The Whitney Museum of Amercan Art’s revamped retail space

The Whitney Museum of American Art’s lobby is one huge glass box, demarcated by sinuous lines of post-and-rope stanchions that divide visitors into members and nonmembers. But it recently welcomed a revamped bookstore by Office of Tangible Space. The Brooklyn-based studio, founded by Michael Yarinsky and Kelley Perumbeti, was tasked with creating a refreshed retail experience for the Whitney shop, which contains everything from artist monographs to postcards to iconic “there are artists among us” merch.

A bookcase designed by Office of Tangible Space for the Whitney Museum — Shelving units are mounted on wheels for flexibility and shifting needs (Claire Esparros)

A table at the Whitney Museum bookstore — Round and heavy forms fall alongside linear, light legs (Claire Esparros)

Furniture and shelving for the merch at the Whitney Museum — The pieces are a mixture of blond and black wood (Claire Esparros)

The clothing rack and hangers at the Whitney Museum shop — The architects designed specialized racks for hanging clothes (Claire Esparros)

To that end, the studio has delivered a series of shelving units, tables, and chairs that “signal a transformation for the museum,” said the studio founders. All are mounted on wheels for easy reorganization and rendered in a mixture of blond and blackened woods. Elements come together at rounded edges and vary in height from that of a dining table to as tall as seven shelves high. There are also specialized racks for hanging clothing and rotational mechanisms that allow certain shelf units to “close,” akin to shutting a jewelry box.

The Whitney Museum of American Art turns to Office of Tangible Space for a refreshed retail experience

There Are Designers Among Us

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