Phillip Lim 3.1 Los Angles

The 3.1 Phillip Lim store and showroom transforms a 5000 square foot auto body shop into a flowing interior. By introducing a thick curving wall within the existing building envelope one large main space unfolds into four smaller niches. Mirrors along the walls enhance the spatiality of the store and create visual continuity between adjacent spaces.

The curving geometry and thickness of the wall allows for the conventional methods of lighting and display to be rethought. A single, continuous light-diffusing membrane floats above the space adding to the intimate atmosphere while giving the space a sense of lightness.

Like the construction of a garment, the curving wall has an inner ‘lining’ and outer ‘lining.’ The pyramidal texture on the walls is actually soft to the touch creating a sensation of being both hard and soft. The smaller niche spaces are each lined with different materials; wallpaper, Spanish cork, leather herringbone, and bamboo creating a variety of tactile vignettes for the clothing to be displayed in.

As an alternative to the typical window display, the exterior façade has no openings except the entrance. Instead of windows, the façade is surfaced in a stark yet supple pattern of concrete tiles shaped like pillows. The emphasis of the blank façade acts like a ‘palette cleanser’ as one transitions from the bustle of the streetscape to the intimate interior.

Los Angeles, CA
2009, Completed