Texas Architect

Anthony Nak

PROJECT Anthony Nak Jewelery Flagship Score
CLIENT David Nakard Armstrong and Anthony Camargo
ARCHITECT M. J. Neal Architects
DESIGN TEAM M. J. Neal, AIA; Armando Araiza; D. J. Perkinson
CONTRACTOR Four Corners Construction
PHOTOGRAPHERS Jett Butler-Foda; Kenny Braun; M. J. Neal

The ground floor of an undistinguished 1970s office building in downtown Austin might seem an unlikely place for the flagship store of a haute couture jewelry business. However, Anthony Nak Fine Jewelry Inc. overcame the location's blandness with the help of M.J. Neal, AIA, who adroitly injected the lease space with a sophisticated style that reflects the retailer's growing reputation for high-end, custom jewelry design.

Neal's challenge was to conceive and oversee construction of his client's first retail showroom within three months. The short time frame meant bypassing the traditionally sequential project delivery method in favor of a concurrent design/build process with the architect even supplying the shop drawings.

According to co-owner Anthony Camargo, he and partner David Nakard didn't want the typical jewelry store environment of solid pedestal cabinets and overly eager sales staff hovering within sight. Rather, their intent was to display their jewelry so the pieces could be seen from all angles in a space with an architectural "feel" that was "sexy, but not feminine."

Neal's makeover of the 800-square foot corner space included replacing the existing windows with larger openings to enhance visibility from the street. The ceiling slopes and curves downward to form a short interior wall at the entry, and that wall bends dramatically to become a cantilevered bench. The long interior wall is a complex curve that terminates in a niche for the cash register on one side and a discreet passage to the studio on the other. The opaque, white interior combines surfaces with subtle differences in reflectivity: commercial-grade vinyl flooring is high gloss, the gypboard ceiling is semi-gloss, and the Venetian-plaster curved wall has a flat finish. The egg-like envelope is void of texture, allowing the jewelry to be displayed with negligible distraction, making the store resemble a museum of modern art.

Set just behind the floor-to-ceiling storefront windows, four 12-inch-high glass and stainless steel display cases span the width between the exterior columns. Glass on both sides of the cases allows shoppers inside, as well as curious pedestrians and motorists outside, to view the exquisite jewelry. Seen from inside the store, the horizontal cases appear like aquariums levitating halfway between the floor and ceiling. At the center of the store, three canted display cases also appear to defy gravity. The counter-high pods of glass, wood, and metal rise from the floor on single stainless steel supports.

Camargo credits his store's ethereal spirit and minimalist casework as the catalysts for putting shoppers in a buying mood, and says the soft-sell approach has resulted in Anthony Nak exceeding even its most optimistic sales projections. The flagship store's appeal extends beyond its customers-- its design has been recognized with top prizes this year from Couture International Jeweler and the International Interior Design Association.

--A TA contributing editor, the writer is president of Connolly Architects in Austin.

floor plan