Nespresso, New York, New York | Retail Experience of the Year | 55th International Design Competition
Photography by Ben Shani, Ben Shani Creative
Nespresso has been named the Retail Design Institute’s 2025 Retail Experience of the Year!
Inside Manhattan’s historic Annin Building, Nespresso’s Flatiron Global Flagship brings together architectural preservation, coffee education, and hospitality. The approximately 13,900-square-foot boutique spans two levels, inviting visitors to taste, learn, and explore within a building that contributes to the Ladies’ Mile Historic District.
Designed by Bartolini | Lanzi Architects, the project embraces the existing architecture while introducing contemporary retail and hospitality experiences. Original Corinthian columns, restored detailing, interactive tasting stations, and intimate lounge spaces shape a visit centered on discovery and the culture of coffee.
🏆 Awards
Retail Experience of the Year
Outstanding Merit Awards for:
Architectural Elements
Sensory Engagement
Storytelling & Brand Communication
Visual Merchandising and Display
“An exceptionally well thought-out and executed strategy and concept.”— Competition judge Paola Marques, RDI | Studio Ormonde Marques, Canada Chapter
Videography by Ben Shani, Ben Shani Creative
A Conversation Between Old and New
The building’s historic character informed the design from the outset. Original Corinthian columns, exposed structural framing, and generous ceiling volumes establish a sense of place, encouraging visitors to look upward and appreciate the architecture.
Existing window articulations, ornamental moldings, and architectural rhythms were restored and extended where required, so the historic fabric reads as a continuous whole. Contemporary interventions were designed to integrate with that work, creating continuity between the existing structure and the new boutique.
A custom split-flap kinetic installation introduces movement, sound, and storytelling. Inspired by New York City’s transit displays, it connects the arrival experience to the flagship’s local setting. Warm timber, rich finishes, metallic accents, art, and layered lighting carry that relationship between craftsmanship and contemporary coffee culture throughout the space.
Discovery Through Taste and Interaction
The store plan organizes the boutique around a sequence of experiences. Self-guided tasting stations allow guests to sample more than fifty coffee varieties, while specialists provide personalized consultations and complimentary beverages.
Product discovery unfolds through conversation, demonstrations, and exploration. Integrated merchandising fixtures encourage visitors to touch, compare, sample, and personalize products. Curated accessories and engraving services provide further opportunities for individual connection.
The Coffee Theatre extends the experience through demonstrations and masterclasses, creating a setting for education and shared learning. Seasonal programming, tasting experiences, and product interaction become part of the retail environment, supporting a visit that guests can explore at their own pace.
An Intimate Setting Below
On the lower level, The Hidden Cup Coffee Bar offers a speakeasy-inspired destination with rotating beverages, seasonal collaborations, and multisensory coffee experiences. Adjacent lounge spaces create a comfortable residential atmosphere where visitors can linger, converse, and enjoy coffee.
The lower level’s spatial constraints required careful planning. A proportioned coffered ceiling introduces rhythm, warmth, and visual continuity while integrating building systems within limited ceiling depths.
Layered ambient, accent, and decorative lighting helps distinguish the boutique’s different environments. It reveals historic details, highlights merchandise and interactive artwork, and supports the transition from the retail floor to the more intimate hospitality spaces.
“The layout, materials, lighting and custom detailing transform the space into a special destination.”— Competition judge Bonnie Russo, RDI | MBH Architects, Colorado Chapter
Throughout the flagship, architecture, light, sound, aroma, and taste work together to express the Nespresso brand. The project combines stewardship of the historic building with a customer journey rooted in hospitality, education, and product discovery.
Photography by Ben Shani, Ben Shani Creative
Congratulations to the Nespresso project team
Client/Owner: Nespresso — Anatoliy Korolenko
Designer: Bartolini | Lanzi Architects — Alessandro Bartolini
Architect: Valerio Architects Inc — Kay Elkan
General Contractor: Corcon — Anthony Dimino
Outside Design Consultants: Nespresso — Anatoliy Korolenko
MEP Engineering: Schnackel Engineers — Gregory Schnackel
Structural Engineering: Severud Associates Consulting Engineers, PC — Jack Gainey
Millwork: Zordan — Milan Popvic
Lighting: Flux CS — Andrea Ambrogio Mazza
Videography/Photography: Ben Shani — Ben Shani Creative
Project team information sourced from official submission materials.
