Juniper Brings Hospitality Vibes to Its New Showroom in Manhattan
Housed inside the shell of a 19th-century cast-iron building in Soho, the lighting designers fashioned a swish lounge to show off their range of artful collections.
Sculptural and immersive, the lighting fixtures of Juniper Design cross over from décor object into the realm of contemporary art. Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the Connecticut studio’s philosophy of purposeful reduction and organic simplicity guides its conceptual collections, from the geometric pendants of the THIN line to the cylindrical low-profile, high-output LED lights of the Metropolis collection to THE FLUTES, a modular series inspired by musical structure. With the debut of its new showroom in New York’s Soho neighborhood, Juniper has fashioned a holistic environment that allows its lighting systems to truly, well, shine. “Our hope is that this space will evolve as a place to gather, exchange ideas, share stories of resilience within our industry and challenge one another to persist in improving our surroundings through thoughtful, deliberate design.”
Here, we get the full download on the new space.
Description: We wanted our new showroom to function as more than a place for clients to simply see our current portfolio of products and finishes. As a company, we are passionate about producing beautiful, meticulously engineered pieces, and are inherently driven by innovation as a means to reduce the demands we place on our environment. The Crosby Street showroom is an immersive reflection of the company ethos, conceptualized by Asthetíque and developed by Juniper’s in-house creative team as a welcoming, light-filled haven where clients can gather to enjoy a full hospitality experience, exchange ideas, and experience Juniper products within a real-world architectural setting.
Inspiration: Every Juniper product is inspired by a philosophy of purposeful reduction, and is created locally in our Connecticut factory—from ideation to final production. Ideally, each and every one of our clients would be able to experience our process first-hand, to better understand the design thinking and technical craft involved—which is most often aimed at solving problems they have yet to recognize exist. We understand this is a reach, and are immensely proud of the care and consideration that goes into our work and wanted to translate that to a physical space that would be a natural continuation of those values. When clients step into the showroom, they are interacting with Juniper as a whole; our products are integrated organically in a real-world interior setting, which was conceived as a hospitality experience to allow us to better share who we are and what we aspire to be.
Blueprint: When clients enter our Crosby Street showroom, they are met with the comforts of a luxury hospitality environment combined with the opportunity to interact with Juniper products in a tangible way. Each section of the open-floor space, from a welcoming lounge and bar area to an intimate, collaborative workspace, was curated to feature our Systems Collections, as well as the full portfolio of Juniper products, in varying configurations and finishes.
The entryway hosts custom THIN shelving and METROPOLIS fixtures overhead, opening into the cleverly appointed lounge area, which showcases a double-diamond configuration of our THIN chandelier suspended over a curved sofa, table, and armchairs, all custom designed to work in tandem with the fixture above and create an inviting, parlor-like atmosphere. Beyond the lounge, a curved edge bar and fluted glass backdrop diffuse light emanating from nearby fixtures as well as the abundant natural light that streams through floor-to-ceiling windows, an iconic feature of the neighborhood’s historic cast-iron architecture.
Much like our practice, the space embraces the poetry of contrast; inky hues were used sparingly, but thoughtfully, to symbolize nightfall, when the architecture of the lights quite literally shines. Lighter, organic elements provided textural contrast, and echo the use of natural materials and finishes in Juniper’s products themselves. This interaction of elements is further explored; the bespoke coffee table’s sleek water feature, wood furnishings, and planters hosting abundant greenery harmonize with rounded architectural details that ripple throughout, creating synergy and spatial flow while drawing visitors’ eyes to points of distinction. Large circles frame motifs composed of Juniper fixtures to create functional light art, allowing clients to take a closer look at each product’s meticulously engineered details, without feeling obtrusive.
In the showroom’s sunny, southwest corner, a hand-crafted, black ash workshare table is illuminated by an array of Lydian Flute pendants and deftly illustrates Juniper’s Ground Control system, a discreetly luxe, inlaid power system that is a far cry from the standard outlet.
Takeaways/Uniqueness: We intended our showroom to offer more than the means to simply showcase Juniper products. It was created as a natural extension of our core values, to encourage interaction and innovation as it relates to what we do at Juniper and within our industry as a whole. While we acknowledge the importance of a client’s hands-on experience of a physical product, we believe the process and craft behind the finished product are also key. We saw this as an opportunity to show them who we are, what drives us, and the incredible consideration that is poured into each of our designs.
Challenges: Our industry has faced significant hurdles this past year: navigating safety concerns, shutdowns, and the myriad other challenges that accompanied the novel coronavirus. We had to adapt to an accelerated schedule following the city-wide shutdown in order to meet our opening goals.
We’ve also found that Juniper’s accidental passion is historic renovation. We apparently love to take 19th-century buildings and turn them into places of innovation, while still respecting their heritage. We are currently converting a hundred-year-old mill into our Connecticut factory headquarters (more to come) and for this showroom, we faced the joys and occasional woes that come along with any construction endeavor in New York’s historic Soho district. Knowing this would undoubtedly present an added challenge, we fell in love with the 19th-century cast-iron building and were determined to make it our home. In a way, even the building itself aligns with Juniper’s philosophy of purposeful reduction and organic simplicity. The materiality and large windows you’ll find in this area were initially a product of function, but have since come to define the aesthetic of the neighborhood and are prized for their architecture.
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