As one of the four jewelry stores highlighted in the June 2010 issue of JCK Magazine, we are honored to have had the chance to share our story in their "Design of the Times" feature.This was an amazing opportunity and we hope that you enjoy reading our portion of the feature below! The full article can be found here.
DIAMOND DREAM
Bernardsville, NJ
Edward and Faina Shapiro, Owners
Bernardsville, NJ
Edward and Faina Shapiro, Owners
THE CHALLENGE: To renovate an eyesore of a building while respecting the town’s Revolutionary War-era roots.
For six years, Diamond Dream was housed on the edge of town. But when the opportunity arose to buy a 100-year-old building in the borough’s prime shopping district, Edward and Faina Shapiro jumped at the chance.
The true challenge was renovating the Mine Brook Road space so that it meshed with its historic downtown neighbors, including a charming inn and an old-fashioned movie theater. “It looked like a barn,” says Ruth Mellergaard, principal of design and planning farm GRID/3. First, Mellergaard’s team replaced the two separate entrances with a single glass doorway and added three large windows so people in the pedestrian-friendly business district could peek inside the store.
Forced to work around the building’s supporting structural columns, the firm installed a circular display island and built the soffit above the display cases. (The soffit contains low-voltage MR16 tungsten halogen Solux lamps set at 4100 Kelvin; 3500 Kelvin fluorescents illuminate the cases.) And though it was dictated by necessity, the spherical setup yielded one big bonus: When customers are exploring the store, they won’t miss a thing.
But the building’s biggest transformation came in the form of a new facade, which incorporates an “exterior insulation and finish system” – also known as “synthetic stucco”. Manufactured by Dryvit Systems Inc., the waterproof, insulated material provides a finished surface that can be shaped, molded, textured, and colored in many ways. For Diamond Dream, Mellergaard used it to create an even roofline, to add architectural elements in a darker tone (like trim for the building’s top and sides), and to fashion decorative elements around the second-story windows.
Both the town and the Shapiros are thrilled with the finished product. “It feels like home,” says Edward. “My wife doesn’t want to go home with me. She wants to stay in the store.”
For six years, Diamond Dream was housed on the edge of town. But when the opportunity arose to buy a 100-year-old building in the borough’s prime shopping district, Edward and Faina Shapiro jumped at the chance.
The true challenge was renovating the Mine Brook Road space so that it meshed with its historic downtown neighbors, including a charming inn and an old-fashioned movie theater. “It looked like a barn,” says Ruth Mellergaard, principal of design and planning farm GRID/3. First, Mellergaard’s team replaced the two separate entrances with a single glass doorway and added three large windows so people in the pedestrian-friendly business district could peek inside the store.
Forced to work around the building’s supporting structural columns, the firm installed a circular display island and built the soffit above the display cases. (The soffit contains low-voltage MR16 tungsten halogen Solux lamps set at 4100 Kelvin; 3500 Kelvin fluorescents illuminate the cases.) And though it was dictated by necessity, the spherical setup yielded one big bonus: When customers are exploring the store, they won’t miss a thing.
But the building’s biggest transformation came in the form of a new facade, which incorporates an “exterior insulation and finish system” – also known as “synthetic stucco”. Manufactured by Dryvit Systems Inc., the waterproof, insulated material provides a finished surface that can be shaped, molded, textured, and colored in many ways. For Diamond Dream, Mellergaard used it to create an even roofline, to add architectural elements in a darker tone (like trim for the building’s top and sides), and to fashion decorative elements around the second-story windows.Both the town and the Shapiros are thrilled with the finished product. “It feels like home,” says Edward. “My wife doesn’t want to go home with me. She wants to stay in the store.”
