Expertise: Space planning

  • Multiple locations worldwide
  • Industrial
Client Programs

Cold Chain Logistics

cold storage

As the demand for healthy, fresh food increases, the requirement for storage increases. Coupled with the ever-increasing population, cold storage buildings have become a critical and lucrative investment. Leveraging our cold storage experts’ knowledge, MG2 knows how to integrate new technologies that make it possible to get fresh, perishable foods to stores without putting the foods at risk. Our teams ensure that clients can take advantage of its usable space and ensure that every square foot is used efficiently. Our expertise helps control the total cost and quality of the finished facility in repeatable, reliable ways long into the future.

  • Toronto, Canada
  • Specialty retail
Consumer Experiences

The Shoe Company

Designing a customer-centric experience of convenience

When The Shoe Company, a footwear and accessories brand well-known for its convenience, sought to revamp its store design to offer a fresh perspective, it partnered with retail experts at MG2 to make its shopping experience even faster, better, and easier.

A customized retail design strategy centered on shopper convenience.

Crafting an Environment for Busy Moms

Designers began by identifying what could make The Shoe Company stand out in a crowded marketplace and defining a detailed persona for the brand’s target consumer: A busy, on-the-go mother who valued quick and hassle-free shopping with her children in a self-serve environment curated for convenience.

With this deep understanding in place, the team holistically reimagined the store’s environment, focusing on decluttering and cleaning up the space to make it more welcoming, kid-friendly, easily navigable, and visually appealing.

A Focus on Products and Flexibility

Previously, the space’s composition mixed multiple colors with the brand’s iconic navy motif, making it difficult to see how the fixtures were arranged. In order to address this, designers reduced the colors in use while leveraging a flexible format, updating the old fixtures and materials to create a clear and organized store layout that placed the focus on products.

A flexible merchandise area was developed as a focal point upon entry, featuring multiple types of fixtures and three primary merchandise towers that merged online inventories with in-store ones. This approach allowed the brand to easily update the products featured to align with various shopping seasons throughout the year and created the possibility for future technology integrations that would provide a deeper connection to e-commerce.

Revamping Inventory Display and Navigation

Restructuring the upper inventory areas along the walls, which once shelved backstock products, the team integrated bold and easily visible wayfinding, easily movable throughout the store. Able to efficiently navigate to the area they’re interested in, shoppers are then greeted with additional signage, visually separating individual categories within each section.

Throughout the area, end-caps were functionally reimagined to enable cross-merchandising, while specially curated display ends in the kids’ section detailed aisle and fixture numbers corresponding with the shoes exhibited there, making it even easier for young shoppers to navigate merchandise.

Streamlining the Shopping Journey

The team, recognizing that clearance was a crucial destination for The Shoe Company’s target consumers, dedicated ample time to studying how customers navigated this area in the past. Leveraging this user journey analysis, they implemented a redesign that clearly and graphically highlighted the section. The result was a more intuitive layout that made it easier for customers to find what they were looking for.

As a final touch of convenience, buy-online-pickup-in-store (BOPIS) lockers were added near the cash wrap at the front of the store. This allowed customers to quickly pick up their online orders, taking their shopping experience to the next level.

Retail Navigation, Optimized

Leveraging MG2’s comprehensive retail strategy approach, which encompassed project design, documentation, construction administration, fixtures, branding exportation, signage, visual merchandising, and wayfinding, The Shoe Company successfully launched a fully redeveloped store that was not only cleaner and more organized but also customer-focused, engaging, and efficient.

  • New York City, New York
  • Pop-up retail
Consumer Experiences

Waterford

When Waterford, a 200-year-old luxury crystal brand, aimed to revitalize its image and appeal to a younger, diverse clientele, it partnered with MG2/The Lionesque Group to create its first pop-up store in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood: a stunningly immersive experience that showcased the brand’s heritage while embracing modern design to paint a bright future.

Engaging Younger Generations

Through its experience, Waterford sought to tap into the millennial and Gen-Z market, convey its brand story innovatively, and expand regional awareness. The company’s goal was to lay the groundwork for its transition from an exclusive luxury brand to a contemporary, approachable choice for everyday glassware and décor, resonating with younger generations.

Merging Tradition and Modernity

MG2/The Lionesque Group designed a visually engaging pop-up, merging Waterford’s rich history with its progressive future to create a captivating retail experience. Upon entry, visitors were greeted by a striking black-and-white portrait from the latest campaign, setting the tone for a modern, immersive space. 

With a strategic layout that encouraged customers to explore and interact with the products, the retail space’s interiors featured a blend of traditional and contemporary materials, including copper accents shrouded in an edgy rock motif. Throughout, projection-mapped imagery immersed shoppers with visual depictions of the brand’s Irish roots.

A carefully curated branded experience that established next-era elegance.

Balancing Aesthetics and Practicality

Designers curated high-quality, cost-effective materials that stayed true to Waterford’s vision while skillfully balancing the brand’s desired materiality with practical concerns. Where budgeted for, high-end materials such as real copper added luxury and sophistication. To ensure these finishes remained visually appealing, the team educated store associates on proper maintenance to preserve their integrity.

MG2/The Lionesque Group’s comprehensive approach covered everything from reviewing branding materials and SKU lists to managing build-out and staffing while addressing practical concerns such as point-of-sale coordination, associate training, and inventory management. With operational coordination in check, the Waterford team was free to focus on attracting a new audience and driving sales.

Setting the Stage for Brand Evolution

The immersive retail experience, skillfully blending Waterford’s heritage with modern design elements, successfully redefined the brand’s image and connected with a new generation of consumers. With innovative approaches that helped spark renewed interest in the company’s products as everyday glassware and décor options, the pop-up store’s success reinforced the brand’s timeless appeal and adaptability in the evolving luxury market, positioning it for continued growth.

