Making an Impression on New York's Fifth Avenue is hard when your neighbors are Gucci, Saks Fifth Avenue and the new Façonnable store.

So for its new U.S. flagship at Fifth Avenue and 52nd Street, Salvatore Ferragamo fashioned a store that embraced the company's luxe nature, while updating it with a touch of contemporary elegance.

Designers balanced out the large amount of daylight that enters Ferragamo's new New York store with ambient indirect light around the perimeter of the space and focused metal halide light. The recessed fixtures create a crisp ceiling platform and unobstructed sightlines, while the perimeter cove lighting gives the appearance of floating ceilings, adding another layer of lightness to the space.

"There's no doubt that Ferragamo is making a big statement here," says Mark Janson, partner, Janson Goldstein LLP (New York), the architecture firm that worked on the project. "Anyone on Fifth Avenue is going to take note of this store."

The 22,000-square-foot store (its largest to date) that brings together Ferragamo's women's and men's lines under one roof was created by combining the first two floors of adjoining buildings that previously housed Ferragamo's women's shop and a Banana Republic. (Ferragamo's men's boutique was relocated from Trump Tower.)Designers created a dramatic façade with limestone walls and 14¹/_²-foot-high windows that afford clear views into the store and, at night, allow the interior to glow over Fifth Avenue.

The staircase and second-floor railings are constructed of 250-pound, ³/_⁴-inch-thick glass panes, allowing unobstructed views throughout the store.

"It was not about creating a mysterious façade, like a Polo or Gucci where you have to get inside to see what's going on," says Janson. "This façade was all about transparency."

With so much attention placed on bringing the inside out, the interior was designed to serve as a showcase for the product. Janson says designers chose a warm and comfortable palette that would balance with the modern environment. American walnut and Corian fixtures, pearlescent leather sofas and limestone and white oak flooring speak to the brand's elegance, while creamy wool carpet and ivory walls add warmth.

Nickel mesh screens are used as backdrops in the storefront windows and focal walls, reinforcing the transparency of the store.

"The interior projects a contemporary and chic informality that is inviting and conducive to shopping," says Massimo Ferragamo, chairman of Ferragamo USA.

During construction, designers relocated several structural columns to create a series of small spaces for each product presentation. The first floor houses women's shoes, ready-to-wear, handbags, scarves and home furnishings, while upstairs is men's shoes, silks, leather goods and apparel. In the rear, a 1000-square-foot gallery highlights the history of the Ferragamo company and its products.

The exterior features two shades of Italian limestone, while narrow, horizontal windows with walnut interiors highlight smaller merchandise, including handbags and shoes.

To draw shoppers to the second floor, says Steven Scuro, Janson Goldstein partner, designers added a dramatic walnut stairway with limestone tread.

"The stairway creates circulation and affords views into all the different store zones, while activating the second floor," says Scuro. "It's amazing to watch a man come into the store and immediately know where to go and how to get there."

Splashes of color are added to the neutral store environment through artistic arrangements of silk scarves and ties. At the back of the second floor is a 1000-square-foot gallery space for art shows, special events and exhibits, including items from Ferragamo's museum in Florence, Italy.

Client: Salvatore Ferragamo Fifth Avenue Flagship, New York - Massimo Ferragamo, chairman; Lynda Abdoo, senior vp, retail director; Alexis Nakos, senior vp, operations; Dennis Sak, vp, director of stores; Robert Kaden, director, construction; John Krenek, creative visual director.

Design: Janson Goldstein LLP, New York - Mark Janson, Hal Goldstein, Steven Scuro, partners; Peter Weed, Taka Kawabata, associates; Francesca Venturi, Leila Hadbi, design team.

General Contractor: Richter + Ratner, Maspeth, N.Y.

Outside Design Consultants: Bill S. Jansing Lighting Consultants Inc., Dallas (lighting); Laszlo Bodak, New York (mechanical engineer); Robert Silman & Associates, New York (structural engineer); Marco Carrano, New York (façade).

Suppliers: Hi-Tech Sound, Boston (audio/video); Donghia Inc., New York (fabrics); Cassina S.p.A., Milan, Italy (fixturing); Dieci, Florence, Italy (flooring); I.J. Peiser's Sons Inc., New York (wood flooring); Litelab Corp., Buffalo, N.Y. (retail lighting); Erco Lighting Inc., Edison, N.J. (gallery lighting); Precision Glass & Metal Works Co., Maspeth, N.Y. (glass railings); Mimosa Plastering, New York (plaster); Bonaveri Cento, Italy (mannequins, available from DK Display, New York); joint llc, New York (bust forms).