Commercial Design Kudos: DAM Shop

Good design is good design, whether it’s a smartly renovated bathroom or a beautifully redesigned store, and while we love covering the state’s finest residential projects in the pages of our magazine, sometimes I just have to point out commercial design projects that deserve our praise.

The new shop at the Denver Art Museum is just such a space.

Designed by Denver-based Roth + Sheppard Architects, the shop is a perfect compliment to the angles and lines of the Daniel Leibskind-designed Hamilton Building. You’ll find it in the once-rather-bare public space to the right of the entrance. Here’s the kicker: The shop feels like its own entity while it fits in perfectly with the rest of the museum. Defined by a series of fixed glass panels, the shop offers the usual museum fare: a great book collection, jewelry, stationery, other gift-worthy items and some lovely glass art, which stands out against an LED-backlit wall. We love to take a seat in the cafe at the back of the store, gaze out the windows and wait for the muse to visit. It’s an inspiring spot.

So kudos to Jeffrey Sheppard, AIA, and Herbert Roth, FAIA, for making the museum shop an excellent accompaniment to the museum itself.