Baranowitz + Kronenberg has completed a flagship store for contemporary luxury jewelry brand Âme, that redefines retail environments by engaging customers at every touch point; through music, scent, and touch. The project by B+K has been designed to the likes of a 'monochromatic forest,' utilizing earthy materials to evoke a passion for fine craft and hand-made objects. Unique to the space are custom display cases, each curated with its own unique accompaniment of sounds, scored by notable DJ and musician Mimi Xu.
The approach resonates with the vision of Elinor Avni, Âme's Creative Director who aims to break free from tradition by enabling women to wear high-end jewelry with freedom, evoking their personal style. Avni's jewelry designs are housed in hanging capsules, and in state of the art glass cloches that sit on metallic display pods.
To further enhance Âme's design strategy, B+K collaborated with Anne Kyyro Quinn to develop 3D felt panels along the walls of the store which are set against a reflective stainless steel ceiling and back wall. A micro-cement floor with hexagon-inspired steel inlays serves as the canvas on which the store is laid.
London-based perfume designer Azzi Glasser has created a unique scent for the brand that forms a permanent feature in the store. Her vision was to capture the essence of the growing diamond, through its faceted layers, entwining the fragrance notes, whilst layering the accords. The scent amplifies the essence of luxury through the finest molecules released into the air.
Echoing the emotional connection a person feels when choosing a piece of jewelry, Âme's theatrical retail space connects with human senses in different ways; starting with a bold and unconventional positioning designed for the high-end jewelry segment, and following through into the consumer's emotional and sensorial experience.
"Âme is a new breed of its kind. Unbound by the weight of tradition, it moves forward and introduces the essence of the new and the next for others to follow," Alon Baranowitz and Irene Kronenberg commented.
"Our design redefines high-end jewelry retail spaces as performative platforms for self-expression which are as intense and multifaceted as living in the 21st century. Through our work we seek to celebrate our natural senses and recapture some very basic human values which have been diluted or forgotten by the virtual world we are immersed in."
The store opened in the Westfield Plaza - 10250 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles.
Photography: Amit Geron