PROENZA SCHOULER
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
For Proenza Schouler’s new West Coast flagship on Melrose Place, James Mills Studio worked closely with Creative Director Rachel Scott to translate the new direction of the brand into a physical space.
The design explores the tension between industrial precision and the touch of the human hand. On the exterior, a hand-applied dragged plaster finish gives the façade an imperfect, tactile quality, contrasting with the more precise industrial materials used throughout the interior.
Inside, stainless steel and mirrored surfaces create a clean architectural framework, offset by elements that clearly show the hand of their maker. Custom glass shelving was handmade by 6 in Murano, Italy, with each piece having its own subtle variations and imperfections, while a custom cantilevered walnut table brings warmth and a more tactile quality to the space.
That contrast runs throughout the store—the industrial against the handmade, the precise against the imperfect—creating an environment that reflects the duality at the heart of Proenza Schouler’s new creative direction.
