Fashion Born In NYC
“Never just a t-shirt.”
ATM Showroom and Office
Located at the intersection of architecture, fashion, and art, we created a showroom in the heart of Chelsea for Anthony Thomas Melillo’s eponymous label - a design for a brand that is equal parts easy and elegant.
LOCATION: Manhattan
CLIENT: Anthony Thomas Melillo
OVERVIEW: Showroom and Office
COMPLETION DATE: 2015
SERVICES: Architecture, Interior Design
Our goal was to match ATM’s relaxed elegance and timeless style and extend the cilent’s brand into three dimensions.
It started with the perfect t-shirt. You know the one. We’ve worn it, we’ve loved it, everyone knows the piece of clothing we’re talking about. They are worth seeking out and investing in.
Our client felt this so strongly that in 2012 he developed a business around it and called it ATM, his initials. What started as a line of chic tees grew into a full service fashion house.
While all the expanded product line meant ATM needed more space to show the detail pants and detail jackets, it gave Anthony a chance to consider what he wanted his customers to experience. What the brand experience would be is where we joined the story.
Designers of all kinds love to be inspired by natural beauty and we hit the jackpot with a space overlooking the Hudson River. Reusing the space that formerly housed an art gallery , we weren’t the first to gaze out large windows overlooking the river in awe.
In New York there’s only one color that never goes out of fashion and that’s black, so it was no surprise that our client was drawn to shou sugi ban wood.
We wanted the showroom and office to have the same theme. One energy for two purposes. We wanted it to be a space where people gather helping make vision a reality.
We wanted the showroom and office to have the same theme. One energy for two purposes. We wanted it to be a space where people gather helping make vision a reality.
In Shou Sugi Ban wood is preserved by charring the surface creating a thin layer of carbon that protects the wood underneath in the same way that finish does. With an eye on the bottom line we were concerned about cost. We got busy with research to an alternative. We dug into R&D to get that right. We found the solution using Madeira trade wood tables to achieve the charred wood look.
We complimented this sleek black look with polished aluminum hardware creating flashes of brightness against the black. The two-tone surfaces are simple and elegant while the materiality creates a sense of work-in-progress – an inspirational yet practical space where design and craft are inextricably linked.