  • Multiple Locations, New York
  • Specialty retail
Consumer Experiences

Ever/Body

Refreshing and Expanding Ever/Body’s Retail Offering

With the mission of demystifying cosmetic dermatology, Ever/Body is a beauty services provider that offers customized, high-performance treatments to its clientele. Keeping up with the growing demand for the company’s value proposition, Ever/Body sought to expand its service area throughout New York’s Tri-State region.

To make that goal a reality, they partnered with MG2/The Lionesque Group to redesign a refreshed concept that would align with the brand’s repositioning and bring its vision of growth to the next level.

Designers created spaces that were not just stores, but destinations and experiences worth visiting.

Tasked with creating a destination that grows lifetime value, builds awareness, and attracts new clients, MG2/The Lionesque Group strategized, designed, and developed Ever/Body’s new retail concept to align effectively with the brand’s repositioning.

Full-Service Retail Space Design & Development

To bring the new retail spaces to life, the team executed a holistic set of services for Ever/Body, including strategic planning and program development, real estate consultation, concept design, 2D test fits and 3D design, design development and construction documentation, and construction administration. Careful and meticulous design details were matched with methodical value engineering to ensure cost-effectiveness while still delivering a chic, cozy, and modern environment.

Solidifying the Legacy of a Branded Retail Experience

The partnership resulted in the opening of three new locations that align with the ethos and value proposition of the brand. The elevated, spa-like experiences incorporate natural elements infused with warm earthy colors and modern, sophisticated decor.

With a welcoming ambiance that embodies the brand’s goal of demystifying cosmetic dermatology, Ever/Body’s refreshed retail concept has proven to effectively grow lifetime value, build brand awareness, and attract new clients.

  • New York City, New York
  • Pop-up retail
Consumer Experiences

Alpha Industries

Launching A Debut Physical Retail Experience

Alpha Industries, known for its iconic military streetwear clothing, partnered with retail experts at MG2/The Lionesque Group to launch its first physical retail experience in the Soho neighborhood of New York City. The brand sought to create a concept that would drive sales and tell the company’s story through key heritage moments.

Together with our team of designers, strategists, and project managers, Alpha Industries launched a dynamic and engaging retail environment that helped elevate brand awareness in local markets.

Creating a Branded Pop-Up Environment

MG2/The Lionesque Group was challenged to create a retail experience that would effectively raise name recognition, educate consumers on the company’s history, establish brand loyalty, create impactful moments, and test the viability of physical retail for the brand.

Maximizing Impact: Immersive Retail Strategies

To bring Alpha Industries’ story to life, the team developed an immersive and impactful retail experience, complete with a vintage jacket collection, a 14-foot-tall military plane rudder, woodland camo fabric elements, and an impactful ceiling installation that utilized the brand’s iconic “Remove Before Flight” tags. 

MG2/The Lionesque Group also designed the space with larger-than-life environmental graphics featuring trademark colors and engaging questions that sparked conversations between guests and associates. During production, designers leveraged 2D layouts and 3D renderings to create a clear picture of the final product. In addition to owning build-out management, staffing set-up and operations support was also provided to ensure a seamless customer experience.

A Success Story in Brand Awareness

Alpha Industries’ partnership with MG2/The Lionesque Group resulted in an engaging, multi-sensory retail space showcasing products in the aura of its iconic history. The experience successfully raised brand awareness in local markets and digital channels, educated consumers on the company’s legacy, helped establish a loyal customer base, created impactful, Instagram-able moments, and solidified Alpha Industries’ position as a leader in the military streetwear clothing industry. Since opening its doors, the SoHo pop-up has been featured in Women’s Wears Daily, VMSD, and Chainstore Age.

  • White Plains, New York
  • Pop-up retail
Consumer Experiences

FITURE

Rear-illuminated back panel in the FITURE retail space

Elevating fitness retail through immersive design

As the #1 most popular connected fitness brand in Asia, FITURE set out to revolutionize the home workout industry with its innovative Motion Engine™ technology and interactive fitness mirror. With the goal of introducing the brand to American consumers, FITURE partnered with retail experts at MG2/The Lionesque Group to bring to life a 600-square-foot pop-up space strategically located in The Westchester Mall in White Plains, NY.

The overall design of the FITURE retail space Caption: The FITURE retail space is a unique and memorable experience for visitors

The team designed three test stations that showcased the mirror and its innovative technology, complete with custom cabinets, ottomans, and a rear-illuminated back panel.

Maximizing Impact in a Small Footprint

Faced with the challenge of creating an impactful, experiential, and fun environment within a limited space, MG2/The Lionesque Group leveraged expertise in retail design and build management to develop a next-generation in-store experience. The team designed three test stations that showcased the mirror and its innovative technology, complete with custom cabinets, ottomans, and a rear-illuminated back panel.

Rear-illuminated back panel in the FITURE retail space Caption: The rear-illuminated back panel highlights the innovative technology of the FITURE mirror

A Dynamic and Engaging Retail Space

To bring the FITURE brand to life, MG2/The Lionesque Group filled the space with larger-than-life environmental graphics featuring trademark colors, popular instructors, and engaging questions that spark conversations between guests and associates.

The team also used recycled LVT flooring to evoke movement and clearly denote individual testing zones. Attracting passers-by into the space is an eye-catching display that highlights the interactive elements of the UI experience with a striking infinity mirror and blue cords that mimics the Motion Engine™ technology.

Custom cabinets and ottomans in the FITURE retail space

Introducing FITURE to the American Market

The resulting environment was a dynamic and engaging retail experience that effectively introduced the FITURE brand and its innovative technology to the American market. Leveraging a combination of impactful design and interactive features, MG2/The Lionesque Group produced a unique and memorable experience for guests, helping solidify FITURE’s position as a leader in the connected fitness industry.

