Monos Los Angeles
Location / Los Angeles
Project Type / Interior Design
Size / 934 sf
Completed / 2025
Photography / Another Studios
Monos Abbot Kinney translates the brand’s values of clarity, calm, and intentional travel into an architectural environment shaped by light, material restraint, and spatial sequence. Rather than relying on overt branding or spectacle, the project is conceived as a gradual transition—from the energy of Abbot Kinney Boulevard into a quieter, more focused interior—where atmosphere and perception guide the retail experience.
Located along one of Los Angeles’ most layered commercial streets, the design responds to a context defined by mid-century storefronts, contemporary galleries, and craft-driven façades. A timber-clad exterior establishes a warm, tactile presence at the pedestrian scale, aligning with the client’s desire for approachability. At the center of the façade, a softly glowing, lantern-like element marks the entry and signals a shift in pace, mediating between the public street and the interior environment beyond.
Inside, the spatial organization directly reflects the client’s emphasis on light, restraint, and emotional clarity. A curved wall of glass brick anchors the interior and diffuses daylight deep into the space. Referencing the use of glass block in Los Angeles’ historic commercial and civic architecture, this element situates the project within its Venice context while introducing a sense of movement and softness. As light shifts throughout the day, the glass brick animates the interior without relying on visual excess or overt display.
The interior material palette reinforces this measured approach. Soft cerulean tones draw from the Southern California sky and coastline, while exposed natural wood beams and skylights introduce warmth and material honesty. These elements work together to create an environment that feels luminous yet grounded, supporting a calm and legible retail experience rather than a highly stylized one.
Retail fixtures are intentionally minimized and precisely detailed in response to the client’s desire for clarity and ease of use. Positioned along the perimeter, floating display elements allow the full Monos collection—luggage, accessories, and personalized services—to be experienced intuitively and without visual clutter. The architecture recedes to support the product, reinforcing the brand’s commitment to thoughtful, functional design.
Throughout the project, multisensory considerations inform both spatial and material decisions. Diffused light, tactile surfaces, softened acoustics, and subtle tonal transitions create an atmosphere that is quietly immersive rather than overtly expressive. In this way, Monos Abbot Kinney operates as more than a retail environment: it is a carefully calibrated spatial framework that reflects the brand’s values through restraint, clarity, and a nuanced response to place.