Retail Store of the Year: Barbie’s Winning Dreamhouse

honors the winners of its 28th annual store design competition, which attracted entries from around the globe. Barbie Shanghai, which celebrates one of America’s most iconic brands, was awarded top honors, Retail Store of the Year.

In addition, there were 19 first-place awards and seven honorable-mention awards in the various categories.

The judges for this year’s competition were Johan Ahlqvist, director of store planning and design, David’s Bridal, Conshohocken, Pa.; Leo Clavel, director of store planning, new concepts and prototype development, Toys “R” Us/Babies “R” Us, Wayne, N.J.; Patrick Dooley, VP design and construction, Red Door Spas, Stamford, Conn.; John Duncan, adjunct instructor, interior design, Fashion Institute of Technology, New York City; Navid Maqami, principal, GreenbergFarrow, New York City; Randall Stone, senior partner/director of customer experience and retail design, Lippincott, New York City; and Ali VanHorn, principal, Ali B Designs, Hunter, N.Y. (Judges whose companies submitted entries did not vote in their respective categories.)

All the winning projects are profiled in this special section. All placed first except where noted. For additional photos of the projects and a list of related resources and supplies, go to chainstoreage.com .

Best Overall EntryBarbie Shanghai Shanghai Design: Slade Architecture, New York City

A multi-level, 36,000-sq.-ft. emporium devoted to a 50-year-old American icon was selected as Store of the Year in Chain Store Age’s 28th annual retail design competition. In addition to being named best overall entry, Barbie Shanghai took top honors in three other categories: attraction retailing, fitting rooms and cashwrap. It also was awarded honorable mention in the exterior category.

Designed by Slade Architecture, New York City, the sparkling, pink-and-white Barbie Shanghai brings out the girl in women of all ages. A fun, unapologetically feminine interpretation of Barbie past, present and future, the store immerses shoppers in the brand and emphasizes its fashion roots. Along with the world’s largest collection of Barbie dolls and themed merchandise, it offers a wide range of activities, from dining to salon treatments to makeovers. Girls can also design their own custom, one-of-a-kind Barbie in the Design Center. They can even become fashion models for the day and walk the runway in a special interactive experience.

The store makes its presence known with an attention-getting facade made of two layers: molded, translucent polycarbonate interior panels and flat, fritted glass exterior panels printed with a whimsical, lattice pattern of Barbie-trademark iconography. Color-changing LEDs light up the exterior at night.

Entering the store, customers are enveloped by the softly curved, pearlescent walls of the lobby. A high-impact fashion display and dramatic chandelier complete the scene. An escalator well, lit with bright-pink LEDs, takes customers up to the main floor, where they soon find themselves immersed in all things Barbie.

The store is organized around a central spine—a winding staircase surrounded by 800 pink-outfitted Barbie dolls that are housed in staggered, wraparound translucent polycarbonate boxes. With the circular staircase and dolls at the core of the space, everything literally revolves around Barbie.

From mirrors shaped to resemble Barbie boots to display tables with poodle bases, the furniture and the fixtures throughout the store were designed to enhance the immersive environment. The designers used an innovative play of scale in select areas, giving visitors the effect of feeling doll-sized. The effect is perhaps most memorable in the girls’ fitting rooms, where the curtains operate like oversized hoop skirts, and are lowered with a motor.

Awash in pink hues and feminine accents, Barbie Shanghai is all girl from start to finish. It’s a high-style dreamhouse that honors the heritage of Barbie even as it looks to her future.

Softlines(less than 5,000 sq. ft.)LittleMissMatched Anaheim, Calif. Design: JGA, Southfield, Mich.

With a signature product of socks that don’t match, LittleMissMatched has a style and charm all its own. The fanciful design reflects the brand’s emphasis on fun, fashion and creativity. Oversized wall graphics throughout the 1,017-sq.-ft. space encourage celebration of the brand through mismatching. The floor plan creates a pinball effect between merchandising elements, with hearts, stars and circles cut into the floor to emulate the patterns of the merchandise.

Softlines(less than 5,000 sq. ft.)Honorable MentionOpry Originals Nashville, Tenn. Design: FRCH Design Worldwide, Cincinnati

Opry Originals brings together the iconic roots of the Grand Old Opry and country music’s contemporary culture in an eclectic collection of old and new. The design brings the culture of country music to life through media, graphic imagery and reclaimed materials and finishes from the original home of the Opry: the historic Ryman Auditorium. Graphic textures lend to the rustic authenticity of the experience.

Softlines(5,000 sq. ft. to 15,000 sq. ft.)Priscilla of Boston Ardmore, Pa. Design: David’s Bridal/Priscilla of Boston, Conshohocken, Pa.

From start to finish, Priscilla of Boston is a reflection of timeless elegance. The 8,000-sq.-ft. bridal salon is designed with the same ideals of luxury and tradition found in the company’s couture dress designs. The mix of upscale and classic custom furniture, crystal chandeliers and monumental mirrors allow for the sophisticated presentation of gowns, jewelry and accessories. The use of drapery and sheers in the windows and passageways provide an intimate ambience that allows the customer to enjoy highly personalized attention in a relaxed setting.

Softlines(5,000 sq. ft. to 15,000 sq. ft.)Honorable MentionGuess New York City Design: Guess? Inc., Los Angeles

Guess makes a splash in SoHo with a stylish flagship that spotlights the brand’s denim heritage. The 8,950-sq.-ft. store has an open floor that individualizes product collections through changes in lighting and materials. The existing cast iron columns, black tin ceilings and exposed brickwork were integrated and updated with blacks and golds, adding a modern edge to the building’s 1890’s era architecture. Black chandeliers wrapped in modern Mylar Shades bring into play the “old versus new” design aesthetic. Metallic and mirror finishes, including a metallic gold wash on the brick walls, add luminous details.

Softlines(15,000 sq. ft. to 50,000 sq. ft.)The Room Toronto Design: Yabu Pushelberg, Toronto

A series of artfully designed rooms that flow seamlessly into one another lend a gracious, residential feel to The Room, the 20,000-sq.-ft. high-end women’s destination in the Bay’s Toronto flagship. The redesign gives a sense of intimacy to the large space, whose rooms are distinguished by different finishes and colors. The VIP area, for example, is finished with a color palette of cool grays, mauve and soft silvery blue to create a sense of a great living room. Artistic elements such as decorative screens, hand-painted wall treatments and wooden chandeliers, enhance The Room’s