  • San Joaquin Valley, CA
Community Environments

United Health Centers

Adaptive reuse medical facilities for the post-COVID era

United Health Centers—or UHC—is driven by its commitment to the lifetime wellness of its communities. They provide accessible, comprehensive, quality health care to everyone with compassion and respect, regardless of ability to pay.

As the organization rapidly expands its services across California’s San Joaquin Valley, they’ve collaborated with designers at MG2 to repurpose and transform existing structures into exceptional medical facilities. The resulting spaces provide an elevated user experience by combining contemporary hospitality, residential comforts, and modern medicine in casual, comfortable, and open environments.

Adaptive reuse for healthcare environments

The adaptive reuse of properties into high-performing medical centers requires more than just basic architectural design. In addition to a deep understanding of structural nuances and how to work with existing components to transform a space, specific sets of expertise are required to adhere to state and national medical office codes and regulations.

The team began with intensive programming sessions—key in the concepting of any medical buildings—to unearth fundamental health and comfort considerations, allowing them to optimize the facilities’ user experiences for both patients and staff.

At the Clovis-Shaw Health Center—formerly housing a furniture store, Hollywood Video, and dojo—designers salvaged the building’s shell, reskinning and structurally retrofitting glass windows with the help of strongbacks to allow natural light to flow. Working closely with the city on the exterior, the team removed dated stucco, repainted, and refinished the facade with sun-resistant faux wood and a modern canopy, creating a welcoming atmosphere that begins when one enters the parking lot.

Previously a Sears automotive store, the Hanford Health Center location necessitated the removal of several oil pumps from the site, refilling and reconditioning the foundation to accommodate extensive structural edits, and shoring up. Auto garage doors were also removed and replaced with expansive glass windows that opened up interiors to natural beauty beyond.

Now a modern dental facility, the healthcare architectural design program was compact and complex, requiring the retrofit of fifteen medical stations and its unique plumbing system inside. MG2’s optimized design enabled the desired number of patient alcoves—complete with panoramic views of greenery to help lower patient stress—and a glass-bound reception area with columns buried into the window structure to carry the weight of the modern wall additions.

Designing a COVID-Era Medical Waiting Room

With the goal of elevating a unique end product that steered away from a cookie-cutter feel, designers leveraged focal points of safety, control, and family to produce open, welcoming, and modern environments that embody natural daylight and incorporate hospitality elements throughout.

With COVID still very much a reality, medical facility patients—whether consciously or subconsciously—will gravitate toward spacing themselves out from one another. With this in mind, designers worked to ultimately optimize the waiting room’s layout, configuring the lobby’s flow into unique pockets and pods instead of one large open-format staging area. These zones, designed to take into account individual comfort levels, enable each guest to feel safe while allowing nurses to see everyone seated in the room.

Designing for Medical Employee Health and Wellness

Just as important as patient health, safety, and comfort are that of doctors, nurses, and facilities staff. Employee satisfaction in a time of burnout and record resignations was a primary consideration in these medical office developments. As such, each back-of-house environment is designed and finished with the same high-end materials, finishes, and fixtures as the front-of-house.  

Further, outdoor break spaces at facilities were strategically implemented to give healthcare workers room to breathe, a break from their PPE gear, and access to greenery and fresh air during their shifts.

Weaving Sustainability into Healthcare Environments

Above-and-beyond sustainability standards and biophilic elements have been implemented throughout the design and construction of United Health Center’s adaptive reuse medical centers for today’s patients and future generations alike.

Expertise in designing for California’s OSHPD #3 medical code, as well as CalGreen permitting, enabled MG2’s design team to adopt and abide by these clinical and state-wide standards quickly and efficiently. Energy conservation is furthered through solar panel-ready roofs, a robust, eco-friendly lighting system, and the inherent nature of adaptive reuse in favor of new construction, all of which add up to saving UHC energy and money.

  • New York City, United States
  • Brand design, Food, beverage, & entertainment, Specialty retail
Consumer Experiences

Catch’N Ice Cream

Bringing the brand of an iconic influencer to life

Since his humble beginnings as a Cold Stone Creamery scooper in Michigan, Dylan Lemay always dreamed of taking his love and passion for ice cream to new heights. The young entrepreneur spent years honing his craft, building his personal brand, and creating unique, first-person social videos that put ice cream fans in the spotlight.

Today, as TikTok’s number one food & beverage content creator, Dylan regularly entertains over 15 million followers across numerous digital platforms with his ice cream “throwing” antics. When the influencer was ready to establish a brick-and-mortar venture, he partnered with MG2/The Lionesque Group to bring his brand and vision to life.

Catch’N Ice Cream is an innovative, interactive ice cream shop experience in the NoHo neighborhood of New York City. Like neighboring retailers on its strategically chosen block of Bleecker Street, Catch’N is a contemporary brand that offers visitors an engaging yet timeless approach to a classic experience, one that is inherently Dylan Lemay.

The store’s design language is crisp, clean, and modern, with angular details that draw guests’ eyes to the culinary performance at its center. Hand-selected from dozens of options, the venue itself is a traditional podium retail space in the historic Bayard-Condict Building: the only structure in NYC by the great modernist architect Louis Sullivan. This unique setting creates a backdrop of familiarity and neighborhood context that juxtaposes the trendy elements specific to the Catch’N brand.

In order to fundamentally capture Dylan’s style and personality, every element for Catch’N was custom-designed, from the logo and style guide, to merchandise, fixtures, counters, and wallcoverings. Curated with intent, Catch’N’s color palette boldly diverts from the industry’s traditional, frequently used shades while still befitting that of an ice cream company.

