FoundRae Fine Jewelry
Miami, Florida

Spacesmith collaborated with repeat client FoundRae to transform a 2,300 sf space into a retail experience centered on storytelling, encouraging interludes, and highlighting craftsmanship. Our team expanded on FoundRae’s concept of boutiques inspired by a traditional library and elevated it to the essence of an estate home. As with all of FoundRae’s locations, the jewelers’ medallions, charms, and feature motifs contribute to the design. Our team began by conducting interviews with FoundRae’s staff, including “guides” (retail associates), hand engravers, and jewelry craftspeople to inform our design. 

The store’s layout mirrors the progression of an estate home, with spaces flowing from public to private. Visitors enter through double doors adorned with FoundRae’s iconic symbols, stepping into a galley-style foyer lined with custom wall-to-wall walnut display cases. This welcoming space is further defined by bespoke credenzas and a gallery wall featuring art from FoundRae’s creative director, Beth Hutchens’ collection.

The store’s flow follows a privacy gradient, with the most public spaces at the entrance and more intimate rooms deeper inside. Beyond the foyer lies the great room, an expansive central area extending to the rear of the store, maximizing daylight. The space consists of three areas with unique functions and visuals.

The front features a custom floor display inspired by Venetian casework and incorporates the jewelry workshop, which occupies a prominent location visible from the sidewalk. The workshop accommodates all the equipment necessary for cleaning, engraving, polishing, and finishing pieces. Integrating the jewelry workshop into the front-of-house allows customers to witness the artistry involved in personalizing their pieces.

In the center of the great room, campaign furniture wrapped in red wine leather is arranged into a petit living room, anchored by a rug of Hutchens’ own design. Modeled after a music room, it features a baby grand piano embellished with vintage medallions and charms, all found and applied by FoundRae’s team. 

The perimeter is lined with more custom walnut millwork displaying jewelry, books, and ephemera to peruse at leisure. The cornice design in the great room features intricate medallion patterns in the form of surface-applied plaster.

Flanking the great room are two intimate spaces: a dining room wrapped in millwork and wallpaper for private events, and a special collections room for personal consultations.