THE SHOP BY PORTER

Location:  Seattle, Washington
Type:  Commercial

Situated on the street level off 1st Ave in the 2+U building in downtown Seattle, The Shop by Porter is an experience focused commercial interiors showroom with an integrated retail lounge, design lab, meeting spaces, and a full-service café. Porter approached Graham Baba with a vision for a ‘transformative retail experience’ to showcase the versatility of their brand and integrate hospitality with design, event, office, and retail spaces. Graham Baba embraced this hybridized program and a challenging tenant suite to create an experience that is clearly organized yet facilitates connection and flow between a collection of experiences.

Initially teed up as two tenant suites, the 3,760 square-foot space is comprised of two volumes that intersect at a corner with a thirty-inch elevation change between its two entrances. An elevated wood platform at the intersection of these volumes serves as a program armature and houses the design lab and retail lounge. Located in the heart of the space, the design lab sits as a room-within-a-room with operable partitions that allow for enclosed working sessions or opened connections to the larger volume. The tapered-edge ceiling of the design lab extends out above the open lounge space, connecting the spaces. North of the lab, the platform ramps down to the main level, and is lined by custom built ash shelving that provide an armature for shoppable small wares and create a dynamic backdrop for the space. At the ramp’s lower landing a custom steel and mirror pivot door, fabricated by Out of Round Design separates a print and storage room from the rest of the shop. Along the storefront, deep tread stairs with a soft radius are carved into the platform, stepping down to the retail lounge, providing a gradual level change between the two entrances. On the main level, a curved milestone and quartz counter wraps the corner, serving both volumes while transitioning from café to bar.

Seattle-based creative firm, House of Sorcery, collaborated on multiple installations with subtle local nods, including a large-scale gold mirror installation on the wall behind the bar with a stylized ‘Welcome As You Are,’ and custom rice paper wall covering at the entry. They also designed and fabricated custom bathroom mirrors, hand-stamped ceramic tiles at a bussing alcove, and wallpaper in the restrooms. Three richly hued private meeting rooms with glass partitions are tucked against the east wall, to allow quiet working spaces while still maintaining a connection to the space that provide a lantern-like glow.

Photography: Kevin Scott
Contractor: MRJ Constructors
Structural Engineer: ROICH Structural
Acoustical Engineer: Joel Esselstrom, SSA Acoustics
Bar & Kitchen: Jeff Winter, CMA

Awards:
Architizer A+ Awards - Special Mention - Showroom
Shop! Design Award - Silver - Hardline Specialty Store
IIDA NPC INawards - INworkplace Micro Award
IIDA NPC INawards - People’s Choice Award