The Catch’N experience centers around a huge cold slab counter where staff chop, fold, and throw ice cream to customers, replicating the influencer’s signature style. The user journey, both kinetic and sensory in nature, puts each patron in the spotlight, just like Dylan’s digital brand and video creations. 

As guests wait their turn, they’re awarded ample sightlines to the cold slab experience and the ability to explore the full line-up of ice cream-themed merchandise. Technological touches such as digital menus and projection mapping infuse humor and keep in-store content fresh, rounding off a stylish, engaging experience created by—and for—the next generation.

“Catch’N is born 50% from social media and 50% from the culinary ice cream world,” explains Peter Stocker, Principal at MG2 and design lead on the new ice cream brand, “The design and customer experiences in the space reflect that duality.”

“What’s been so exciting about working with Dylan and his team to create this unique culinary experience is the incredible growth we’re seeing in the ‘creator as a brand’ trend,” adds Melissa Gonzalez, Principal at MG2 and Founder of The Lionesque Group, an MG2 studio. “The opportunity to partner with such a dynamic innovator with a steadfast entrepreneurial mindset, and be that counterpart in helping him find the perfect space, bring the design to life, and mold the brand voice—it’s been a rewarding experience for all involved.”

  • Seatac, WA
  • Food, beverage, & entertainment
Consumer Experiences

LouLou Market & Bar

Elevating fitness retail through immersive design

Upon his semi-retirement, Thierry Rautureau, better known to many as the award-winning Chef in the Hat, was ready to embark on a new culinary endeavor. He sought to expand his brand beyond traditional fine dining into a more approachable but still sophisticated experience that would appeal to a wider audience.

Rautureau collaborated with MG2 and SSP America to design and develop LouLou Market & Bar: a French-meets-Pacific Northwest restaurant in the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The restaurant weaves together the chef’s passion for cooking, a lifetime of culinary accomplishments, and rich personal history.

The overall design of the FITURE retail space Caption: The FITURE retail space is a unique and memorable experience for visitors

The team designed three test stations that showcased the mirror and its innovative technology, complete with custom cabinets, ottomans, and a rear-illuminated back panel.

The familiar wood tones and neutral colors of its nearby terminal neighbors are delicately interrupted by a dark blue and white color palette. It’s a strategic motif that distinguishes itself while also creating a welcoming respite in the chaotic gate environment.

Custom wall coverings surround visitors—hand-illustrated to pay homage to Rautureau’s childhood dog—gracing the walls alongside a refined logo, signage, and greenery-adorned shelving. Elegant yet hearty Parisian fixtures, furnishings, and operational elements such as rattan seating and bespoke brass beer taps combine to create a warm market atmosphere. Menus, plating, and presentations artfully blend French and Pacific Northwest culinary traditions.

“We wanted to make sure it lived up to the Chef’s reputation,” explains Peter Stocker, Principal and LouLou’s design and branding lead. “It was a powerful collaboration in which we pooled ideas and talents to achieve a genuine design vision. I believe we were successful in honoring his legacy, brand, and personal history — the end result is authentically and aesthetically him.”

  • Seatac, WA
  • Food, beverage, & entertainment
Consumer Experiences

VYNE Washington Tasting Room

VYNE-Washington-Tasting-Room-SeaTac-Airport-2

Elevating fitness retail through immersive design

When SSP America sought to replace an existing food and beverage venue in Seattle-Tacoma International Airport with a cutting-edge, interactive experience, they partnered with MG2 to create VYNE: a technology-driven wine bar and tasting room.

Born from the goal of showcasing a diverse selection of Washington wineries to travelers from around the globe, VYNE’s interactive pour-it-yourself wine journey offers upscale yet laid-back ambiance in an industrial-modern environment, creating a destination-worthy reprieve from the bustle of SeaTac’s central terminal.

The overall design of the FITURE retail space Caption: The FITURE retail space is a unique and memorable experience for visitors

The team designed three test stations that showcased the mirror and its innovative technology, complete with custom cabinets, ottomans, and a rear-illuminated back panel.

Tackling everything from logo development to architecture scope, all the way through construction in a challenging footprint located directly above baggage claim, the teams worked closely together to deliver a final product that is as interactive and educational as it is inviting and enticing.

In 2022, with an above-and-beyond design demonstrating an innovative approach and effective partnership between the airport, its passengers, and the larger Washington community, VYNE was awarded the “Best New Food and Beverage” full-service concept by the Airports Council International – North America.

  • Mexico City, Mexico
  • Large-format retail
Client Programs

Costco Wholesale Santa Fe

Costco Santa Fe Mexico City

A community-oriented haven blending retail and recreation

Parque La Mexicana is a 70-acre urban green space centrally located in the Santa Fe neighborhood of Mexico City. The area is home to over 5,000 trees, two lakes, a skatepark, an amphitheater, playgrounds, a dog park, bike paths, a running track, restaurants, and so much more. This award-winning, one-of-a-kind park is designed to be financially self-sufficient, strategically partnering with retailers as an integral part of its business plan.

When Costco Wholesale, which sought to take up residence in the Santa Fe district, became one of those retail partners, the company collaborated closely with MG2, the community, city, and the park itself to ensure the aesthetic and functional unity of Costco’s built environments into the existing landscapes, resources, and sustainable operations. In addition to hurdles presented by the site’s environment, teams faced the incredible challenge of virtually hiding the entirety of Costco’s massive warehouse, parking structure, and loading bays from public view. 

The resulting structures are, arguably, one of the most sustainable, beautifully designed Costco Wholesale developments in the world.