Judges for the 55th International Design Competition
Design Competition Chair: James Farnell, FRDI | Little Diversified Architectural Consulting (Southwest + Pacific Chapter)
Michael Hale, RDI | retail REHAB (Southwest + Pacific Chapter)
Bonnie Russo, RDI | MBH Architects (Colorado Chapter)
Nomi Cooper, RDI | Arcadis (Pacific Northwest Chapter)
Daniel Montaño Leon, RDI | Little Diversified Architectural Consulting (Carolinas Chapter)
Paola Marques, RDI | Studio Ormonde Marques (Canada Chapter)
Heidi Waller, RDI | SurfaceQuest (Twin Cities Chapter)
Renato Rodrigues Fregnani, RDI | FREG Design (Brazil Chapter)
Thank you to all who participated in the 55th International Design Competition, and to James and our panel of judges for their time, expertise, and thoughtful review of this year’s projects.
Congratulations to the Class of 2025
Nespresso
New York, New York, US
Bartolini | Lanzi Architects + Valerio Architects Inc
Retail Experience of the Year
Outstanding Merit Awards for “Architectural Elements,” “Sensory Engagement,” “Storytelling & Brand Communication,” and “Visual Merchandising and Display”
ABC Mart Grand Stage 4.0
Gangnam District, Seoul, KR
Arcadis
Outstanding Merit Awards for “Strategy & Ideation” and “Technology”
adidas
São Paulo, BR
CH2 Design
Altar’d State
Columbus, Ohio, US
Chute Gerdeman
Outstanding Merit Award for “Architectural Elements”
AP House
Miami Beach, Florida, US
Studio DADO
Outstanding Merit Award for “Strategy & Ideation”
Apple
Miami, Florida, US
Gensler
Outstanding Merit Awards for “Architectural Elements” and “Sustainability & Wellness”
Ariat
Studio City, California, US
Ariat International, Inc.
Carolina Herrera
Houston, Texas, US
MAOarch
Cartier
Las Vegas, Nevada, US
Cartier + MBH Architects
CitiBank
New York, New York, US
Gensler
Culto
Miami, Florida, US
WD Partners
DeLille En Ville
Seattle, Washington, US
Design Well Spent Co.
Downtown Palm Beach Gardens
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, US
CREATE Architecture Planning & Design
Jagalchi
Daly City, California, US
Gensler
Outstanding Merit Award for “Customer Journey”
NBA Store
Universal City, California, US
Lotus United
Neeru’s
Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, IN
Four Dimensions Retail Design India Private Limited
Outstanding Merit Award for “Customer Journey”
Netflix House
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, US
Gensler
Outstanding Merit Awards for “Exceptional Retail-tainment,” “Sensory Engagement,” “Storytelling & Brand Communication,” and “Strategy & Ideation”
Nordstrom
New York, New York, US
New Balance
Surf Style
Marathon, Florida, US
api(+)
Outstanding Merit Award for “Signature Moment”
TANE Polanco
Mexico City, MX
MATERIA + Gustavo Carmona
The Morris Proper
Morristown, New Jersey, US
Gensler
Tree House Brewing Company
Saratoga Springs, New York, US
Bergmeyer
Outstanding Merit Awards for “Community Activation & Engagement” and “Storytelling & Brand Communication”
Willow & Ivy
Boston, Massachusetts, US
Bergmeyer
Additional Outstanding Merit Award Recipients
The following projects received Outstanding Merit Awards and are recognized separately from the Class of 2025.
Kay Open Sell
Panama City, Florida, US
Pacific Northern
Outstanding Merit Award for “Technology”
Savannah Friedkin - Aspen
Aspen, Colorado, US
STIL New York
Outstanding Merit Awards for “Tiny Retail” and “Visual Merchandising & Display”
The North Face
New York, New York, US
VF Corp | Michilli Inc.
Outstanding Merit Award for “Visual Merchandising & Display”
Zaxby’s
Valdosta, Georgia, US
ChangeUp, Inc.
Outstanding Merit Award for “Storytelling & Brand Communication”
About the Retail Design Institute
Founded in 1961, the Retail Design Institute is the leading international organization of creative professionals dedicated to advancing the practice of retail experience design.
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