{"id":115084,"date":"2017-05-09T04:15:39","date_gmt":"2017-05-09T04:15:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/projects\/gabellini-sheppard-crafts-ethereal-flagship-for-cashmere-brand-1436-in-beijing\/"},"modified":"2022-11-11T16:40:46","modified_gmt":"2022-11-11T21:40:46","slug":"gabellini-sheppard-crafts-ethereal-flagship-for-cashmere-brand-1436-in-beijing","status":"publish","type":"id_project","link":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/projects\/gabellini-sheppard-crafts-ethereal-flagship-for-cashmere-brand-1436-in-beijing\/","title":{"rendered":"Gabellini Sheppard Crafts Ethereal Flagship for Cashmere Brand 1436 in Beijing"},"content":{"rendered":"
We first met Michael Gabellini<\/a><\/span> when he was interpreting the Jil Sander brand at boutiques around the globe. The Interior Design<\/em> Hall of Fame member and later his partner, Kimberly Sheppard<\/a>, filled their portfolio with fashion retail projects for the likes of Salvatore Ferragamo, Vera Wang, and David Yurman. As Gabellini Sheppard Associates<\/a> continued to expand exponentially, it made its mark on virtually every other sector as well. On a small scale, a gallery and exhibitions tied Gabellini and Sheppard to their beloved art world. Hotels and restaurants loomed large. Global commissions satisfied wanderlust. Back home in New York, Rockefeller Center’s Top of the Rock observation deck and Rainbow Room<\/a> dining venue have left an indelible mark on the skyline.<\/p>\n Returning to the fashion realm, Gabellini Sheppard has completed a 1436 flagship, which just happens to be <\/span>the firm’s first project in Beijing. Comprising women’s and men’s sportswear as well as collections for children and infants, 1436 sells superfine cashmere made with wool from baby goats raised on the grasslands of Inner Mongolia. Gabellini embarks on the compelling backstory: “The brand is the jewel in the crown of the Erdos Cashmere Group, the largest manufacturer of cashmere <\/span>in the world.” From grazing to garment production, everything is sustainable, and all aspects of Mongolian village life come under company oversight, as Gabellini and Sheppard observed firsthand on several trips to the remote locale during the project’s three-year duration. The action then moves to Beijing, where creative director Graeme Black, a Scotsman and an alum of Ferragamo and Giorgio Armani, heads up design operations.<\/p>\n In addition to strength and durability, 1436 cashmere is celebrated for its gossamer quality. This lightness is what Gabellini and Sheppard sought to breathe into the two-story granite building’s 4,300-square-foot interior. With minimal materials but myriad details throughout, the architects captured the company’s desire for “an ethereal environment, as if suspended between the earth and the sky,” Gabellini recalls. If the white-oak flooring and paneling represent the earth, the suspended<\/span> ceilings’ meringue-white folds of cast gypsum are the sky. Downstairs, the folds are restrained. Upstairs, they appear to billow like clouds. Folds come into play again in the<\/span> switchback staircase. “It’s a bit like origami or the cut and<\/span> drape of clothing,” Gabellini notes. The stair’s handrail <\/span>folds over to house LEDs.<\/p>\n