Dezeen Magazine

The Row Showroom Los Angeles

Californian modernism informs Olsen twins' fashion store in Los Angeles

US firm Montalba Architects looked to California's modernist heritage to design this boutique set up by celebrity twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.

The Row showroom – which recently won an American Architecture Award – is the flagship space for the fashion line created in 2006 by the Olsen twins, who shot to fame as TV and film stars at a young age.

The Row Showroom Los Angeles

The shop is located on West Hollywood's famed Melrose Place, close to a myriad of boutiques selling designer fashion by the likes of Helmut Lang and Rick Owens.

Santa Monica-based Montalba Architects completed the project in 2014, and aimed to create a residential feel across the store with lounge areas, fireplaces and artwork.

The Row Showroom in Los Angeles

Shoppers enter through an oversized glass door, featuring a custom bronze logo knob. In keeping with the principles of modernism, the space beyond is arranged around a series of outdoor areas.

Floor-to-ceiling glass partitions slide back to open the interiors to these courtyards, one of which contains a shallow pool and another a small tree.

The Row Showroom in Los Angeles

Light-coloured flooring is used both indoors and out for continuity between the spaces.

Garments are presented on custom, brushed stainless-steel rails, while accessories sit on steel-blade shelving.

The Row Showroom in Los Angeles

The remainder of the material palette comprises walnut and antiqued limestone pieces, arranged against the matt-white concrete walls.

"A distinctive mid-century collection of furniture throughout, as well as lush native plantings, layer subtle colour tones and warmth into the design," said the architects.

The Row Showroom in Los Angeles

Modernism is undergoing a revival in the US, where many of the style's best examples were built during the mid-20th century.

Other new projects that reference its clean lines and indoor-outdoor spaces include a villa in the Hollywood Hills and a Miami mansion built by a filmmaker.

Photography is by Dominique Vorillon.