before and after by Kate Pruitt 27

before & after: design studio showroom

Jean and Oliver Pelle, the duo behind PELLE design, just opened this brand new showroom at 390 Van Brunt St., only a few blocks from their studio in Red Hook. I love the airy, open, dramatic space they’ve created — it’s the perfect backdrop for their chic, minimalist designs. Since all PELLE pieces feel like sculptures, I appreciate the gallery-like setting they’ve chosen. I would love to recreate the look of this showroom in my own home, even if it means having to acquire five of their famous bubble chandeliers. It’s an incredible space, and I can’t wait to visit when I head to NYC again. Amazing work, Jean + Oliver! — Kate

Have a Before & After you’d like to share? Shoot me an email with your images right here! (Low res, under 500k per image, please.)

Read more about the PELLE design studio renovation after the jump!

Time: 10 days

Cost: about $1200

Basic Steps: Our showroom space is about 650 sq. ft., and initially, it seemed to be too big a space for us. We thought a good plan was to paint the entire showroom white so that our products could really stand out and the sparseness would translate to a white, minimal, gallery-like space. We also began thinking about how to create smaller display areas for our various product lines within the large, open space. Then we designated specific walls, corners and sections of the space for the products, depending on the amount of space that was needed to hold them. The impression these products would have on a visitor was also a factor in determining their location. For instance, our two largest light fixtures are situated up front at the storefront window and at the back of the showroom. When our showroom opened last week, we debuted the Quadrat Series, a line of wood tables and stools. We had a custom platform built near the entry so that they could be seen from the storefront window. Another issue was where to locate the reception desk. We bought an old wood desk with a slight curvature from the previous tenant for $75. We repainted the desk gloss black, gilded the brass feet and drawer handles and placed it into a niche alcove located halfway into the space. The previous tenant had covered the niche alcove with a curtain and used it as a storage space since there was a faucet and sink cabinet within it. We designated the niche as a reception/workspace by painting it black, covered the sink cabinet with a custom cabinet cover and an additional desktop that spanned the length of the alcove.

We would recommend that you really work with what you have and not try to create something entirely new or different. Figure out what the great qualities of your particular space are and use that to your advantage. Set your priorities and use your money for the items that you absolutely need and that will make a big impact. In our case, the space came with plywood floors that were heavily marked with splits and dents. We really loved the textured look of the existing floors, and we decided to leave all of that. Not only does the coat of gloss white paint highlight the interesting texture, but simply painting over it saved us a lot of time and money. We also used old wood material from shipping pallets that were sitting in our loading dock to make the shelves for the showroom. The color and look of old wood shelves work really nicely with the smooth white walls, and it didn’t cost us a thing. We would also recommend that you bring the items you want to showcase into the renovating process early because it helps you develop the overall vision for your space. — Jean + Oliver

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27 Comments

Raechel

? All they did was paint the floor white? This series is getting really boring.

sarah

I recently bought the original bubble chandelier and I’m so happy I did! It looks fantastic in the space and it’s fun playing around with the shape/moving the bubbles. Happiness!

kaneda

very nice feeling in those pictures, both on the showroom and those art pieces. Love the cube-style things!

Kerri

I respectfully disagree about painting the floor white making the series boring. I think it’s wonderful to be reminded that good design/re-design isn’t necessarily about the amount of work or money entailed. Simple changes can be most effective.

Leanne

I would love to see a price on this. Too many renovation jobs are way out of the price range of ordinary people, with designer fixtures etc. I’d like to see some budget fix-ups, for people who don’t earn six figures please :-)

Danielle

So glad to see a space that can showcase these great objects. My gold-detailed bubble lamp is one of my favorite purchases of all time! It transforms a table and chairs into a dramatic, distinct dining area in my home.

marv

I’m an avid reader of Chez Larsson, so this is absolutely beautiful to me:D A clutter-free life is the ideal state.

Peedub

Simple, clean yet relevant and functional. Wonderful use of space because now you give yourself somewhere to go and grow.

Zazil

those light fixtures are straight from *sniff* the late Readymade.

Katie

I do love that the space is very neutral: it allows the objects to take center stage. I don’t agree with going high gloss if there is a lot of natural light. With that much white, I would have to wear sunglasses inside.

Wish they’d gone with some grays to balance out the black and white. Overall, it is wonderful!

Karin

You can find the light fixtures at http://pelledesigns.bigcartel.com/.
And believe me, there’s nothing simple about the price of those lights. I might be able to afford the one bulb one which isn’t pretty but costs $175.00. I must agree with Raechel, this one is pretty boring.

Suanne Bassett

I love the white floors . . . like a 6 sided canvas ready to be filled. It takes the ordinary out of this grounded space. . .

megan

love this space! and ladies if you aren’t afraid of working with electrical this chandelier is an easy DIY. i made one for less than $80 and it looks amazing in my foyer. (it also looks exactly like the ones in this studio).

Dorit

I have been there at the celebration of the Opening!
So I may say that I like the elegant separation of these black and white spaces in the room! But I am not only impressed by the distribution of these colors: it is even more by the vibrancy of the different kind of surfaces they were given – high gloss on the floor, silky sheen on the different exposition landings and soft white matt finished walls. So this is not just two colors: their character looks ever different and is wonderfully supporting their function in the space: to accentuate the artful singularity of the pieces of exposition. And besides: there is still the warm brown tone of the profiled wooden surface door in the back part which lights up the severity of the black “cabinet”. Just beautiful!

marnie

I painted my studio floor with white floor paint (3 coats) then sealed it w/ a porch sealer – about five coats. My floors are SO hard to keep clean!! They show every single mark, and it’s just ME! I’d LOVE to know how these are kept clean and what paint they used. I want to do the same with my living room floor – but not considering white right now b/c of the marking factor…

Valerie Park

I absolutely LOVE those light fixtures!!! I’ve seen something like this before but it looks wonderful in this all white space!

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