The Field of Flowers Store in West Dade, Florida lives up to it’s motto “The Greatest Flower Store on Earth.” Since the prototype opened a few months ago, its fan club of flower lovers has blossomed. The FOF store is a finely tuned version of a prototype created two years ago that was developed to remodel the existing Davie and Boca Raton Stores. The contemporary and fresh space designed by LS+Team‘s President Lisa Sallwasser and consultant Beth Howley feels like an open, light and airy garden.

The Flower Market with hundreds of fresh flowers anchors the center of the store. Surrounding the market are a do it yourself counter, work counters for staff assembling fresh arrangements, and a concierge counter all made of maple with galvanized tops. A fresh green palette together with the warm woods, galvanized tops, light blue ceiling, industrial galvanized pendants, and sparkly LED lighting all reinforce the outdoor garden and market feel. The friendly staff are all flower experts, creating an engaging hands-on store.

A key element of the space is the 50-foot softly curved storefront wall of windows. The designers selected the Rakks system for FOF storefronts going forward because they create a merchandising vehicle that can span a vertical installation (this one was over 12 feet) and allow for a semi-transparent inside/outside solution. LS+Team created 8′ X 8′ double-sided lexan signage panels with elegant green botanical silhouettes reminiscent of Henri Matisse’s decorative period. These panels are supported by Rakks poles made of extruded aluminum with channels designed to incorporate Rakks Shelf Support Brackets. The designers utilized both sides of the Rakks pole system to unify the space. The street facing side supports the signage and the interior side of the system is outfitted with Rakks aluminum shelving that displays flowers, pots and decorative accessories.

Rakks Style Spy is back and we’re highlighting a new Boston project.

On tree-lined Clarendon Street in Boston’s chic South End neighborhood, is the newest outpost of the award-winning Boston bakery/cafe The Buttery, aptly named The Buttery 2. The new cafe offers fine coffees, espresso drinks, loose leaf teas, homemade baked goods and unique sandwiches, soups and salads.

The Clarendon Street location designed by Hacin + Associates (H+A) is clean and serene. H + A transformed the former retail space into a sophisticated bistro with old world charm. The space features handmade cement tiles from Nicaragua and pristine white subway tiles that line the walls and serve as a backdrop for sumptuous items on display. One wall of the shop is lined with packaged coffees, teas and specialty items – all of which bask in their clean and simple presentation. The space feels open, airy and welcoming.

In keeping with the original Buttery’s history, the shop features a warm but sophisticated color palette, materiality, and texture. Painted tin ceiling panels were used to mimic those found in original South End buildings. Counters are polished carrara marble and handsome glass display cases showcase the delectable assortment of foods made from organic and locally grown ingredients and provisions supplied by local producers. It’s a little bit of culinary heaven just steps from the Boston Ballet and Boston Center for the Arts on Tremont Street.

Stay tuned for more Rakks Style Spy discoveries this year!

When we designed the signature Rakks shelf support bracket, we believed that fundamentally books are beautiful and meant to be seen. They bring character and warmth to a room, or in some cases, an entire building. Here are a few of our favorite spaces for books.

We know people covet books, they take pride in displaying them. We covet books – even if their spines are a little shabby or their covers a bit worn, they reflect personal style. We’ve have been lucky enough to have our shelving systems in beautiful bookstores, famous museums, spectacular homes and venerable universities and we support the vision of talented architects who have created beautiful spaces for books.

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Rakks shelving systems are highly sought after among industry-leading architects and designers who are looking for modern and attractive shelving for retail spaces. Let us tell you about just one recent example.

San Francisco’s 4^th street corridor has been revitalized in the past year with a major renovation of the METREON building. The renovation has made this gorgeous structure home to a lively assortment of street level dining and retail, a renovated AMC Loews theater and the City View event space. The additional activity has elevated 4^th Street, and the Yerba Buena Gardens neighborhood, as the place to be, see, shop and dine in downtown San Francisco.

At the heart of the METREON, is a brand new 2,000 square-foot retail location for publishing company Chronicle Books, the city’s only local independent publisher. The space was designed by San Francisco’s Aidlin Darling Design, an award-winning firm that “seeks to uncover an inherent spirit of place and interpret constraints as catalysts for performative design.”  Perhaps you’ve heard of the highly acclaimed Bar Agricole on 11^th Street? The design brought Aidlin Darling both national and international recognition, winning the International Interior Design Association’s 2011 Interior Design Competition – among several other prestigious awards.

Aidlin Darling specified Rakks wall mounted standards, aluminum shelving and shelf support brackets for the Chronicle design, to display the store’s merchandise. The Rakks shelving system runs almost endlessly from the storefront to the back of the space. The colorful books provide a stark contrast to the black anodized shelving. The beautiful interior can be seen from the street, as the glass storefront provides an eye-popping view that matches the clean and modern appeal of the new METREON and Rakks Shelving.

“The Rakks system made possible our vision of a clean, minimalist backdrop to the books on display.  We were impressed with the Rakks team’s collaborative and detail-oriented approach, which allowed for seamless design and delivery of the project.”

Cherie Lau,
Aidlin Darling

Creative Director of Chronicle Books, Michael Carabetta, thinks the final product is a great reflection of the Chronicle Books publishing company. “One of my objectives as creative director is to generate an engaging atmosphere wherever our books are on view…that complements our products with the same level of design intention that we put into our goods.”

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John Horner Photography

Rakks is proud to be a part of an exciting new renovation in Boston.

Boston’s oldest brewery just got a big facelift.  With high demand for samples and tours, the management of Harpoon Brewery decided to make some big changes. A $3.5 million dollar investment brought to reality a European-inspired 300 seat beer hall, a visitor’s center, private function room, a gift shop with Harpoon apparel and beer, catwalks for touring the entire facility from above, and the company’s first canning equipment to can Harpoon beer on-premises.

Harpoon chose Boston-based architectural firm Studio Luz Architects to design and oversee the project. The new space both mirrors the industrial feel of the brewery itself, as well as mixing in some old-world beer hall mystique with beautiful bar and table tops made from full cross-sections of butternut trees salvaged from the forest floors of Vermont – provided by Vermont Wildwoods. Led by Principals Anthony J. Piermarini and Hansy Better Barraza, their project goals were to create a space that would allow for socialization, tour activity and retail activity to occur simultaneously and seamlessly.

John Horner Photography

Rakks shelving systems were specified by the architects for the new retail area, which showcases the extensive Harpoon apparel collection. The Rakks L-Bracket shelving system provides the industrial and modern ying to the wooden traditional yang of the retail space. All components of the system, including the shelves, are black anodized aluminum. Rakks custom label holders complete the display to help identify the Harpoon merchandise. Rakks recessed counter support brackets support the top wooden platform of the display.

The Rakks system and components were installed by the Fabrizio Corporation of Medford, MA. The retail area is right next to an automated growler filling station where customers can choose from one of 25 Harpoon brews and browse the apparel at the same time.

The Harpoon Brewery renovation has provided consumers with a unique look at the brewing process, from production to consumption. To get a look (and taste) for yourself, stop into the brewery at 306 Northern Ave in Boston. Tours of the facility run seven days a week.

To see more images of the new Harpoon Brewery beer hall and facility, visit John Horner Photography.

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