Strategic Value Engineering

Constructed on a former landfill site, Costco Santa Fe’s location also resides in a high-seismic area in Mexico City, creating soil variables and structure risks. In order to mitigate both challenges, designers implemented the use of piles and a pre-engineered metal building, which simultaneously reduced overall cost and contributed to its LEED-ready design.

Hiding a Costco in Plain Sight

To achieve this feat, designers worked to physically and operationally integrate Costco’s structures with the surrounding park, further going above and beyond by matching—or exceeding—the park and the city’s sustainability standards. 

With just one side of the building fully exposed to the public, the remaining three are strategically hidden from view, blended into the existing landscape. “Montanitas”, or tall berms covered in native plants, trees, and grasses work double duty to camouflage the warehouse exteriors while minimizing the irrigation and water usage required to allow them to flourish. Green facade screens with native crawling vegetation planted at its base as well as cascading down from the roof above will grow over time to further obscure the warehouse and parking structure’s appearance.

A Green Roof Unlike Any Other

The warehouse’s 144,522 sq/ft metal deck high-performance green roof—three times bigger than any other landscaped space for a Costco in Mexico—was meticulously curated with thousands of native plants and grasses spanning 10 varieties, each reviewed and approved by local environmental agencies. In partnership with Secretaria de Medio Ambiente, insect “hotels” have also been installed, further nurturing nearby flora.

The roof was custom engineered to collect and transport stormwater runoff to the park for landscape amenities such as fountains and ponds. Unique waterproofing and leak-detection systems were also developed to ensure the facility’s rainwater accumulation and operations function correctly and prevent water from seeping through the membrane. 

Due to the roof’s green-centric design, the installation of standard HVAC systems required customization. Just one block of machinery lives atop the building, while additional mechanics, including air handling units designed to chill the warehouse with cold water, reside underneath.

 

Seamless Integration with Community & Recreation

Atop the parking structure: a veritable playground for city residents and visitors, purposely designed with sustainability, wellness, and community in mind, and seamlessly blended into the existing Parque Mexicana beyond. Carefully configured, a fútbol field, padel court, and hybrid basketball/volleyball courts sweep across the roof, while a pedestrian bridge extends the existing jogging path, looping it back into the park. 

Adjacently overhead Costco’s receiving area lies a beginner’s roller skate park, designed for children, to get the hang of basics before graduating to more advanced terrain.

The one-of-a-kind design, solidifying the concealment of the Costco warehouse, parking structure, and loading bays, unifies the amenities’ connections to the established park experience while offering a new array of spaces for the community and visitors alike to enjoy.

Meet Our Team

Jessica Eaton

Associate Principal

With a keen eye for details, a passion for the collaboration process, and over fifteen years of experience, Jessica Eaton knows how to expertly and thoughtfully craft transformative spaces that heighten the desired sensations from any given environment. She is a hybrid big-picture creative and detail-oriented executor, bridging the gap between conceptual thinking and the realities of construction, budget, durability, and scheduling.

Jessica is a master at partnership design process orchestration, working alongside stakeholders to bring their voices, ideas, and business goals to the table, turning them into tactile, memorable spaces. She is sustainability-driven and maintains a deep passion for keeping abreast of the latest in industry trends and interior aesthetics. From concept to reality, Jessica is a true champion for design challenges of all scopes and sizes.

  • The High Line, New York, United States
  • Pop-up retail, Specialty retail
Consumer Experiences

Victoria’s Secret Bombshell Gardens

Engaging. Instagrammable. Destination-worthy.

When Victoria’s Secret, one of the defining brands in the world of beauty, sought to elevate both local and global awareness around its iconic Bombshell fragrance, they partnered with MG2 / The Lionesque Group on the design, development, and build-out of a one-week immersive pop-up experience on The High Line: an iconic outdoor park that weaves through the heart of Manhattan.

From the onset, finding the perfect outdoor venue—an outdoor city park that allowed for the selling of goods but also supported the duration desired by the client—was as challenging as it was paramount. The team sourced, scouted, and worked with the City of New York to navigate the complexities of permitting to secure the iconic, elevated High Line park for the pop-up’s location. With the challenges that variable weather can provide for outdoor venues, designers also took every possibility into consideration while curating the experience, incorporating contingencies for inclement climates.

With a focus on creating an immersive, technology-integrated journey that would play host to several events and memorable moments throughout the week, designers adopted and embodied the Bombshell state of mind from day one. Designers studied concepts in 2D and rendered in 3D, while also carefully curating the color and material palettes, signage, lighting, and floral packages that would become the foundation of the experiential attributes, iconic structures, and captivating motifs.

With the run-of-show, customer journey, and design details finalized, The Lionesque Group conducted a veritable orchestra of contractors, vendors, and specialists, coordinating the budgets and timelines of hundreds of moving pieces to bring a wholly unique, unforgettable 10,000 sq/ft pop-up to life.

The experience featured 150 lbs of greenery, 525 feet of LED neon, 1,350 sq/ft of pink vinyl, and approximately 58,000 stems of fresh florals—half of them season-favorite peonies—sourced both locally and from countries around the world.

The Bombshell Gardens debuted to unanimous fanfare from the press, influencers, celebrities, and visitors. Complete with immersive projection mapping, artful mirrored installations, elegant gardens containing thousands of flowers, and classic brand iconography, visitors were immersed in the Bombshell story: a place of discovery where all are welcome to be inspired and uplifted through the ultimate fragrance journey.

Engaging, Instagrammable, and destination-worthy, the Victoria’s Secret Bombshell Gardens experience garnered over 93,000 visitors, millions of social media impressions, four engagement proposals, significant brand awareness and coverage, and the genuine, high-spirited, consumer-empowering brand engagement it sought from the week-long pop-up event.

