Brazilian Fashion House PatBO Shows Color at Flatiron Office – Commercial Observer

When young Brazilian fashion brand PatBO decided to build a new showroom and office in the Flatiron District, founder Patricia Bonacelli chose to hire architects in BoND to realize her vision of Brazilian modernism.

PatBO clothing is bright, flowery and tropical, and the designers wanted to blend that aesthetic with the warmth of mid-century Brazilian modernists like landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx. The 7,000-square-foot space at 126 Fifth Avenue began as an early 20th-century open-air loft, and architects had to figure out a way to carve out the space without rendering the internal space devoid of light.

There are several individual rooms, such as several executive offices and small meeting rooms, along with a separate showroom for potential buyers. But most of the space is divided by floor-to-ceiling scaffolding pieces, which have been painted pink. Scaffolding served as shelves, and there were also shelves filled with colorful clothes hanging from the railings.

It’s a fairly cheap material than building shelves, says Daniel Rauchwerger, principal at BoND. With something as simple as painting it pink, you turn it into something feminine and fresh.

On one side of the scaffolding is the reception area, with a curved light wood table whose right side is painted a glossy gold. Off-white curved sofas, some dark green plants and a circular pink chandelier complete the reception area. Across from the scaffolding is an open work space with light wood desks for the company’s marketing team. There is also a long communal table furnished with antique mid-century Danish chairs which can be used for meetings or group meals.

The scaffolding also forms a small open area, complete with a curtained dressing area, where influencers can model clothing on another curved sofa. Clothing hanging from the scaffolding helps act as a visual barrier between the various parts of the office.

The buyer’s showroom includes light wood walls with sheer fins, a seating area with low modernist yellow chairs designed by Juliana Vasconcellos, and an abstract green rug inspired by Burle Marx landscapes. There is also a separate kitchenette and bathroom for the showroom, which houses potential buyers from major retail chains and models wearing PatBO clothing.

Construction started last December and finished in February, just in time for Fashion Week.

Other features of the space include an open kitchen with a long, light log topped with a pink countertop, and a wall of wood-paneled lockers for employees. Architects also had to find creative ways to store extra clothing throughout the room.

We built a kitchenette at the back of this house and it has a bench with a lid that opens, and you have a lot of storage there, says Rauchwerger. There’s an entire dressing room where we managed to fit a few more square feet of storage. And, in a showroom, this entire wall is all mirrored so you’d never think there was room behind it with a tub full of couture.

Rebecca Baird-Remba can be reached at [email protected].