design:retail - June 2017 - 44

044

New York's famed luxury department
store Bergdorf Goodman gets a bespoke
facelift for its main floor that is timeless,
modern and oh so sparkly.

ince the unveiling of the ground floor
renovation of iconic Fifth Avenue department store Bergdorf Goodman
(a one-off brand under the Neiman
Marcus Group umbrella), the store
simply sparkles. The most significant
renovation since 2000, the reinvention
of Bergdorf's flagship floor came to pass with the
help of New York-based architecture and design firm
MNA to infuse freshness into the space. The team
worked to bring a concept alive that is respectful of
the history of the store while creating an updated,
modern palette, intuitive brand adjacencies and a
floor plan that supports ease of shopping and the
addition of new and emerging brands. Linda Fargo,
Bergdorf's senior vice president, women's fashion
director and store presentation, reimagined this experience, and MNA helped bring it to life.
"We envisioned the new main floor to be a
timeless and lasting design, an experience that is
historically sensitive, yet modern and fresh," Fargo
says. "We sought a design that could become both
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iconic and proprietary to our one-and-only store
in the world."
From its updated street presence and points of
entry to the improved space plan and meticulous
attention to material selections, craftsmanship and
every possible detail, the store is a breath of fresh,
luxurious air and a visual masterpiece.
Research, strategy and meticulous planning were
all part of the recipe for success as the team worked to
achieve Bergdorf's project goals. "Bergdorf wanted a
breath of freshness with a remodel that would pull together the ground floor into an overall design concept
for women's handbags and accessories," describes
Michael Neumann, principal at MNA, adding that the
retailer wanted to create a distinct entrance and expanded environment for its jewelry salons.
The team took the opportunity to rework the floor
plan and create a "store within a store" dedicated to
jewelry. Moving jewelry from its previous location
at the center of the store to having its own significant entrance on 57th Street repositioned it among
premier jewelers, such as Tiffany & Co. and Bulgari.

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Fashion windows were repurposed and are now
secure for showcasing jewelry. These gem-shaped
display windows in cast glass and antique mirror
serve as intimate jewel boxes along the façade.
"The new 57th [Street] façade design also incorporated a grand arched entrance that mirrors the
iconic entrance on the 58th Street side," Fargo says.
"Backlit logos, uplighting and protruding awnings
serve to dress the exterior and create better visibility and branding."
The jewelry salon reconfiguration also allowed
the team to create distinct areas for the Legacy
Period Rooms off the Fifth Avenue entrances and
then the more contemporary Pavilion Room for
housing emerging designer collections. Openings between rooms were aligned and centered for
clear wayfinding. Ramps between floor levels that
extended into rooms were replaced with marble
steps to create a distinct sense of arrival within
each space.
"One of the key objectives was to create logical
and improved adjacencies for the product," Fargo

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