A Sanctuary of Design in the Heart of Los Angeles
Armadillo’s new American flagship and head office has opened in the La Cienega Design Quarter of Los Angeles, completely elevating the customer experience of shopping for a luxury rug. For their sixth showroom, co-founders Jodie Fried and Sally Pottharst evolved previous iterations, working with Studio GOSS to make this space incrementally more feminine as befits a women-led business.
Design Studio GOSS. Architect PIE. Styling Rosy Fridman. Photography Sharyn Cairns.
The façade is alluring, framed by an organic landscape of native plants that sit high and low in contrast to the manicured gardens lining the rest of the thoroughfare. Stepping through the recessed doorway, the 3,770 square foot warehouse unfolds to showcase Armadillo’s growing collections to full effect.
The interior is elegant and refined, accentuated by curved walls and a barrel-vaulted ceiling that soars 15 feet high. “These rounded features contrast beautifully with the angular shape of our product, but it took trial and error to ensure the juxtaposition was complementary and not conflicting,” notes Jodie, who was hands-on in marking out the floor plan and curating every design detail.
“The partitions allowed us to break up the vast showroom into a range of smaller spaces, acting as abstract sculptures,” echoes architect David Goss. Emulating the gentle flow of an art gallery, these pockets of space cue visitors to pause and peruse the rugs up close along rails of garment-sized samples. “We want this destination to be a creative hub for designers and their clients,” explains Sally. “The layout is conducive to visual and tactile exploration in a calm and inviting setting.”
The Los Angeles store was inspired by the soft tones and textures of high-end fashion ateliers in Paris and Tokyo, while staying true to Armadillo’s existing material library of concrete, oak, brass and blackened steel. As the first American and Australian rug maker to become a certified B Corp, integrating sustainable elements throughout was a given – the showroom, like three of its counterparts, runs on 100% renewable energy.
The innovating brand feels at home in La Cienega, the district regarded as the beating heart of the city’s design industry. Open to trade and retail customers from Monday to Friday, with no appointment necessary, it rounds out Armadillo’s global portfolio of stores spanning New York, San Francisco, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Together, these sensory spaces offer customers from city to city a truly cohesive brand experience.
