interior

Thema was a furniture showroom located inside the Pacific Design Center, selling high design and high quality contemporary Italian furnishings.

The leased space presented several design challenges. Tucked away in a corner of the building, the space was hidden, with minimal frontage and little presence on the public corridor. The interior of the space was dominated by a ubiquitous acoustical tile ceiling and contained a series of large, obtrusive columns. However, the main focus of the space was actually a view of a large barren plaza outside the wall of floor to ceiling windows. Our client asked for a design solution that was elegant, understated, timeless and flexible, while also correcting the inherent problems of the space mentioned above.

To mark the entrance and give the showroom more of a presence on the public corridor, we created a white glass back-lit display area to highlight special pieces of furniture, create interest, and serve as a threshold to the showroom. Inside, smaller elliptical shaped columns replaced the larger series of boxed out columns, while also improving sight lines and providing a reference to the soft sensual curves of some of the furnishings. A floating drywall ceiling was created, providing a simple, elegant backdrop for the showroom. The ceiling also incorporates a series of recessed lighting troughs which both hide lighting from view and create a rhythm which relate to the geometry of the building’s exterior window framing. A sheer textile scrim at the windows allows the visitors to keep their focus inside the showroom, while providing abundant natural light. At night, the scrim and the walls of the showroom are washed with light from a gap between the ceiling and the walls, creating a luminous effect. Italian bluestone pavers provide a durable yet refined background on the floor.

Photography by blue point architecture