Blog / Retail
Tasting our first SIP
Published August 26, 2011 in Retail, Staff, Chuck Roberts, Rachael Chase
A few of us were lucky enough to stop by SIP's house-warming event this morning. The food and coffee are great, and the space feels wonderful!
SIP will open officially on Monday, August 29.
SIP
Published August 18, 2011 in Historic, Modern Design, Retail, Staff, Rachael Chase
As construction comes to a close on SIP in Northampton, MA, we thought we'd take a moment to share some of the ideas that went into the design. KRA's Rachael Chase looks back at the project:
Sip is a new concept for a coffee shop in downtown Northampton, MA. The customer experience is thoughtfully orchestrated through clean design, well thought-out circulation within a small space, and attention to detail.
From the street, green painted steps and slatted signage call your attention and invite you in.
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Customers enter into an open hang-out space. A series of painted posts call you forward to the white tiled counter.
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Move past the fireplace and retail shelves to order a drink,
and then head back toward the sunlight filled front to add cream & sugar and find a seat. Dark gray wood flooring and black-stained plywood tables balance the light walls, and the natural "golden" stain on the Birch plywood warms the space immensely.
SIP encourages the customer to watch the brewing process; seats at the counter allow for interaction with the barista, as well as a view of the fireplace. The coffee is made via a “slow” brewing process in which hot water is poured over freshly ground beans. Steeped with a special filter, the process is fun to watch and beautifully composed.
And for those (like me) who always add sugar to our coffee -- you might not need to; the coffee is deep and smooth.
Go sit down: Comfortable, long banquettes surround the front windows and give customers a place to congregate in the sunlight.
A long bar height table allows for conversation with people waiting in line or moving through – or turn the other way, and let a collection of magazines grab your eye. Whether you're part of a large group or sipping solo, the space accommodates.
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The existing building was the original Smith College Bookstore, and its long history is reflected in the leaded glass windows and the functional wood burning fireplace that the owners plan to light on special winter occasions.
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The modern aesthetic of the new enhances the old and brings it back to life. By using birch plywood and an incredibly talented millworker, we were able to do custom furniture throughout the space. The slats of the banquettes transition from a solid back to an open back to let the light pour in through the antique windows.
We worked hard to use the materials creatively to show them off, expose their layers, and showcase their strength and flexibility. Even the lighting fixtures are made from plywood.
Sit on a cube by the fireplace; grab a stool at the counter to chat with the barista; congregate with friends around a bar-height table; or slide into the banquette and lose yourself in the trees.
Elegant and utilitarian at the same time, this is a real space to be used and enjoyed, comfortable and sophisticated. Check SIP out: the people are fabulous, and even the bathroom is cool.
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Ode to a Hawk
Published July 11, 2011 in Modern Design, Retail
Jason Zucco Photography captured Ode at its most hawkish.
Ode Grand Opening — Tonight!
Published September 10, 2010 in Retail
“Fashion with Compassion” Event.*
Friday, September 10th
Ode, 263 Main St 6-9 pm
Fashion, Food, Art, Good Deeds, and Good Company
Featured Artist:
Matreya Hughes of TULA, a beautiful line of hand designed and silk-screened tops, tees, and scarves.
Featured Charity Organization:
The Northampton Survival Center, which strives to improve the quality of life for low-income individuals and families in Hampshire County by providing food and other resources with dignity and respect.
*For the month of September, Ode will be donating 5% of all profits to The Northampton Survival Center.
Discovering Ode
Published August 11, 2010 in Historic, Modern Design, Retail, Staff, Rachael Chase
Sometimes, things just come together.
When we began working with Kristin Kelly to design her new women’s clothing boutique in Northampton, MA, she expressed a desire that the store provide an experience of discovery for the people who shop there.
With a great downtown building as the project’s starting point, we embraced Kristin’s idea and made many discoveries along the way. From our initial sketches through design, demolition, and construction, the experience of working on this project was one of collaborative discovery.
Ode, a new women’s clothing boutique: A design based on the idea of discovery.
The space began covered with layer upon layer of materials, prior owners covering the last tenant’s vision…
another layer of sheetrock,
paint,
dropped ceilings,
carpet.
The layers were stripped away to reveal the bones of the 1850’s building beneath and to expose its hidden beauty: a plaster ceiling covered with medallions, a deep cove that encircled the rectangular space,
and brick party walls on both long sides, beautiful in their inconsistency and remnants—a wooden header from a former window, the occasional marble brick.
The structure of the building was exposed, the steel beam that moves through the space from storefront to back wall now playfully supported by wood columns.
To these discoveries, other found materials and objects were added: wide wooden floor boards from an 1800’s barn loft, antique trolleys, vintage pipe stands.
These materials are mixed with modern, clean lines: crisp white walls that float in front of the brick, a simple layout of dressing rooms and office that create display walls, nooks, and alcoves.
The spatial idea is also one of discovery. The wide open glass storefront, a modern juxtaposition, allows views through the full depth of the store – the eye drawn all the way back: the flooring wraps up and over a series of boxes creating the shoe display. Above them, a turquoise patina wall catches and holds the eye.
As you wind your way back, a series of discoveries: petite vignettes in lit alcoves, the clean white walls a contrast to the red brick, each holding a “closet” of clothes that tells a story: a character’s dress, shoes, a handbag. An old dresser spilling open to expose exquisite bits of clothing.
The columns also tell a story; each one a placeholder for antique tables, dress forms, and display. The register counter, placed to capture a view of the entire store for the employees, is a painted medley of enormous moldings, capped with black slate.
Finally, after you’ve woven your way through: a series of golden dressing rooms with linen curtains, just waiting for you to try it all on.
Ode, at 263 Main Street in Northampton, MA, is across from The Academy of Music and opens Tuesday, August 17. A special Grand Opening night will be September 10, during Northampton’s “Arts Night Out.”