Z Gallerie VM+SD 2006 Retail Renovation Competition Winner Matthew Hall (08-30-2006) Z Gallerie, Beverly Hills, Calif. First place Specialty Store, Sales Area Under 10,000 Square Feet When Z Gallerie took over a space that previously housed a stationery store in Beverly Hills, the lifestyle retailer wanted to create an art gallery-like setting for its merchandise lines, which include furniture, artwork, lighting, textiles and decorative accessories. Much of the renovation work involved opening up the space's mezzanine and upper levels. "The mezzanine in the previous store was walled off and used for storage," says Michael Fant, associate at Herschman Architects (Cleveland), designer of the renovated space. "We stripped that space to its basic structure and exposed it. In addition to freeing up more floor space, that also provided visual depth and created a more open and light environment."  The Z Gallerie renovation features an airy mezzanine level, which was walled off and used for storage by the stationery store... The stationery store contained two attics that concealed a large space. "Again, we stripped out the non-structural elements, which exposed an original bow-truss structure with a wood-planed deck," Fant notes. Client: Z Gallerie, Gardena, Calif. |
