Tone Deaf

Type: Commercial

Status: Built

Location: Manhattan, NY

Size: 2,000 sqf

Studio MBM’s design for 59 Orchard Street begins with a dialogue between the two architectural styles central to the brand. The project draws from the rich history of Manhattan’s Lower East Side, where the building once served as an annex to the renowned Ridley’s Department Store. 

The design preserves the space’s historic character, including its original cast-iron columns, capitals, and pressed-tin ceilings, while introducing a distinctly contemporary architectural language. Maintaining the long, narrow proportions typical of historic Manhattan storefronts, a series of cascading sculptural volumes accentuates the existing architecture and guides visitors through the space.

Meticulously carved forms give a nod to Mughal architecture, creating a deliberate dialogue between Tone Deaf’s cultural identity and the building’s industrial past. Changes in material and texture, including wood, stone, and curved steel, are inherent to Studio MBM’s design language and further emphasize this tension between old and new. The experience culminates in a vibrant, multicolored stained-glass wall, grounding the rear of the store in color, craftsmanship, and cultural specificity.