The Alchemist
1111 Lincoln Road
Miami, FL
Tel: 305.531.4815
Architect: Rene Gonzales

Shop for your designer goods in style at the newest Alchemist boutique on Lincoln Road, the Fifth Avenue of Miami Beach. Rene Gonzales’ newest design for the Alchemist boutique, located within Herzog and de Meuron’s famous parking structure, ventures far from his original space for the retailer. However, it has drawn similar praise for being both luxurious and sleek.

In his first design, Gonzales exposed shop merchandise from the outside, using a 306-degree transparent glass facade. His new design pockets these contents along angled, saw-tooth shelves that jet out from the shop’s perimeter, concealing clothing racks from street view. “The first store is meant to incorporate the environment and capture light and the Miami skyline,” Gonzales said. “Here, it’s the opposite. This store allows you to envision yourself in another place.”

Eye-catching, color-changing LED light strips line the interior walls, and neon seating streams through the shop, adding pops of color to clean white walls. The space transforms into a natural escape as it tunnels to the rear-fitting rooms; these are located behind a wall bathed in projections of tropical landscapes by artist Paris Kain that complement the natural wood beams and floors. With melamine-foam ceilings and walls, the shop is insulated from heat and noise, offering customers a cool and stimulating respite from Miami’s hot hustle.