The first U.S. flagship for Moose Knuckles—built by Shawmut Design and Construction and designed by O’Neil Langan Architects—won the NYCxDESIGN Award in the Large Retail category. Honoring outstanding projects, the award winners are decided upon by a jury of design industry leaders. This year’s winners were announced in a livestream ceremony hosted by Interior Design magazine’s editor-in-chief, Cindy Allen.

See all the NYCxDESIGN Award winners and finalists on Interior Design here, including the Shawmut-built Oceans, PUMA, and Webster Hall.

---

Shawmut completed Canadian outerwear retailer Moose Knuckles’ flagship in SoHo’s Cast Iron Historic District, which spans 7,000 square feet across two floors, including a sub-level “secret” VIP room.

Shawmut renovated and fit out the space—designed by O’Neil Langan Architects—within the span of 12 weeks.  The two firms worked closely with Moose Knuckles to create an environment that integrates high-end interiors with advanced technologies.  The retail space offers a unique shopping experience that translates the brand’s ethos to reality, introducing it in a new way to the U.S. market.

“To drive traffic, retailers have to foster a sense of discovery that extends beyond basic transactional purchases,” says David Margolius, executive vice president. “Moose Knuckles’ SoHo store embodies this concept, using every inch of space to create a brand touchpoint. The team leveraged our extensive network of artisans to align with the brand’s vision, exemplified in the product display cases that also double as artwork.”

Shawmut brought the store to life through work on notable features including end-grain wood floor tiling, track and recessed lighting, freestanding and in-wall glass casework, and metal hangbars suspended by leather straps. Focal points of the new space include Blue Bahia Marble Vitrine display cases, a snow-white terrazzo floor, and mirror ceilings. Shawmut preserved two prominent elements of the preexisting space—the cast-iron columns and marble staircase—cleaning and sealing the columns and refreshing the staircase handrails and stringer with a black satin finish.

The shopping experience is enhanced with multi-level screen displays, one which livestreams the Northern Lights—Shawmut oversaw the installation of an LED wall measuring 20’ wide and 15’ high and another wall with two rows of five 65’’ screens.  The unique fitting rooms have a one-click privacy setting, which changes the see-through glass to fogged. A VIP room hidden in the basement creates a mellow and cool ambiance for guests to relax.  

In addition, the store boasts a two-story kinetic feature that encompasses a running train model, moving gears, a miniature replica of Drake on Toronto’s CN Tower, and a dumbwaiter that transports Moose Knuckle coats from the lower level to the main floor.