With a flagship store in the heart of New York City’s famous shopping district, the Astro Gallery of Gems is the world’s largest gem and mineral gallery. The company specializes in gallery-quality gems, minerals, fossils, meteorites, specialty home décor, and jewelry. CSHQA was hired by the Astro Gallery, who sought to expand their business outside of New York with their first branch at an undeveloped space in The Village at Meridian in Meridian, Idaho.
Since the space was undeveloped, CSHQA and Astro Gallery were able to work from a clean state for the design. The millwork and retail display tables were modeled and rendered to convey the rarity and elegance of the variety of products, while still making everything approachable. Astro Gallery wanted to work hands-on throughout the project, and chose many of the design elements, including the tile floor finishes, lighting finishes, and wall finishes.
A small back-of-house area with counters for gift wrapping was also included in the design, as well as a single-occupant restroom and a small utility room. The utility room houses the electrical panels, a mop sink, and a vault that was provided by the owner. Above the back-of-house area, a mezzanine was constructed to provide additional office space with a horizontal window to allow staff to watch the sales floor.
