De-spec

The design of the original location of Banchet Flowers was driven by the evolving neighborhood of New York City’s Meatpacking District. Originally a meat storage facility, the building was reimagined as a surprise destination, a relief from the once bloodstained streets. The new façade—with openings built into the existing masonry structure—redirects the flow of pedestrian movement, and also provides visual and material continuity with the street outside and the neighborhood in general.

Upon entering the store, one’s senses are first stimulated by the fragrance of fresh cut flowers, followed by the sight of striking floral arrangements. The two entrances, located on Washington Street and Gansevoort Street, are connected by a 40 ft monolithic sink and workstation, made of Corian.

During store hours, the activity of arranging flowers at the open workstation becomes a performance and visual display. Even the sink which holds cut flowers and trimmings provides a secondary decorative function. With a mahogany cutting board that slides over the sink made of resin, the production tables connect linearly to form a square bar, and accommodate multiple uses. The sink can store tools, ice for parties, or water for the arrangement process. There is also a mahogany garbage container concealed between the tables which holds large quantities of trimmings and waste.

The finished arrangements are also temporarily stored on view behind the workstation, lit indirectly, revealing the process of creating floral arrangements from start to finish. In addition to serving as a retail and production space, the store is highly sought after as a destination for wedding and special events which, in turn, constantly reinvents and redefines the space.