Canadian-made winter coat company, Quartz Co, received a Blanchette Architectes, Rainville Sangaré, and A+ transformation at its first retail space located at 5445 avenue De Gaspé, in Montréal.
With furniture designed and built by Rainville Sangaré, while Blanchette Architectes was responsible for space design, the two firms worked in conjunction with the marketing team at Quartz Co. as well as the project-management team at A+.
“We see this first space as a sort of laboratory; our goal is to open more Quartz Co. stores around the globe in the coming years,” said Francis Guindon, Director of Global Marketing and Communications at Quartz Co. “As part of this exercise, we had to take into consideration the new reality of retail, including a multi-channel brand experience, a high-end approach, a showroom-like physical atmosphere, and a personalized-service strategy.”
“At the architectural level, our mandate was to develop a unique universe by focusing on minimalism, timelessness, and innovation,” said Patrick Blanchette, Architect and President of Blanchette Architectes.
On one side of the retail space is the workshop and on the other side is a boutique that features an interplay of lights, mirrors, grids, and screens developed by Blanchette Architectes, as well as custom-made furniture by Rainville Sangaré. The mirrored walls, which are punctuated by displays of coats in alcoves, offer an alternate perception of the space, and the double reflection provides the customer with multiple views.
In addition to the furniture, the studio designed a system of stainless-steel poles that are held in place through friction and tension. Hardware and fastening pieces were left visible to demonstrate the accuracy with which the job was carried out.
Since the coats are made locally, the design choices for space also had to tell this story, which is why the teams opted for materials such as ash, the most common wood species on the island of Montreal, and solid industrial materials such as concrete and stainless steel. The locally sourced and FSC-certified ash was used to contrasts textures with the other materials and a touch of warmth to space.
“It is an approach to design that reveals the quality of materials and the rigor of the workmanship; this aligns with the vision of the company, which also develops its products with this approach,” said Lambert Rainville, Industrial Designer and Co-founder of Rainville Sangaré.
Technical Sheet
Client: Quartz Co.
Interior design: Quartz Co., Blanchette Architectes and Rainville Sangaré
Furniture and shelving system: Rainville Sangaré et Mesure
Design and construction management: A+
