Bloomingdale’s NYC flagship to unveil new beauty department
New York City Bloomingdale's flagship on 59th Street in Manhattan this week will unveil its new beauty and cosmetics department, the last component in its total store makeover.
The transformation of the 25,400-sq.-ft. cosmetics department is the culmination of a complete store renovation that began in 2004.
"In addition to upgrading each vendor shop or counter, we wanted to recreate the floor in its entirety," said Jack Hruska, executive VP creative services for Bloomingdale's. "We've taken the cosmetics department from one large, open room to three distinct rooms. This allows us to present our brands in a much more powerful and cohesive way."
Hruska and his store design team worked with Callison RYA Studio on the design of the floor and Seaboard Construction served as the general contractor.
The department's three rooms allow for more impactful presentations from each cosmetics resource by raising their visual area in height from 5'6" to 10'3". A wide, black glass trim extends above each vendor shop to the 13'6" ceiling and, along with the brand's iconic black and white floors, ties the three rooms together and create a unified department. Yet, each room has its own personality -- one accented in white glass, one in black glass, and one in a black and silver leaf motif. Special diffusion lighting eliminates shadows on the floor, and creates a significant drop in electrical consumption.
Six new brands have been added to the department, including Bumble and bumble, which has created its first outpost in a department store with the Bb.StylingBar and shop -- a 'no wash, no appointment' dry styling counter. A Tokyo Lash Bar at shu uemura's oval-shaped shop adds a new customization option for Bloomingdale's guests.
A 1,300-sq.-ft. Cosmetics Studio, open 362 days a year, boasts the ability be transformed for master classes, special events and luxury skin treatments. The room holds up to 30 temporary makeup stations for master classes with top makeup artists.