The interior of the new Lonely Melrose showroom revolves around a dialogue between hard and soft surfaces, between confidence and intimacy. Materials and textures are muted, with appealing tactile qualities. In this joint project, interior designer Knight Associates and Lara Hoad Architecture & Design used a palette of Dinesen Douglas fir, elm, aged brass and pitted plaster to create a design that conveys the raw elegance, honesty and simplicity that characterize the Lonely brand. The result is a showroom that makes a romantic statement in a modern vocabulary.
Showroom – Los Angeles, California, USA
Interior designer: Knight Associates
Architect: Lara Hoad Architecture & Design
Photographer: Rory Gardiner
_______________
Douglas Classic
Thickness: 28 mm. / US 1.1"
Width: 350 mm. / US 13.8"
Random lengths: 5–7 m. / US 16' 5" - 23'
Finish: Light Oil and special oil from Bona in Frost/White
New Zealand brand Lonely has been designing lingerie, swimwear and womenswear since 2003. The new Lonely showroom and shop on Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood, California, showcases the brand’s products as artistic expressions of pleasure and exploration.
The New Zealand interior design firm Knight Associates has captured the essence of the brand and given the showroom the calm atmosphere of a safe and inviting sanctuary – a zone of self-love and dignity. In collaboration with Lara Hoad Architecture & Design, Knight Associates have created a space with soft, confident shapes that create a warm and welcoming setting focused on service and customer experience.
The founder of Knight Associates, Rufus Knight, describes Lonely Melrose as a retail design that embraces several delineated spaces in an open-plan layout, using elegant joinery solutions and well-planned views and sightlines that offer customers the desired sensory experience as they move through the shop.
The showroom experience is based on an open-plan layout, subdivided by flexible doors that present the collections in an inviting, open and grand setting. When the doors are closed, the subdivided space offers a more sophisticated, intimate customer experience that is suited for private consultations and fittings. Free-standing vintage furniture that blends naturally into the interior without dominating the expression provides discreet storage units, while administrative and stock fulfilment areas are positioned in the back of the retail space.
The exterior of the Lonely Melrose showroom is a newly constructed joinery facade finished with cathedral glass that filters the influx of light and offers an elegant, partially obscured view of the interior while preserving discretion for the customers.