  • Southampton, New York, United States
  • Specialty retail
Consumer Experiences

Kathy Kuo Home

Bringing the brand of an iconic influencer to life

Kathy Kuo Home is a boutique home furnishings brand that offers modern and classic home decor for all interior design needs. With a robust and loyal online following, Kathy Kuo Home sought to create its first permanent flagship location with the assistance of MG2 / The Lionesque Group. In addition to curating in an inviting, laid-back, dog-friendly space where customers can immerse themselves in possibilities, Kathy Kuo and her team also wanted to bring their online design center, full digital catalog, and tailored consultation offering to their clients in the heart of Southampton, New York.

The resulting experience is one that perfectly embodies the brand’s high-end offerings, seamlessly weaving together the delight of in-person discovery with the ease of digital retail technology and expert design consultation.

Within just 4,000 SF of retail space, the Kathy Kuo Home flagship uses vignette scenes to feature a hand-selected assortment of the brand’s best-selling products, including indoor and outdoor furniture, décor, and lighting in a range of styles. The store also houses a design resource center for KKH designers to work one-on-one with clients in-person to design their home, and will further serve as a destination for curated events hosted in-store.

Transcending an environment that feels like Kuo’s own Hampton home, it’s an experience that successfully welcomes everyone in the space, encouraging exploration and fueling inspiration.

“Interacting with our customers has always been a top priority for the brand, and there’s no better way to do this than in person.” said Kuo in an interview with Forbes just prior to the store’s grand opening, “We’ve seen continued success through investing in our relationships by providing our high-touch services online and now will have the opportunity for continued growth. Having a physical location will allow us to connect with and serve more customers and clients than ever before, aiding in our brand mission to help as many people as possible love where they live.”

Since opening doors, Kathy Kuo Home’s flagship store has been featured in Architectural Digest, Insider Trends, Modern Luxury, and Business of Home.

It was also awarded the honor of House Beautiful’s 2021 Best Home Stores in America Right Now.

  • New York, NY
  • Pop-up retail
Consumer Experiences

STAUD

After shaking it up at New York Fashion Week, STAUD now has shoppable showroom open for appointments in Soho.

Goal

The LA-based brand STAUD was founded upon the idea that fashion shouldn’t just empower women — it should be accessible, too. Known best for its cult handbags and retro women’s ready-to-wear, STAUD has fast become a firm favorite on the fashion week front rows and was seeking to transform the look and function of their NYC showroom space.

MG2

MG2 provided strategic guidance on best practices for pop-up retail and collaborated with the STAUD team in the determination of optimal stoppable showroom store layout that best provides for customer journey and experience with the brands product offerings, as well as helped establish positioning for qualitative and quantitative data collection to track the performance of the pop-up showroom test.

Outcome

The Soho space not only serves as a showroom destination that is true to the brand’s aesthetic, but gives the brand a place to interact with their customer on an appointment basis.

  • Multiple Locations, U.S.
  • Specialty retail
Consumer Experiences

Tempo

Bringing the brand of an iconic influencer to life

When Tempo—an industry leader in the burgeoning world of home fitness—sought to expand its connection with consumers by branching out into the physical retail market, they partnered with MG2 / The Lionesque Group on a holistic approach toward the strategy, design, and build-out of new stand-alone stores.

Applying the data and learning from its partnership retail spaces, Tempo sought a retail offering that goes beyond demoing its products and services. A unique customer journey steeped in education and daily possibilities as part of the Tempo community was carefully curated, showcasing the potential for a healthier, fuller lifestyle, fueled by the strength derived from the brand’s offering. Featuring inspiration from coaches and the company’s founder himself, Tempo’s brick-and-mortar story helps consumers envision a marriage of activities in the real world—rock climbing, surfing, hiking, and more—and your wellness partner at home.

In addition to a comprehensive approach toward strategy, design, and build-out of stores, designers partnered with Tempo on an alignment of KPIs for its new retail spaces. A series of market studies helped the teams determine the right square footage and cities for pilot stores, while simultaneously partnering on and driving everything from concept development, retail strategy plan, and budget assessments, to design fit and project management.

With doors opening in Manhattan and Bellevue, Washington on time for the holiday season, Tempo is primed to properly analyze and optimize its brick-and-mortar retail strategies, while fully immersing home fitness enthusiasts in what’s possible as part of their unique community.

  • Multiple Locations, U.S.
  • Specialty retail
Consumer Experiences

Brilliant Earth

jewelry-show-room-brilliant-earth-mg2-design

Approachable luxury

Since 2005, Brilliant Earth has offered the world ethically sourced, award-winning fine jewelry through its elevated web-based platform and personalized appointment-only showrooms. When the digitally-native company sought to expand its brick-and-mortar portfolio with open retail spaces, they partnered with MG2 to seamlessly translate the spirit of their digital brand and unique offerings into a real-world experience.

Like its jewelry, the retail design and rollout program for Brilliant Earth’s new showrooms was curated with thoughtful craftsmanship in every production phase. Previously, all the brand’s in-person experiences were appointment-only, with most of their spaces hidden away from window-shopping consumers on the upper floors of retail centers.

Utilizing a light, luminous, bright, and warm palette that reflected its online presence, MG2 designers brought an approachable luxury to Brilliant Earth’s new showroom experience. This new iteration of the store—the first of its kind for Brilliant Earth—brings an inviting, interactive, and educational retail experience into the brand’s program, diversifying its real estate potential with more premium, ground-level spaces, increasing awareness and engagement.

Brilliant Earth_Brooklyn

From planning to fixture design, the team boldly broke many industry barriers often seen in jewelry, such as the traditional horseshoe-shaped counters that often act as barriers.

Instead, in a direct reflection of the brand’s unique educational approach to the diamond shopping experience, MG2 designed a fixture package program that flexes and scales with each new space; a customizable kit-of-parts that can fit any format.

