Last fall, Washington DC-based jeweler and pearl purveyor, Spey, approached MNA to develop a concept for a prospective flagship store in the DC-Metropolitan area. What they asked for was an elegant, but gentle backdrop for their pearls – a quiet palette married with dramatic elements and classic detailing. But above all, Spey considers each piece in their collection to be a little work of art - and their ultimate request was a design that displays them as such.
In response, we proposed a space that feels less like a sales floor and more like a gallery – and intentionally so. Freestanding display vitrines line the path of an open, axial plan leading to a private viewing room at the rear. The space is infused with Neo-Classical Georgian style architectural elements – everything from the tiling to the coffering adheres to a strong, symmetrical composition with harmonious proportions and rich molding embellishments. The custom wood vitrines punch against the quiet off-white backdrop creating a nice play of light and dark.
The client had one last additional request – they wanted drama, while also incorporating imagery of the pearl diver. Floor-to-ceiling wrought iron doors close off the private viewing room and behind them, a true-to-scale bronze diver descends from the ceiling, acting as a visual beacon and drawing the eye to the back of the space.