Our retail boutique design is coming together...

Wow. Tricia and I are fresh back from a site visit to Bossi & Ich Ky, our latest retail design project. The smell of fresh paint, wallpaper glue, newly cut wood, and general construction resin still lingers. I say wow because this project is turning out REALLY GOOD! Trust me, as always we did our field research before beginning this project. We feel we've raised the bar of design for local retail boutiques... not to say others haven't done a good job of course. But from our research we found that most high-end boutiques looked the same. Stained concrete floor, merchandisers purchased from a global manufacturer (tell them I sent you), some hangers, a hipster or two working the till, and a puffy chair. With some creative designing on our end, we were able to cost efficiently have the entire perimeter of the store be made up of custom built-ins. Simple framing and drywall around well thought space planning, and of course spectacular colors and wall treatments, mean this boutique will stand out on its own.

You see, we love retail design (and shopping). So for us this project was an excellent opportunity to create an environment that makes you (us) feel great about spending your (our) cash! No seriously, come down and visit next month and see for yourself. I'll even walk you through construction plans. The picture above shows the women's fitting rooms taking shape. They'll eventually have fabric privacy screens, and a fabric awning draping across the top of the recessed opening. The blue areas are for glass shelving that will be interior lit with a recessed low-voltage fixture. The picture in this paragraph shows what the general merchandising areas will look like, minus the finish details and trim work yet to happen.

For some before images, as well as some mid-way framing shots, check out this blog post from a week or so ago. One thing worth noting is the crazy timetable for this project. We were contacted by the clients on December 31. A day later, hungover from New Years, we were at the project site measuring and only two weeks later we had delivered a full set of construction documents to the general contractor for permitting with the city. Along with the blueprints we delivered the interior finishes and materials package. This image shows some of the colors and wall treatments you'll find in the store. Those strips on the floor are for the crown moulding for the tops of the built-ins. The two main chandeliers (yet to be installed) will make you drool. Honestly, you could live in this store (minus a kitchen) and be stoked... So all told here we are only 3.5 months from being contacted, and the store is nearly finished! (we should note that the general contractor rocks) You'll be shopping at Bossi & Ich Ky next month sometime.

About the owners: they are a hip young couple on their first retail venture. Last month they traveled to Fashion Week in New York to purchase super awesome designer clothing for the boutique. They've got an entire store load of merchandise ready to display in our creation... I know I'm psyched at the prospect of finding some decent men's fashion in a local store. Also, I hope choosing Pioneer Square as their location will start bringing some cool stuff to a great part Seattle, and continue to boot the import rug stores elsewhere. Finally, if you're a store owner, or an upcoming store owner, give us a call! You can just see our reflections in this picture - that could be your store ;-)

Our latest retail project is under construction

The upcoming retail store Bossi & Ich Ky is A Bollen Design's latest project. The store will be a high-end men's and women's fashion boutique. We're pretty excited as this is a very high profile project, and the client approved our entire design. Value engineering takes place when cuts are made to the best parts of plans (usually the most expensive) due to budget constraints. Clients want the moon, so you design it for them and they love it, but when they see how much it's going to cost they totally balk. Then when the project is complete, they moan about not having gone for it. Every once in a while you get a client like Bossi & Ich Ky that go for it, and everyone is rewarded!

When we started on the project we had a totally clean slate to work from. The only elements staying will be the spiral staircase and the upper loft area, which will become the office. We created a full set of construction documents (blueprints) full of details and lots of design elements. The space will be all custom built merchandisers and wall units, along with an eclectic mix of antique display tables, upholstered furniture for customers to sit on, an 18' tall fabric wall, and of course a few more surprises that you'll just have to see for yourself.

At time of this posting the demo work is long done, the lighting and electrical work have been completed (minus installing the fixtures), most of the merchandisers have been framed and drywall is being sanded. The custom cash wrap is next, then hardwood flooring, followed by a ton of finish work, paint, wallpaper, and a plethora of final details... We'll be off to the job site tomorrow for a site visit and will take some more progress photos to post.

Blogging for design...

Question: Why blog?

Answer: Our latest project, Bossi & Ich Ky, is a high-end men's and women's fashion boutique located in Seattle's historic Pioneer Square. Great client that's letting us run with our scheme. Retail design is super creative and fun, and pushes the envelope.

So what does this have to do with our firm starting to blog? The fact that the clients learned of our services from a Google search! We got a call out of the blue with a project ready to go, and therein lies all the motivation I needed to get going on our blog and increase our exposure. So here we are... blogging for design.

Surely in the past our website has helped to secure us signed contracts... potential clients (that we've already been referred to) take a look at our online portfolio and see that we have some awesome project experience. But to have a choice client FIND US on the web, and then to be sold on services (from viewing our website) PRIOR to even contacting us - well now that's gold.

So here we are, blogging, hoping to reach out and spread a little design love to whomever is willing to receive it. Oh, in the meantime, take a stroll down Seattle's First Avenue just south of Yesler, and on the east side of the street you'll see our latest creation taking shape... the designer fashion boutique Bossi & Ich Ky.