Gallery

Description

Berani Jewellery is a high-end jewelry store in Toronto, conceived of a harmonious balance between sophisticated function and cozy experience. The goals of this project were both to create a new space for Berani Jewellery to flourish as an elite jewelry store and to provide the total VIP experience to each client, through incorporating elements of security, spaces for privacy, and a variety of subtly defined spaces. Luxurious materials, custom upholstery and contemporary detailing provide the framework for this space. Almost every single element is custom designed and made for this project.

Shoppers are drawn into the store on a pathway of oversized, marble slabs, under a floating ceiling with glowing edges. In the centre of the space is a series of black Nymphaea lily pad like showcases, sprouting from the ground, on which jewelry sparkles like dew drops on lily pads. To accentuate the compressed area, individual crystals are suspended above each display. Around the perimeter of the store, the intricate grain of Brazilian Santos Rosewood runs horizontally on floor-to-ceiling cabinets, creating a backdrop for the myriad of textures and layers. Customized canopy chairs provide clients with a sense of privacy for one-on-one meetings with sales associates.

Biography

Prototype Design Lab is a Toronto-based research and design practice committed to blurring the boundaries between the fields of art, architecture, industrial design, materials research, and engineering to create and transform the built environment. The firm is passionately engaged in manifesting concepts into reality, through a philosophy of collaborative innovation and highly personalized detail design. Prototype Design Lab architectural works are born from the obsession with the object, the possibilities implicit in the process of making, and the intrinsic qualities of different materials. Conversely, the studio’s industrial design products are motivated by larger scale concepts and architectural forces. In their practice, the studio is captivated by all scales of design, investigating and distilling the inherent properties of materials, and studying and inventing fabrication methods that are true to the DNA of each project.