An entry kiosk once used to check customers in for their appointments evolved into a multi-functional digital tool. Now used to assist shoppers in industry and diamond education, the sizing of rings, and the check-out process, it’s a feature that further underlines the seamless integration of Brilliant Earth’s digital and physical offerings.

Caseline throughout the store is designed like furniture; display cases float lightly in the space, while round consultation tables equalize the service experience. This highly customized design and rollout program was achieved without raising the cost of construction for Brilliant Earth.

Brilliant Earth_Brooklyn

The Brooklyn location of Brilliant Earth represents a step forward for the brand while still adhering to the same kit of parts utilized in their other showrooms. Its unique building in Williamsburg features a vaulted ceiling and exposed brick, giving the space a larger and more roomy feel. This has granted merchandising room to grow, expanding the brand’s retail offering with six cases, an additional appointment station, and a more retail-focused reception area. With an emphasis on showcasing its fine jewelry products, this evolution in Brilliant Earth’s showroom design successfully balances its minimalist roots with an elevated, flexible retail agenda.

Similarly distinctive in its design hurdles and opportunities, Brilliant Earth’s King of Prussia showroom location—situated within a mall with limited egress and no natural light—presented unique challenges for the team to overcome. To bring the space to life, designers reprioritized the showroom’s configuration, eliminating the need for glazing, and added greater visual impact by utilizing large format graphics, wall casework, and incorporating merchandising above the cases. The warm and inviting retail story is solidified through the incorporation of recessed lighting, plush sofa seating, and education-centric pedestals at the front of the space.

The showroom’s private appointment stations were strategically relocated to the back of the space, providing guests with greater privacy while maximizing the overall flexibility of the design. By utilizing the same kit of parts as its other showrooms while adding new elements that reflect the brand, designers ensured that Brilliant Earth’s iconic bright and light personality prevailed within the confines of the darkened shopping center.

With each showroom brought to life across the country, this global leader in ethically sourced fine jewelry continues to seamlessly preserve its online identity while defining new retail experiences for its consumers, each with its own unique flair.

  • Multiple Locations, Asia
  • Large-format retail
Client Programs

Costco Wholesale Asia

The secrets to a successful global expansion

When industry leader Costco Wholesale sought expansion overseas, there were numerous nuanced considerations—culture, capacity, jurisdictional requirements, materials, cost, timeframes, structure variants, building codes, and beyond—that Costco needed to consider in order to ensure their debut in Asia would be an outright success. They employed long-time partner MG2 to help them tackle these challenges and provide a localized, reliable, inherently “Costco Wholesale” experience for new consumer bases across multiple countries.

Taking up residence in urban areas experiencing explosive population growth, real estate and structure footprint are major considerations with each Costco Wholesale designed and built in Asia. The employment of multilevel retail warehouses—a more common practice overseas than here in the United States—provide spatial solutions, but still require careful programming and custom resolutions that designers consider and tailor to each unique location.

While shopping at a wholesale retailer in the United States is unique unto itself, the experience can be different and novel in countries like Japan, China, Taiwan, and South Korea, where spending a day at Costco Wholesale can be a destination-worthy, family-wide event. Costco and MG2 teams diligently analyzed and documented the shopping habits of each location, accounting for variants like capacity control, cultural norms, and community preferences. Departments were designed to flex within the stores, catering to regional tastes, such as robust sushi departments in Japan.

Even footprints and integrated technologies were localized—moving ramps vs elevators, additional parking, and more—ensuring familiar customer flows and elevated user experiences in what has become an extremely popular shopping experience.

With our breadth and depth of Costco project knowledge and working with the country managers through the decades, MG2 continuously delivers immediate solutions for ad-hoc challenges, such as adding new departments post-opening. Based on the unique design requirements for each location, our team has standardized each structure’s needs, working closely with Costco Wholesale operations on how they utilize their spaces. In addition to streamlining our process, MG2 has been able to control the soft cost which varies by country, ensuring no project goes over budget.

Our symbiotic relationship continues today, with our most recent projects utilizing breakthrough technology such as VR walkthroughs for executives to view floors before the opening of a new location. As Costco Wholesale’s expansion initiatives continue to grow across China and other regions, MG2’s designs continue to push boundaries and revolutionize the wholesale shopping experience in Asia.

  • Chicago, IL
  • Pop-up retail
Consumer Experiences

IRL

MG2 / The Lionesque Group partnered with GGP to create a place where digitally native brands could test physical retail in a complete turnkey solution. Technologically driven, the project included RFID “Wishlist” key with analytic tracking and enabled the education of customers about their brand story and unique product offerings.

The team fully developed the program and space from the ground up, including creating all branded aspects of the store, curating brands, developing a monthly membership program, design and production of the space, operational management, and ongoing marketing & in-store event strategies.

Offering an experience that garnered 4,156 shares and over 11M impressions, a total of 15 e-commerce brands were showcased in the first chapter of IRL, with 80% viable for long-term tenancy. The innovative concept drew attention from local and national media including articles in Chicago Tribune, Glossy, WWD, Design:Retail, among others.

  • Multiple Locations, United States
  • Pop-up retail
Consumer Experiences

The RealReal

As a way to test the brick-and-mortar retail environment, The RealReal hired MG2 / The Lionesque Group as their pop-up design and strategy partner to launch a two-week holiday store in Soho, NYC. The objectives were to increase brand awareness, generate sales and test the viability of a permanent brick-and-mortar retail store.

The team provided location and design consultation for optimal layout in a retail environment and customer flow within the pop-up space. The deliverables included securing a location that best allowed TheRealReal to interact with their target demographic, sourcing of store fixtures, operational elements and back of house, and budget and production oversight from build-out to break-down.

