When discussing budget, value engineering is a term that’s thrown around frequently in our industry. The practice is defined as “using economical products and engineering practices to improve efficiency and decrease operating costs,” and although it takes place during nearly every project, value engineering can get a bad rap because it often gets conflated with “just make it cheaper.” From our perspective, however, it’s a yet another way that “knowing thyself” can make any given decision during the design/build process that much simpler. This is why we prefer to call this practice VALUES engin ..read more

The budget for a project can be a common question mark for Clients getting ready to find their “next,” but it’s critical to have at least a baseline number to work from. While our design experience and knowledge of current construction costs can help us refine pricing, develop a general “per square foot” cost, etc., we need at least a some general guidelines to help us help you. But where to start, you ask? Rather than just throwing a big number out on to the table, we’d recommend splitting your investment into smaller “chunks” to make them more manageable. For example, you could think of prof ..read more

When the American public goes shopping – and we mean SHOPPING, not that quick run to Target to replenish a dwindling supply of toilet paper – they prefer to take their time. To consider, to compare, to contrast and to dwell. For years we’ve been adding amenities into retail environments that support these tendencies, be it strategically placed lounges throughout a store or specifying hospitality stations stocked with coffee and booze. Turns out that when we started designing spas and salons, a number of these fundamentals translated into those spaces as well! A solid understanding of retail de ..read more

The success of every business often hinges on the productivity and morale of its employees, which couldn’t be more important than in an office environment. Based on our years of creating all types of spaces, we know a thoughtfully designed environment is a sign of respect for both employees and customers. In keeping with the trend of “Hybrid Environmental Design,” offices can learn a lot from the Retail Industry – we know we certainly have! When we design a retail environment, directing a customer’s journey around the space so it’s logical and comfortable can be the difference between a store ..read more

As the “Retail” in our firm’s name has transitioned from meaning a focus on just the retail industry to serving the full spectrum of the retail real estate category, it’s been super rewarding to flex our design muscles in spaces ranging from spas to banks to office spaces. Restaurant design has been another result of this diversification and its been pleasantly surprising how many of the lessons we learned while creating engaging shopping environments can be crucial to developing a memorable dining experience. What follows are a few key “crossovers” that any restaurateur can use to improve the ..read more

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After doing a hefty binge of Documentary Now on Netflix over the weekend, your humble author ran across an episode that parodied the 1992 political documentary tour de force The War Room, prompting a subsequent “YouTubeing” of that very film. In it, James “The Ragin’ Cajun’” Carville delivers a line that summed up the focus of the first Clinton campaign and inspired the title of this post – “It’s the economy, Stupid!”   Just like a political campaign, a lot of factors are at play when developing a successful commercial environment, however your chances of success increase drastically if y ..read more

As much as we would like to tell you a fabulously designed store is a 100% guarantee for success, it simply isn’t. Rather, it’s just a starting point from which to launch your business – it’s up to you to develop strong brand image to sustain your success once you are a hit. To that end, it’s in your best interest to diligently staff your business with the same care and effort that went into the store design process. Your employees are the front-line of how your business will be perceived. Customers won’t notice how awesome your store looks if employees are rude and uneducated about the merch ..read more

In VERY Good Company Fresh off an honorable mention from IDA’s International Design Awards and a “Hybrid Retail” category win in design:retail Magazine’s Spectrum Awards, Retail Habitats’ design of Creatif Art Instruction Studio has been included in the Retail Design Institute’s “Class of 2018,” which honors international excellence in retail environment design. “In a field dominated by internationally recognized brands Addidas, FAO Schwartz and L’Occitane, it was very gratifying to have made an impact with a great design for a great Client that’s just getting their business off the ground!” s ..read more

I’m sure many of us have experienced it. The perfect outfit catches your eye and everything in the store – from the lighting to the colors to the display areas – has been specially designed to highlight all of that outfit’s best features. You’re reeling with excitement, anxious to try out your potential new duds. That excitement soon wavers, however, when you step into the shop’s not-so-cleverly-designed fitting room. This is a common but understandable mistake. At the end of the day, a bad experience in the fitting room can be a real mood killer to the shopper and can result in the loss of th ..read more