Form(LA) hides stone furniture showroom behind marble pivot door
Custom stone furnituremaker Form(LA) has opened the doors of its first flagship store in Los Angeles – specifically a pivoting marble door punctuated by nine porthole windows.
The 5,500-square-foot (510-square-metre) store is housed in a West Hollywood building that is nearly a century old.
Form(LA) founder Jordan Mosslar first started the "long and meticulous" process of designing and converting the space into a showroom back in March 2022.
"Because we were renovating a large, 90-year-old building, there were many unexpected surprises that required us to adjust our original plans and re-design elements on the fly," he told Dezeen.
The store's interior scheme was influenced by modern Italian design, with warm textures and a playful feel.
In line with the atelier's expertise in natural stone, almost all of the surfaces are covered in different varieties of the material.
"I have incorporated natural stone into all of the architectural elements of the space including the flooring, walls, archways and even a Calacatta Viola pivot entry door," explained Mosslar.
Two slabs of Calacutta Viola marble were bonded to metal sheets and set into a metal frame to create the door.
The door is the first thing visitors see as they approach the showroom, providing glimpses into the interior via nine porthole windows with tesselated glazing.
Inside the showroom, the doors leading into the model bathroom and kitchen – where some of the brand's unreleased products are displayed – mirror the punctured design of the entrance.
This pattern of round openings is also repeated on a pair of lampshades that hang from the ceiling.
Sculptor Tristan Kallas was commissioned to craft sculptural lights that hang directly above the dining tables on display. The pendants were made from plaster to resemble draped fabric.
Meanwhile, the walls are dotted with custom-made paintings by local abstract artist Ali Enache.
Mosslar founded Form(LA) intending to streamline the process behind designing and procuring bespoke stone furniture, which he says can be "notoriously difficult".
Elsewhere in North America, Canadian studio Perron has revamped a 20th-century building in Québec City to house its studio and showroom and New York-based practice ANY has designed the first physical retail space for streetwear brand Vowels in Manhattan.
The photography is by Clement Pascal with styling by Lisa Rowe, unless stated otherwise.