After two successful weeks, with over 1,000 visitors
on a daily basis, The RealReal a year later opened up
a permanent location in Soho. Over the duration of
the pop-up, they garnered media coverage from
major outlets including BBC Radio, RackedNY,
HarperBazaar, Hollywood Reporter and more. 

  • Seattle, WA
  • Pop-up retail
Consumer Experiences

Purple

With the objective of growing brand awareness and driving sales, Purple sought to tell an authentic, immersive direct-to-consumer story through a showroom and a series of pop-up experiences across the United States. Engaging MG2 / The Lionesque Group as their full-service partner, the D2C brand took a turn-key approach toward driving sales and educating potential customers. 

The design team visualized, crafted, ideated, and executed an innovative physical retail strategy, as well as sourced and managed the production of popup spaces across multiple cities. This multi-faceted program has empowered the brand to evolve and expand the program in the future, broadening its reach and allowing more customers to experience their Purple Grid technology first-hand.

  • Seattle, WA
  • Brand design, Pop-up retail
Consumer Experiences

Periodic: A Popup Shop

A turnkey pop-up solution for innovative brands.

In today’s retail landscape, many companies find themselves hoping to test the waters of a brick-and-mortar investment before committing to a longer lease. Periodic—designed and implemented by MG2 / The Lionesque Group—is an award-winning, turn-key space located in the South Lake Union district of Seattle created for brands to activate pop-up experiences in a seamless way.

With the unique challenge of creating a full-service platform that offered both a B2B and B2C presence, the team worked with close attention to detail on everything from the Periodic name, font, and logo, to the modularity and functionality of design fixtures, to curating onboarding and offboarding programming offered to each business that inhabits their space.

From two weeks to two months at a time, Periodic gives brands an opportunity to have a presence in a fast-growing, highly trafficked neighborhood. The platform is designed to set them up for success, taking the jurisdictional weight off their shoulders and allowing them to test for viability, grow brand awareness, or trial a target demographic in a short amount of time with an efficient investment approach.

Along with a fixturing package designed to flex and modulate to accommodate individual merchandising and storytelling needs, each curated brand has access to a local marketing company and a best practices playbook. The space itself—a glass building on a corner lot—acts as a billboard, creating a truly unique, hyper-accessible, out-of-the-box pop-up solution that both brands and the community are already benefitting from.

For its unique consumer experiences and experimental turnkey platform that allows for brands of all sizes to test the brick-and-mortar waters in downtown Seattle, Periodic: A Popup Shop was honored as one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Retail Designs of 2021.

  • Seatac, WA
  • Food, beverage, & entertainment
Consumer Experiences

Capitol Hill Food Hall

Elevating fitness retail through immersive design

For travelers making their way through the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the corner-bound intermission in the center of Terminal A was, at best, unmemorable. Anchored with an aging bookstore and some sparse seating, the only true draw to the area was the sweeping view of the tarmac through its bank of windows. 

Partnering with MG2, SSP America transformed this nondescript section of the airport into the Capitol Hill Food Hall: a destination that passengers would remember and revisit for flights to come.

The overall design of the FITURE retail space Caption: The FITURE retail space is a unique and memorable experience for visitors

The team designed three test stations that showcased the mirror and its innovative technology, complete with custom cabinets, ottomans, and a rear-illuminated back panel.

It offers a thoughtfully unique experience, bringing together a curated selection of popular vendors and reimagining and translating their curbside appeal within a terminal-bound venue. While other airports glean digitally-driven dining experiences whose technology integrations age poorly, Capitol Hill Food Hall relies on a more handmade, analog consistency throughout its branding, signage, and finishes, creating its own design language and immersing visitors in a genuine experience as they discover new favorites. 

Bringing Capitol Hill Food Hall to life was not without challenges. This section of the airport was one that had never been used as a food and beverage site before. The complexities of designing and constructing a building-within-a-building and housing numerous individual businesses—each with their own standards and requirements to uphold—created a vast landscape of moving pieces. 

An exceedingly complex program inside of a secured airport terminal, every detail that might otherwise be overarchingly accepted or otherwise overlooked; materials, fixtures, cases, and beyond were scrutinized and deeply reviewed by the Seattle Port Authority in the name of passenger health, safety, and security. Integrated and streamlined coordination was critical to stay on track and on budget in making SSP America’s original a reality. 

Today, the space offers much more than awe-inspiring views; Capitol Hill Food Hall offers food and beverage options from numerous local vendors, ranging from bahn mi and burgers to Seattle’s finest coffee and hoppiest brews. Each option is carefully curated, with each vendor taking their typical streetside branding and tailoring it to their terminal location, seamlessly blending all of the designs to create one encompassing language. Two unique areas are dedicated to live music, a scene that Seattle is known for the world over. In the spaces between, the experience is dotted with ample seating and outlets, encouraging weary travelers to sit back, relax, and experience the real Seattle without ever leaving the airport. 

  • Suzhou, China
  • High-rise
Community Environments

Suzhou Sunny World International Apartments

Suzhou Sunny World International Apartments offers 50 floors of modern luxury for its global resident population. As the second phase of Sunny World City – a massive multi-building development in a growing CBD anchored by a Shangri-La Hotel – MG2 designed the project to maximize program areas without compromising on quality.

The residential towers feature a glazed curtain wall system that offers daylighting and the use of operable windows for superior comfort and environmental control. Each of the residential units and penthouse suites capitalize on the beautiful cityscape with large window-walls in each room.

Geared toward providing both a lavish and convenient experience, the buildings’ podium includes a large ballroom, daycare, business and entertainment centers, fitness center, and private club, which establish the development as the area’s preferred address.