Layers of ultralight MDF, each two inches thick and banded in stained maple veneer, stack into a sinuous mass that runs the length of SKIN1004‘s first U.S. flagship. The Korean skincare brand’s New York store spans nearly 9,900 square feet across two floors on Broadway, with ochre- and umber-toned wood covering almost every surface.
Photography by Sean Davidson; courtesy of LMTLS Architecture
LMTLS Architecture removed the existing second floor of the Soho space to open the entrance into a double-height lounge that can accommodate events as well as everyday visitors. The ceiling then descends toward the point of sale before rising again into a chamber at the rear, so the plan compresses and expands as a visitor moves through it.
Photography by Sean Davidson; courtesy of LMTLS Architecture
The Nature Wall, as LMTLS refers to the milled form, takes on seating, product display, and the sales counter, resolving all three into a single continuous topography rather than breaking them into separate elements.
Photography by Sean Davidson; courtesy of LMTLS Architecture
Conceived as an abstraction of a natural valley, its stepped edges recall eroded sandstone, whose horizontal bands make layers of geological time visible. Gilbert and Adirondack Studios handled the fabrication, cutting each layer to profile before assembly.
Photography by Sean Davidson; courtesy of LMTLS Architecture
Running parallel to the Nature Wall, a reflective plane nine feet high travels uninterrupted from the entrance to the rear of the space. SoHo retail volumes tend to run narrow, and the Mirror Wall returns the millwork to itself at full length, doubling the topography and pushing its apparent depth well past the physical footprint.
Photography by Sean Davidson; courtesy of LMTLS Architecture
Illuminated surfaces from Cooledge are set into the ceiling and the casework throughout, casting a warm, diffuse light that complements the surrounding wood palette. A column sheathed in brushed metal carries the brand mark upward into an amorphous glowing form overhead.
Photography by Sean Davidson; courtesy of LMTLS Architecture
The rear chamber shifts the pace, presenting products more like objects in a gallery than conventional retail displays. A photo booth sits within it, framed by a single-plane mirror twelve feet tall, and an LED wall runs brand films on a continuous loop. A brand built on ingredients drawn from untouched landscapes has housed itself inside a constructed one.
Photography by Sean Davidson; courtesy of LMTLS Architecture
The SKIN1004 flagship is open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 470 Broadway in New York, NY.
