Retail Centers

Owner:

Lou and Billy Rippner

Design:

Connie Post Design Team and Woodward Design Group (John F. Dalton, AIA, LEED AP)

Size:

20,000 square feet

Budget:

$457,000

Completion:

September 2005

New Directions by Compass Furniture

In 2005, Compass Furniture, a staple in the New Orleans area for over 30 years, opened a new store, New Directions by Compass Furniture. The concept was a new store to showcase more contemporary pieces that were lightweight, colorful, functional, and less expensive targeted to young professionals.

Built adjacent to the main store, the store utilizes 20,000 square feet of previously unused warehouse space. A unique feature of the building is the 18 ft. high ceilings. Normal flourescent lighting would not offer the proper illumination; therefore, 450 track lights were added at a height of 12 feet.

The size of the building and the fact that there were only six permanent walls also presented a challenge for creating vignettes (model room areas displaying furniture). The remaining walls were comprised of 7’ x 7’ partition walls on wheels. Each can be moved into position to accomodate different size displays throughout the showroom.