Alvarez & Vincent
Christian Munoz
AARMY
West Hollywood, California
Alvarez & Vincent designer Christian Munoz met with AARMY’s LA head, Angela Manuel-Davis. “We knew that she was a former USA track team member,” Munoz said, adding that Manuel-Davis invited designers to join one of her sessions. “Before we put pencil to paper,” the designer explained, “we wanted to experience what they bring to each and every class [and] help them magnify that energy.”
“We were immediately hooked,” he said.
To differentiate the New York City-based fitness company’s West Hollywood pop-up studio in a competitive market while maintaining brand consistency.
Creating the refined fitness space and experience. “The nature of a temporary pop-up space necessitated that we really focus on lighting as a way to create an elevated experience,” Munoz said. The Santa Monica-based designer said he sought to foster an inviting sense of comfort while inducing motivation to push the AARMY member into gradually more intense workouts.
“Throughout the studio, we used a defined palette of branded colors to give the space a wholistic feel, as well as brand continuity with AARMY’s New York City studio,” Munoz said. The designer chose an all-black finish, installing lights in the semi-circular cycling room. He aligned Alcon Lighting’s linear lighting from the wall to the ceiling. Lighting elicits a sense of motion, like a spaceship’s jump to hyperspace. “Once the sessions are complete,” Munoz said, “the lighting dials back in order [for the user] to decompress, clean up and push through the rest of the day.”