Artsee Eyewear
1111 Lincoln Road
Miami Beach, Florida
Tel: 305-538-3737
Designer: Openshop

Having opened their original New York store in a building owned by developer Robert Wennett, partners Oleg Rabinovich and Julio Santiago of eyewear boutique Artsee were shoo-ins for Wennett’s new project: the Herzog & de Meuron–designed 1111 Lincoln Road in Miami Beach. Taking a 600-square-foot berth alongside the likes of Y-3 and Shake Shack, Artsee turned to Openshop, whose partners Adam Hayes and Mark Kroeckel had been longtime fans. Studying the boutique’s approach—a full-service eyewear experience rather than endless racks of frames—the designers proposed “a jewel box inside of a jewel box.” Wrapping the room is a two-way mirror, concealing display cases that are cleverly illuminated by motion sensors as customers pass by. At the center hang three pendant lamps from Lightexture featuring slightly misshapen ceramic orbs. Below, a CNC-crafted hunk of black polished Corian is topped by back-painted glass. With three seating stations, the island puts customers front and center for Artsee’s immersive retail encounter. “The customer becomes almost a true audience partner,” Kroeckel explained. “They get to watch the show, but be part of it at the same time.”