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Let’s Talk Jewelry Store Design: Should You Go With a Residential Look and Feel? June 03, 2021 (0 comments)
West Bloomfield, MI--Jewelry store owners often ask me during a consultation, “Should we welcome customers into our store as if we are welcoming them into our home?” My response is that you want customers to truly feel at home. It’s time to make your store look and feel more like home.
The jewelry store marketplace is changing, and the interior design world is responding to these dynamics. The way we work, live and play in communities are designed for today’s mobile and multitasking lifestyles. We are blurring the lines between our working, social and private environments and interior design is evolving to meet this changing concept of what retail should be in your stores.
We all want to shop in a jewelry store that is warmer and welcoming for customers. Casual restaurants, hotels coffee shops and other retail locations are being designed with a residential touch. Jewelry stores are no exception. I designed the below coffee bar with its own logo for Baxter’s Fine Jewelers, Warwick, RI.
In recent years, jewelry-store designers have been incorporating residential elements more than ever, to create a more homelike environment in which to shop, something customers have said they crave. For example, chairs and sofas should be beautiful leather or a soft but durable material. When seated, customers should feel as comfortable and relaxed as they do in their favorite chair at home.
A residential touch including offering food and drink can reduce stress and anxiety among nervous shoppers. Drink areas, food service and full bars are increasingly popular for good reason--they set a comfortable mood. I designed the drink bar below for The Diamond Center, Janesville, WI.
Steps You Can Take
To update your own store, consider adding different warmer colors, brighter fabrics with a soft touch, porcelain tiles and wooden floors that look like stone or natural elements. Let in some natural light. Also, consider adding chandeliers. Whether they are classic or contemporary, chandeliers can become the focal point of the entire space. Just like in a home. Sometimes all you need is an accent wall of color to create interest in an otherwise bland area. The exciting part about painting an area is that you can change it out in three years and have a new image to your store with very little investment.
Jewelry stores draw inspiration not only from actual residential design, but also from other businesses that have a comfortable and residential feel. I had a client a few years ago ask me to design a “Starbucks” looking jewelry store, which became an INSTORE Editors’ Choice for Interior Design. Using live edge wood tables for most of the jewelry cases along with an industrial black ceiling the Starbucks feel was achieved. The new design concept led to sale increases well beyond the owners’ dreams.
About the Author: Leslie McGwire™ has over 35 years in business development, interior design and marketing services in retail and jewelry-based businesses. Leslie has won 25 national design awards, including the prestigious Salon Today and INSTORE Jewelry Store awards. Leslie has a true passion for business, design in the retail and jewelry industries. Visit lesliemcgwire.com for more information.