Australian-born rug brand Armadillo’s new flagship merges warmth and curved geometry with the quirks of an 1897 New York building. Klein Agency led the design with the intent to honor the site’s heritage. At the same time, the Los Angeles–based architects introduced a language of sculptural walls to create a rhythmic choreography to the space. Combined, the preserved bones and new interventions create a quietly tactile space that unfolds with surprises.
The building’s 4,000-square-foot offered great bones for the architects to work with. They preserved the original pine floors, columns, and moldings. Tall ceilings and lots of windows overlooking Madison Square Park keep the space lofty and sunlit.
In place of leaving the floorplan open, Klein compresses the sitelines with curving walls clad in textured plaster. The materiality further softens and ground the space, introducing Armadillo’s tactile and warm ethos, while also allowing their displays to be discovered around corners. On one side, the space unfurls in vignettes and curved displays. While on the other side, tall doors create space for staff and a private meeting room for the brand to meet with architects and designers.
The curving walls also integrate railings to hang rug samples. One wall snakes between columns, creating a weaving line of samples in front of a table where another rug is draped over it. In place of static display, the design uses movement to better show off the rug’s interactions with light and shadow. For the opening, the interiors were styled by Romilly Newman.
Additional touches ensure the brand’s grounded vision comes to life: furniture from AUDO Copenhagen, pendants by Lumiere Shades, and patinated walls by Bauwerk Paint. With Newman’s styling the furnishings also help bring to light the way Armadillo’s rugs brighten the space, despite its penchant for neutrals.
Within the corporate world of Flatiron, Armadillo’s flagship arrives as a place to catch a breath. Interweaving the building’s own charm and contemporary elements, it rightly translates Armadillo’s sensitivity to the city.
