inspirational photos, i want to keep those in mind. The fabric and flower petal light fixture and the columns and beams would be a good consideration in the space but using them in a different way adding more detail in the area. In the area I wanted to include a patio area facing the creek, and actually having the back facade facing the creek being an important part of the building, either creating an open area, or adding windows. I do have to keep in mind the actual dimensions of the area and keep the columns in mind because not everything can be taken away without the building collapsing. Then Matt suggested that I use different materials instead of what is already in the space like, concrete or slate with the reclaimed wood or the use of a different veneer brick than the pre-existing one. When I spoke with Jimmy about my project he suggested to break away from the square shaped building. Speaking with my classmates helped me understand better of what i need to do, and now that I understand I think I can develop my ideas further.

Inspirational Photos:

Market Research

Mainstreet

Main streets are in a linear layout with roads parallel to the buildings. The buildings can be anything from office spaces, retail spaces, or apartment complexes. They can have any type of façade with signs extruding from them. Sidewalks are what are in between the buildings and roads providing a pathway around the area.

West Edmonton Mall

Characteristics of a usual mall include vendor’s set inside a large building. The vendors can sell anything. They usually display one of everything with large storage in the back. The malls could have more than one floor with a food court usually set in the middle of the space. In this particular space, the storefronts have an exterior façade, making it seem like the space is an outlet mall instead of an indoor mall.

Turkish Bazaar

Bazaars are usually located next to mosques and this particular bazaar is one of the best bazaars in the world. It is set up in a flee-market layout, with many vendors selling many different things. This particular photo shows the display of merchandise where verticality is not a problem. In a bazaar, they want to show all the items that are on sale since they barely have any storage to put them. Bazaars can take place indoors or outdoors depending on where they are and can be small or large.

Market:

In this retail space, they are usually selling one type of product. In this market, they are selling produce. Markets usually are placed outside underneath a tent or shed-like structure. All the merchandise is set out so the consumer can choose which item they like best because no two items are the same. The space is set out in a linear fashion with crates or inexpensive materials to display items.

plaza:

Plazas are usually set with buildings around it. The buildings can be anything from retail to office buildings. There are statues or fountains or a main attraction in the center of the plaza. There are also sitting areas located around the area with landscape. Plazas are mainly around well-populated and high wealth areas.

Arcades:

Arcades have bright colors with shapes and different textures to accommodate their clients, children. They have games that are displayed and played on and there is no storage. The layout of the space is set in a linear order, making isles to travel through.

Revolution Mills

Revolution Mills

Revolution Mills started when two brothers, Moses and Caesar Cone, started a textile business. When they moved to the south because of their father, they began a partnership with C.E. Graham in Ashville in 1887. They began a cloth manufacturing company with their partner and began marketing it in 1889. Their firm was established in Greensboro due to its cotton, transportation, and building location. Although they began their firm in 1890, their first mill wasn’t built until 1895 and renamed Revolution Mills due to its textile circles. There were other mills built around 1902 but the first Cone mill was the largest of them all. In 1982 the mill closed its doors and was sold to a company for offices and apartments and was sold again twenty years later to a private non-profit organization. The Revolution Mills, LLC bought the mill in 2003 to convert it into offices. It occupies ninety-seven offices and now has wood floors, high ceilings and large windows.
The buildings layout is a typical mill layout, its utilitarian. Its large space allows for an easier workflow and makes room for larger machines when needed. It has a lot of windows to allow natural light inside the building and outside the building are large beautiful courtyards. There is a large open lobby with conference rooms that are shared by the other occupants. The setup for the space is set around a studio-like setting with large open spaces, making the already large building even larger.

Packed Pixels

Here is the final work for the concept driven challenge, hope you enjoy!

logo:

Logo in 3D:



Exterior:

• Black slate and concrete material
• beams copying interior
• pixel windows

Interior:

• light boxes to enhance items
• pattern on ground lights up when weight is put on it, reflects on ceiling
• pixel display/storage container on walls
• pixel wall on side of window ( lights up and moves)

Floor Plan:

• arcade style layout

Detail 1:

• featured display pixel box
• larger than the other boxes
• pull up door with display behind

Detail 2:

• display area with storage behind
• pull out drawer

Detail 3:

• storage pixel box

Window Display:

• 

Tags:

Bags:

(click on pictures to make them larger)