snarkitecture’s ‘manifest’ wellness club is a modern space for self-care in DC

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Snarkitecture designs Manifest "self-care" club in Washington DC

Design studio Snarkitecture incorporated tiled walls and arches into a club in the US capital that offers a barbershop, a coffee bar, a boutique and a speakeasy.

Open to the public, the Manifest club occupies a slender, four-story building in Washington DC's Adams Morgan neighbourhood.

Manifest is entered through a courtyard lined with wooden walls

Meant to put "a sophisticated spin on self-care", the club was conceived by the entrepreneur KJ Hughes, along with his partners Brian Merritt and Susan Morgan.

The aim was to create a distinctive location where people could get a haircut or beard trim, grab an espresso, buy upscale streetwear and enjoy a cocktail.

Tiled walls and arches were incorporated into the club

The owners turned to New York's Snarkitecture to design the project.

"When we set out to design Manifest, it needed to be a new kind of barbershop, inviting to all people," said Alex Mustonen, a firm partner.

Snarkitecture added a barbershop to the project

"Simultaneously, we wanted to create a sanctuary, a community space, an institution, a one-of-a-kind experience that still feels like home," he said.

Set back from the street, the Manifest building is entered through a courtyard lined with wooden walls.

The studio used a largely restrained palette of materials

The outdoor space is adorned with pockets of greenery and curved concrete benches. At the base of the benches are illuminated reveals made of LED strips with an acrylic diffuser.

Inside, walls are clad in white tiles, and the floor is covered in large-format cement squares. For the millwork, the team used white oak with a natural finish.

White oak was used for the millwork

The barbershop – which encompasses four stations and an area for washing hair – is fitted with chairs wrapped in buttery leather. The coffee bar features a counter with a fluted wooden base and a terrazzo top.

In the retail zone, clothing by brands such as Engineered Garments and Homme Pliseé is displayed within arched, wooden niches. The store also sells apparel from Manifest's own line, Of US.

Chairs wrapped in leather feature in the barbershop

Stretching across the ceiling are wooden beams with embedded LED strips – a design element that contributes to the interplay of straight and curved lines in the space.

"Unifying details throughout the space include archways – which are meant to represent the sloughing off of the old and moving into a new phase of life – while linear elements symbolise a sense of community and connection," the designers said.

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A "secret staircase" leads up to the speakeasy, which seats up to 30 guests. In contrast with the lower-level space, the bar has a moody atmosphere.

Walls are sheathed in a custom green plaster, and floors are finished with dark-stained oak. Seating areas are adorned with green velvet banquettes and leather chairs from Nikari.

The speakeasy has a moody atmosphere

Overhead are arched forms that help create a sense of intimacy while also drawing a visual connection to the arches in the lower level. The arches are finished with mosaic green tile and safety glass with wire mesh.

Throughout the club, Snarkitecture aspired to create an environment that was both comfortable and stimulating.

Walls are sheathed in a custom green plaster

"Every single element was designed to create a welcoming, intimate atmosphere that will invoke conversation and appeal to all the senses," the team said.

Later this spring, Manifest will expand to include a rentable apartment with a retractable glass roof and a terrace.

Throughout the club, the atmosphere was designed to be both comfortable and stimulating

This is not the first project in Washington DC by Snarkitecture. In 2018, the firm created a Fun House installation in the National Building Museum's great hall that featured a white gabled house and a kidney-shaped ball pit.

Other projects by the studio include a shop for streetwear brand Kith within a Parisian mansion, and an installation in a Manhattan gallery that consisted of 168 white spherical orbs that changed colours when touched.

The photography is byMichael Grant.

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Snarkitecture adds Nike Air Max chandelier to Kith streetwear store in Parisian mansion

A chandelier of Nike sneakers now hangs inside 19th-century mansion Pershing Hall, where design studio Snarkitecture has created a new flagship for American streetwear brand Kith.

New York-based Snarkitecture has designed more than 10 different stores for Kith, but this is the largest so far, and the brand's first standalone store in Europe.

Kith has taken three floors of Pershing Hall, a Paris mansion built in the 19th century

The fit out was designed to be true to the urban New York style that Kith is known for, but to also respect the building's unique history.

Originally built in the late 1800s as a private residence, it was bought by the American Legion in 1928 to serve as headquarters for American general John J Pershing. It was later used as an officer's club, before being converted into a five-star hotel.

Nike sneaker casts line the barrel-vaulted ceiling at the store's entrance

Snarkitecture's approach was to combine contemporary forms and graphics with traditional materials and proportions.

"Much of the design was inspired by the history and existing condition of Pershing Hall," said the studio, which is led by artist Daniel Arsham. "However, it was important to balance those elements with a contemporary retail experience."

"In order to reference the historical context of the space, we introduced new techniques and materials to the Kith retail aesthetic, including walnut wainscotting, moulding and Venetian plaster."

A second Nike ceiling installation features in the main stairwell

The most eye-catching of the new additions are the two ceiling installations made from Nike sneaker casts.

While these installations are a common feature in Kith's stores, here they are designed to replicate historic elements – a barrel-vaulted ceiling and a teardrop chandelier.

The cast shoes are arranged in the form of a chandelier

"The overhead installation at the entrance offers a visually impactful initial moment and hints at what's to come inside the space," said Snarkitecture.

"The scale and location of the central staircase provided another opportunity to introduce the cast shoe motif, while creating an iconic moment inside the store," it continued.

"We liked the idea of reimagining a traditional chandelier form, with cast shoes replacing the crystal of a traditional chandelier."

A courtyard restaurant features a green wall created by Patrick Blanc

Both installations are created from casts of Nike Air Max 1, a design connected to Paris because it was partially inspired by the Centre Pompidou.

"Finding the right sneaker to cast is always somewhat tricky," said the design team. "We worked closely with Ronnie Feig, owner and founder of Kith, to select the shoe model, material, texture and even the lacing method."

Walnut wainscotting provides shelving displays in one room

Pershing Hall's redevelopment was spearheaded by real-estate investor MARK. Kith has taken three floors of the building, while the upper floors will be used as offices.

Key spaces on Kith's floors include the glass-roofed courtyard, which has become a Sadelle's bar and restaurant, which features a green wall by French botanist Patrick Blanc.

Snarkitecture also updated some of the building's existing architectural details, for instance, the cast-iron balustrade now incorporates the Kith logo.

Milled marble benches provide seating for trying on shoes

Showroom spaces are organised around the courtyard. They include a Treats cereal bar, a lounge space furnished with blue velvet seats, and retail galleries fitted with geometric brass hanging rails.

Meanwhile, the basement floor features a room designed to look like an aircraft interior.

A basement space is designed to feel like an aircraft cabin

"We want people to feel a sense of wonder and discovery as they progress through the different store environments, each with their own curated moments," added the designers.

"We hope that people working at Kith enjoy the space – it should feel like a welcoming home for everyone."

Other Kith stores featured on Dezeen include venues in West Hollywood, Miami and Brooklyn.

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