The owner of a new bridal shop wanted to make a space that made brides-to-be feel at home, like they were hanging out in the living room of a stylish friend. This old brick building in the North Loop of Minneapolis was just the place.
Project Highlights
Type: Retail, Adaptive Re-Use
Size: 3,000 SF Location: Minneapolis Completion: 2021
Project Collaborators
Greiner Construction www.greinerconstruction.com
Living room of a stylish friend.
What we wanted was something chic, modern and clean—but still warm and inviting. The ritual of finding a wedding dress can be an anxious one (particularly if a mother-in-law is involved). Our aim was to make it mellow but exhilarating.
Rather than blasting the space with light, as is the norm for retail, we kept things more calm and muted. Bright light was reserved for the dresses on display. The fitting rooms and adjacent parlors were more casual and incandescent, both in terms of light and furnishings.
The existing finishes were rugged and industrial—a wonderful convention of Minneapolis’ historic North Loop. Raw brick, wood plank ceilings, and heavy timber posts were great starting points. But we weren’t trying to create a mod co-working space or hip start-up. So instead of doing the typical and leaving these elements exposed, we painted everything a soft white. This allowed the bones to convey their history but still let the space be simple and cool. The mothers-in-law of the world may think it too low cut, but for the brides-to-be it was a perfect fit.
