Acne Studios

Framed by a brick building with very low ceilings, Acne Studios, a 1,292- sq. ft. NYC retail boutique was faced with a design challenge to minimally and seamlessly integrate display and shop lighting needs so that the boutique would feel bright and open while complementing the brand’s minimalist signature style.

Opting for clean lines of stainless steel and frosted glass, the design teams chose to light the entire store exclusively from within the continuous walls – extending the feeling of ambient light throughout the interior spaces. Cooledge TILE, a modular and flexible low-output LED light sheet, applied to the floor to ceiling walls in a scalable grid format, provided the innovative solution to address an exceptionally narrow cavity – a mere 2” (50mm) set-back between the LED light sheet and frosted glass – and helps maximize merchandising and display solutions where for the retailer where space is at a premium.

A sense of continuous light now flows throughout Acne Studios. Daylight streams in naturally from the wide storefront windows and is well- balanced within the store as ambient light gently illuminates behind frosted glass. This effect is preserved by further integrating light into the many layered surfaces of the boutique; from floor-to-ceiling-illuminated wall surfaces to the shelves and curved walls leading to the fitting rooms. The result is a refined minimalist space to ultimately allow the brand’s collection take center stage.

Tom Hopes, Sophie Hicks Architects

LIGHTING DESIGN: Tim Hunt, ARUP