Designing with Steve Jobs

Apple transformed a former post office in New York’s Soho district into the first of its retail stores. Working in collaboration with Steve Jobs, Apple and BCJ, Ronnette Riley Architect was part of designing the prototype for subsequent Apple stores around the world, setting new standards in retail design. The 18,000sf interior invites consumers with its use of custom-designed glass features – a 15' high staircase, an indoor bridge and a 70' long skylight – echoing the iconic design sensibility of Apple products.  The Apple Store has since garnered numerous accolades, including recognition by The American Institute of Architects and Business Week for Design Excellence.

Designing a Homey Atmosphere

The new 6,400sf salon is located at the base of a new supertall skyscraper with glazed curtain walls, 15’ high ceilings and prime views of 57th Street. The salon is laid out as a bustling great room with visual connections maintained from the reception to the coloring area, the styling area and the wash area. Custom tables, glazed dividers, metal armatures framing tables with standoff mirrors are complemented with custom bookshelves and displays at the perimeter, which showcase the client’s personal book and art collection as well as curated art books, jewelry, and beauty products for purchase. Red terrazzo, wide-plank flooring and the ceiling grid provide a flexible field that allows easy reorganization. The free-form squiggle, asymmetrical globe and antique light fixtures as well as the ephemeral rotation of books, art, products and floral arrangements redefined our client’s retail environment as a gathering space where patrons can discover, share and enjoy new things.

This design involved a three-year, five-story, multiphase

renovation of a 495-room hotel. By integrating new architectural elements, furniture, finishes and lighting with existing structural elements, Ronnette Riley Architect transformed massive interior spaces into welcoming centers of activity. The first phase was the redesign of the hotel’s main lobby, which had been dominated by tiers of escalators and a bell-shaped chandelier - elements that were dated and unattractive. We removed part of the 2’ slab and designed a double-story glass storefront that allows natural light to filter into the atrium. A 14’ wide fireplace clad in backlit alabaster and sculpted walnut suspended 33’ from the 3’ ceiling slab and custom chandeliers evoking fireworks provide new focal points for the atrium volume. Public spaces abutting the atrium were given new recessed low-voltage lighting, finishes and furniture featuring warm woods and rich colors to integrate the 15,000sf of the three-level lobby into a dramatic but more intimate whole.

Ronnette Riley Architects was hired by Starwood Capital

to improve the hotel's street presence and develop a welcoming location identity for both cars and pedestrians. The existing arrival experience was dominated by a utilitarian pre-cast parking structure at the podium of the hotel complex on a wide semi-industrial street. RRA proposed concepts and developed two alternate schemes to re-clad the existing structure with a back-lit curtain wall: one with multi-colored glass on steel rods at different depths to add more visual interest to the monolithic plane of the massive façade, and the other with a dynamic torqued volume with backlit acrylic panels. RRA also proposed modifying the planters, sidewalk, stairways, signage and site lighting to enhance the pedestrian experience. 

The Femininity is in the Detail.

Embracing the sweeping curves of a woman’s body, fashion designer Tracy Reese’s signature style is reflected in each curve and dip of this 2,200sf store. Sloping walls course an hourglass shape around the discerning consumer, visually dividing the space into two display areas. Richly detailed with custom touches, the store bursts with a fuchsia resin cash wrap, curved stainless steel display fixtures, cove lighting and central chandeliers, accentuating the space with a robust and yet delicate femininity inherent to Ms. Reese’s celebrity-sought brand.

Ronnette Riley Architect designed a premier hotel and

condo development on a four-acre site. Collaborating with Mathes Brierre Architects, RRA developed a program that would set a new standard for modern buildings in the southwest. RRA designed two opposing curved structures on a triangular site to capture views of a mountain. The program includes a private interior courtyard, sub-grade parking, retail, spa, bars, restaurants, ballroom and meeting spaces, 153 hotel rooms and 44 condo units. The multi-level Zen garden in the courtyard features a cascading two-story waterfall. RRA considered the unique eco-climate and implemented the design necessary to receive LEED certification. The exterior envelope of the building will feature glass, local flagstone, concrete and a metal louver system and large covered balconies.

Emerald Planet offers a healthy alternative to fast food

through its “Wrap and Smoothie” parlors in upscale Manhattan neighborhoods. The successful restaurateur needed a design for its 1,700sf downtown Soho eatery that would convey a fresh, alternative approach in a contemporary environment that would be both beautiful and highly functional. Ronnette Riley Architect incorporated an expansive glass façade, dramatic lighting, and complimentary natural materials and colors to create an attractive and inviting space and communicate the restaurant’s concept of healthy, high quality food and value pricing in an elegant yet relaxed setting. RRA duplicated the design at their Rockefeller Center store.

