Pottery Barn Kids—Arrives!
California is once again on the leading edge of retail trends for the
nation. In two separate locations in The Village of Corte Madera in
Marin County, and the South Coast Plaza in Orange County, Pottery Barn
Kids, a new high-end retail concept catering to parents and their children,
recently opened to brisk business. These two stores, along with many
scheduled for years to come, are the result of a successful collaboration
between BCV Architects, Richard Altuna, and the Architect of Record,
MBH Architects.
The concept of Pottery Barn Kids began as a catalog in January of 1999, with sales reaching $50 million in that year, and expected to climb to $100 million in 2000. The stores will appeal to established Pottery Barn customers and carry children’s furnishings ranging from bedding, toys, clothing and furniture. Success hinges on the belief that parents will furnish their kids’ rooms with furniture and accessories similar to the larger scale adult versions and the coordinated color and pattern themes found in those products. The size and color of the new products are also geared towards kids and designed to endure the daily wear and tear from children.
The design of the stores is visually clean with a neutral and restrained palette of white walls and minimal detailing and hardwood floors. This modern aesthetic enables the colorful products to be the important design element with no competition from additional architectural elements.
The plan is to open seven Kids stores in the Fall of 2000 across the nation and an additional twenty to thirty stores each year for the foreseeable future. While Pottery Barn Kids stores will be approximately 7,000 – 8,000 square feet, slightly smaller locations such as the 5,300 square foot store in Corte Madera will be utilized.
MBH Architects is a diversified and multi-faceted practice, established in 1989, and employing over 160 professionals with offices in Alameda and Newport Beach, California, and Las Vegas, Nevada. The firm has completed a wide range of diverse and successful projects throughout the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Asia - retail projects of all shapes and sizes, commercial office interiors, hotels and resorts, single and multi-family housing, senior housing, medical facilities, laboratories, and recreational facilities.