Velvet & Chrome

Velvet & Chrome is a Pole Dance Studio in the Ravenswood neighborhood neighborhood. The studio owner, Ellen entrusted me with the interior design of the space. I approached it like a big department store opening and applied my visual merchandising experience to this particular project.

Ellen wanted goth / punk rock vibes with no coffins. That was the only directive she gave and I took it from there. I assisted with the studio layout along side the contractors. The space was an old grey office with drop ceilings.

I spent months sourcing the decor and furnishings one estate sale and Facebook market place meetup at a time. My color pallete was black , dark purple , deep reds and pops of silver as an ode to the name of the studio. The pieces I sourced were ornate and of the victorian era.

Because everything was second hand, I hand-painted and spray painted a lot of the decor to corollate with my color scheme. When you walk into the studio theres a formal parlor to your right. The seating in the parlor was hand dyed to that deep burgundy color! Vintage lamps illuminate the space with mood lighting and a vintage bar serves as the front desk. The left hand space is anchored with an old entertainment center that I converted into a retail area for studio merch. Students can use the lockers in the entry way while they take a class. The lockers are a community art piece. We take broken dead shoes and spray paint them and they line the top of the lockers. Students and instructors contribute stickers to the lockers!