This 800sf café had a large program for a tight space,

including seating for over 20 customers, a service bar, display cases, back work counter and multiple equipment. The small kitchen had to be configured around a new ADA compliant restroom and still accommodate full service. The challenge was to fulfill the ambitious program in a light, modern and comfortable space with a European flair.

Re-envisioning a Recognizable Brand

With Ronnette Riley Architect’s keen sense of the consumer’s shopping experience and an understanding of the company’s global strategy, Coca-Cola Fifth Avenue sought a store that would delight in the vintage history and fun of one of the world's most visible brands. A key element enticed visitors into the 150-foot-long store with an illuminated path flanked by a captivating wall display, floor pattern and undulating ceiling treatment.  Visitors are encouraged to linger as they view interactive videos, exhibits and merchandise. A monumental stair and sculptural bronze railings along the narrow space holds the attention of the busy shopper in one of the highest-profile shopping districts on the planet.

Redesigning to Restoration Hardware’s Standards

Ronnette Riley Architect worked with Seaton Wilson Architects to restore the original architectural details in the renovation of this 16,000sf flagship retail space. Through research of historical drawings and analysis of painted surfaces, two antique clocks were carefully restored and the original structure's cast iron columns were revitalized with new painted wood fascia and Corinthian capitals. The team retained Restoration Hardware’s signature feel while bringing a landmark building façade back to life.  By conforming to Restoration Hardware’s design standards, a new prototype was created for urban furniture retail stores with new interior columns, display areas, a double staircase and an elevator.

Recasting the Roaring Twenties

Renovating while restoring is Restoration Hardware’s signature brand, while also being a honed skill of Ronnette Riley Architect. This 1920s Neo-Classical building, originally designed by Thomas Lamb, was a former post office located at the corner of Prince and Greene Streets in the historic Soho district. In order to revitalize this 16,000sf, three-story grand dame, Lamb’s original drawing for the façade was used to inspire and transform the building’s frontage, while honoring the district’s flair for progressive style.

New World Coffee was created to introduce darker

more flavorful coffee to New York City. The design mandate was for Ronnette Riley Architect to create a store that evokes the warmth and aroma associated with authentic espresso beverages. Earth tones, stone and wood are used to establish this atmosphere. To catch the attention of passersby, a green-gold backdrop is used to generate an inviting warm glow contrasted by cream colored walls and floor and enhanced by the ambient lighting.  By highlighting the back of the space, the entire shop becomes a storefront. The diagonal line was the prime motivator behind the scheme on both the experiential and functional levels. The counter, punctuated by pendant lights along its edge, draws the eye into the space and works as a promotional device by inducing a dialogue between passersby and the shop. Rather than facing an interior wall, the diagonal placement of the counter creates a strong visual interaction with its surrounding space that, in turn, invites impromptu or future visits. At the same time, placing the counter on the hypotenuse maximizes its presentation length and creates a deeper free space for activity in front, thereby avoiding the typical "galley" layout.  

The Flow of this Multi-Purpose Showroom

Fixtures curated as art. Sinks hung like paintings. Water used as the primary medium. Every aspect of the Davis & Warshow showroom is adjustable to meet the needs of the changing products or events, while delightfully embracing the movement of water. Presented without running water, flowing materials are embraced throughout the design.

The first step into the showroom is on a sienna orange rubber mat. This soft flooring insinuates a landlocked waterfall by sliding up and over the reception desk, then over a curving bench and onto a wall of rubber dotted with honey-colored Chroma Resin. Displays are set in 36 movable pods, each with a drop-in panel of stone and presented in walnut on the original industrial wood floors under exposed oval duct work. The sales area is separated by semi-opaque resin dividers and, rather than line the perimeter with displays, there are 21 large windows that focus the showroom inward. The final touch transforming the lush waterworks from retail to presentation or party is the pre-set lighting system, uniting the space according to the attendees.  

An Exceptional Showroom for this Exclusive Tile & Stone Master

Collaborating closely with the Walker Zanger design team, Ronnette Riley Architect created a series of zones and sample rooms to engage the discerning consumer. Awash with bright light, clean lines and briskly presented real-world scenarios, our design expands the mind while compelling the globally garnered stone products into each scene.

Emerald Planet builds on a conscious break from

images traditionally associated with fast food. This second store designed by Ronnette Riley Architect, a 2,000sf “Wrap and Smoothie” parlor with a 225sf juice bar is located near the subway entrance on the concourse level of Rockefeller Center and offers a quality product in an upscale environment. This “new style” eatery is contemporary and functional.

