When Italian lighting company Luceplan made the decision to open a flagship store in New York, there was only one suitable location—SoHo—Greene Street to be exact, where a little bit of Italy has taken root with the presence of retail outlets for fellow Italian design companies such as Artemide, Kartell, and Alessi. Like the elegant and sophisticated, yet contemporary luminaires Luceplan is known for—the Berenice, Costanza, Titania, and Mix—the New York store is a calm oasis where light takes center stage.
Designed by Italian architect Alessandro Scandurra, the 2,300-square-foot space is an exercise in planes and volumes. All the surfaces are white—all the better to showcase the use of color in several of the fixtures, but also the color of light itself, from cool to warm. Upon entering the store, visitors are greeted by a low-horizontal plane displaying Luceplan’s latest offerings. Shadow boxes line the perimeter of the space with additional display luminaires. The center of the store features an open cube—a mobile room, which allows visitors to see a complete space, lit with Luceplan fixtures.
The New York store is the second in a trio of flagship locations Luceplan has committed to. The first, in Milan, opened in December 2006, and plans are underway for a Paris site. Founded in 1978 by Italian architects Riccardo Sarfatti, Sandra Severi, and Paolo Rizzatto, and joined by engineer and industrial designer Alberto Meda in 1984, the company is known for its commitment to quality, innovation, and design—the very approach it has applied to its new Manhattan home.
