First Look: Crate & Barrel Flatiron Flagship

Preserving History

Located at 881 Broadway, the 23,000 square-foot, two-level store was carefully renovated by Crate & Barrel's in-house architecture and design team with the goal to preserve much of the rich history of the circa-1868 building. Once home to the largest department store, the building was known as New York's Palace of Trade. The overall design of the store includes an original volcanic ash tile wall that pays homage to the energy and dynamics of the city's present and future.

"This historic building embodies Crate & Barrel, blending classic and timeless design with a modern vision for a true flagship experience that feels right at home in the heart of New York City," says Sebastian Brauer, SVP of product design, Visual Crate & Barrel. "We preserved the original neoclassical columns, brought in natural light with a modern staircase and a custom tile wall, and included special shopping features like our most expansive whiteware wall, a curated botanical shop with a layer of local artisan goods, a designated Crate & Kids shop and two state of the art design areas to help customers select product to fit their homes."

Flagship Features

The Design Desk at Crate & Barrel Flatiron offers free design and trade services, with twice as many experts and more than 50 feet of tangible design inspiration featuring more walls of swatches, hardware, fixtures, and wood samples than any other location. The Design Desk spans two floors and is staffed by up to 30 NYC-based designers, equipped with extensive training, and ready for projects of all sizes. The designers bring a customer's vision to life through collaborative conversations and technology, traveling to their homes, and conveniently scheduling an appointment in the store, virtually, or in their homes, offering state of the art floor planning tools.

"Our customers are prioritizing functionality, ease and personal style in their homes in all projects, from refreshing a small space to a full home renovation," said Alicia Waters, brand president, Crate & Barrel and Crate & Kids. "Crate & Barrel Design Desk professionals merge our customers' vision with our latest technology to bring their vision from concept to reality."

The new store also offers:

• Monogramming Services: Personalize any textile in-person at the store.
• Floral Arrangements: The store offers an expansive botanical shop and an expanded assortment of dried botanicals for DIY arrangements or on-site styling by an expert.
• One Day Delivery: To match the unique pace of New York City, purchases made in the flagship store will be delivered within one day.
• Crate & Barrel Trade Program: Expanded home renovation products for every client, from bathroom vanities which are exclusive to this store to access to dinnerware and entertaining options for restaurant trade.
• Gift Registry: Expanded gift registry gives couples the opportunity to see more options as they create their registries along with exclusive events and personalized service appointments just for the New York customer.
• The Largest Crate & Kids Location Yet: Crate & Barrel's growing Crate & Kids brand has a "shop within the shop" at the new Flatiron flagship, with kid and baby products curated for city parents' needs, including toys, gear and wall decor only found at this location.

For CEO Janet Hayes, this store represents the future of the brand. "This flagship store embodies our commitment to inspiring and supporting customers at every step of their home shopping journey," she says. "As we continue to invest in our customer experience, we know the ability to experience our brand and services is essential to creating a home with purpose."

Crate & Barrel will be hosting the Flatiron Food & Design Festival onsite beginning November 18 through December 19. Special events will include meeting design and food partners like Athena Calderone and Molly Baz. Customers are invited to join design discussion panels, food demos, in-person monogramming and more. Visit HERE for more details.