Coach

Coach’s Madison Avenue flagship recently underwent a redesign to lighten its mood and complement a contemporary line of merchandise. The upscale handbag store, located in New York’s landmark Fuller building, was expanded from two levels to three, adding 2500 square feet of retail space.

Designer S. Russell Groves (New York) took inspiration from Coach’s first factory (built in the 1940s), adding a structural, metallic look to the store. This is best seen in a new steel staircase that rises up through square, 20-foot cut-outs on each level.

The open space features square and rectangular fixtures made of white-painted pine and mahogany with splashes of colorful acrylic. Individually illuminated and displayed, merchandise is spotlighted, and simple fixtures allow for plenty of flexibility.

Client Team: Coach (a division of Sara Lee Corp.), New York — Coach design team Design Team: S. Russell Groves, New York — S. Russell Groves, principal; Dan Wismer, project designer; Stephanie Kim, designer; Sun Lee, materials/finishes

Consultants: Kugler Tillotson Associates, New York (lighting); Murray Consulting Engineers, Rye, N.Y. (structural engineer); Gabor M. Szakal & Associates Consulting Engineers, New York (MEP)

Suppliers: Rambush Lighting, New York (recessed lighting); Louis Poulsen, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (custom pendants); Endicott Brick, New York (glazed brick); Columbia Showcase & Cabinet, Sun Valley, Calif. (fixtures); Haywood-Berk Floor Co., New York (wood flooring); Konstantin Bojanov Projects, Brooklyn, N.Y. (cast-resin build-ups); Bedlam Brass, Garfield, N.J. (custom handrail fabricator)

Photography: Sharon Risedorph, San Francisco