Creativity: We partnered with Bally to design their U.S. Bally Haus Flagship Concept in New York’s vibrant Meatpacking District. This project provided an exciting opportunity to transcend the traditional purposes of retail in both function and aesthetics, layering the districts industrial heritage with contemporary design. Our narrative was inspired by the angular lines of Manhattan’s grid, which uniquely pivots in Meatpacking. The interiors mimic the spatial divide of the neighbourhood, with light textures on the left and earthy clay tones on the right. The pallet of warm terracotta is reminiscent of Bally Haus Milan, and the brickwork of Meatpacking’s architectural past. With the store situated in the shadows of the iconic Gansevoort Hotel, this sharp line of visual contrast is also inspired by Gansevoort’s unique alignment with the sun during the seasonal equinoxes, when the street and its visitors are bathed in a hard light, casting dramatic silhouettes. Functionality: Described as a “multi-functional boutique in a dynamic lifestyle hub,” by Nicolas Girotto, CEO of Bally, functionality was the forefront of our design goals. We developed a visual language for the space that offers spatial elasticity to easily adapt to Bally’s products, services and community events. Modular fixtures and furniture are seen throughout, such as oak shelves that are easily removed, becoming interchangeable with the store’s needs. Transforming selling into entertaining, these fixtures lend themselves to in-house cultural events such as screenings and exhibitions. Innovation and Sustainability: Bally pride themselves in being trailblazers in sustainability and supporters of innovative creatives through The Bally Foundation and Crafting Futures. We therefore incorporated circular materials in the retail design, providing a space for creatives to showcase their future-thinking material practises. Keeping with the contrast throughout the store, plush carpeting and velvet fabrics sit opposite a corrugated wall made from a new innovative compound of paper-mache by NY-Italian makers, Paper Factor. The store also features hand-crafted material surfaces by artist Tessa Silva, who’s practise involves using surplus milk protein which is hand thrown or pressed into moulds to create a stone like finish. The finished product can then be used as a fertiliser once it is no longer needed. This approach embodies the merge of Bally’s pillars; craftmanship, contemporary design and natural materials. To compliment Bally’s, post-pandemic strategy, an emphasis was also put on their digital infrastructure. Placing visitors in the centre of unique 360 digital content, at the entrance of the store stands an immersive digital wall complimented by LED screens throughout, generating a frictionless ‘phygital’ consumer journey. Bally Haus NY serves as a holistic brand anchor, with its design deeply connected to Bally’s creativity and the locality of the store in Manhattan’s historic district.