The Rockefeller Center challenge was to incorporate the restaurant on the concourse level, which was undergoing a major renovation. Our work required coordination and integration with the building and building systems. Taking advantage of the glass façade of the renovated concourse, the design takes on a transparency that highlights the cooking and prep work that are the trademark of these establishments. The materials, shapes and textiles are dramatically illuminated to set Emerald Planet apart from the fluorescent light of the neighbors.

Complimentary natural materials throughout the space create the design vocabulary. Sage, wheat, olive and ochre-painted walls provide “organic” tones for the glass, stainless steel and terrazzo surfaces. These are balanced by natural and aubergine stained cherry wood. Accents of gunmetal and rebar are used on tabletops, chair legs and the belly guard service bar.

Many of the shapes encourage the flow of traffic within the space and emphasize sculptural elements. Visual cohesion is maintained between the zinc meridian strips in the terrazzo floor and the lines of the banquette, service bar and stainless steel counters. The curve of the service bar is reinforced by curving pendant lights above. These “gestures” terminate at an angled soffit overhead and a partial wall, which provides a separation for the back work area. 

Translucent Opulence for the American Symphony Orchestra

Moving their headquarters from Washington DC to Manhattan required a deep understanding of the changing needs of this national advocacy organization. The League sought out Ronnette Riley Architiect for a design solution that would accommodate their daily administrative and fundraising operations while also converting 10,000sf into musical performance spaces. Because of our adaptability to the special constraints faced by non-profit organizations, we were able to design a space replete with a contemporary malleability as well as an upscale opulence befitting to their member orchestras.

From the point of entry, glass walls unify the organization with translucence. Approaching the meeting rooms, the glass turns opaque, creating privacy inside. In the interest of spatial flexibility, we created a custom conference table that breaks down into 10 pieces so the room can hold a concert or several variations of meetings. The end walls of the conference rooms are constructed of frameless glass with a special film that varies in opacity depending on the vantage point of the viewer. The custom-designed, 24-seat conference room and furnishings are constructed of maple, maple burl and cherry. Lighting touches ranges from perforated metal hall sconces to curving halogen light mounted above to steel tracks.

Contemporary and Sleek Design

Ronnette Riley Architects was commissioned to provide a contemporary and sleek design for an orthodontist who was relocating from a smaller midtown office to Park Avenue. The new 2,000sf, predominantly linear space has an entry from the north and a south wall with multiple windows overlooking a courtyard.

The organization of the office is based on the connection of two major public (patient) areas by a corridor feeding all of the semi-private spaces. Upon entering the practice, the visitor passes through an antechamber with a wall-mounted cherry table and arrives to the carpeted waiting area. The entire back edge of the waiting room is defined by a two-tone, cherry reception desk with stainless steel reveals. Mounted on the wall behind the desk is an acrylic panel held by four stainless steel brackets; a colored spotlight illuminates the panel. Other lighting in the waiting area includes ceiling-mounted, wall-hung, and hanging halogen fixtures suspended over the reception counter. Slate blue carpet tiles provide a contrast to the light walls and allow the millwork to stand out as warm objects in a cool landscape.

The floor finish and lighting change as one moves from the waiting and administrative areas to the technical areas of the office. An “L” shaped corridor snakes past the private patient rooms, the laboratory and the X-ray room. Acid-etched glass panels supported on stainless steel posts on the south wall are illuminated by colored spotlights. Each patient area has a sink with custom laminate cabinetry with “hands-free” plumbing fixtures. 

 The light color palette and simple detailing contribute to the clean, sleek aesthetic that the client sought. The simplicity of the space also allows the light fixtures, metalwork and millwork to stand out as objects of beauty in the museum-like background.

Maximizing the Second Office for Success

This 1,800sf space has exposed brick and a warmer palette, which lent themselves to our client’s second clinic in this historic, trendier area of Tribeca. The long, linear space proved challenging in housing the request for seven patient areas, laboratory, two private offices, three administrative areas and reception area. Ronnette Riley Architect packed a generous warm style and functionality into the design, while adhering to the specific requirements unique to this successful dental practice.

Upon entering the space, the large arched window welcomes visitors. The reception desk, curved softly in natural oak and walnut, guides one to the private patient areas, which is separated by textured resin panels. Private administrative areas are defined with sliding doors hung from exposed barn-door hardware. Dental chairs required to be at specific angles are accommodated, including accompanying equipment, cabinetry and laboratory. The corridor terminates at a split-level stair directing one either up to the private office and laboratory, or down to the basement storage and server areas. Finishing touches throughout the office engage a warm, earthly aesthetic by using strand grain bamboo flooring, river rocks set in resin on the bathroom floors and warm yellow and green tone paints. The space uses environmentally sensitive materials and recycled finishes, providing the perfect complement to the philosophy of the practice.