US firm Norman Kelley has merged old and new elements inside the flagship store for clothing retailer Notre, which is housed inside a 113-year-old building in central Chicago. Formerly encompassing a linear, 1,800-square-foot (167 square metres) space, the store now spans 4,500 square feet (418 square metres). The expansion was made possible when a neighbouring art gallery moved out in 2018.

The design team opted to retain certain historic elements while reconfiguring the spatial conditions.To accommodate its layered history, Notre aimed to replace its warehouse-gallery origins with a domestic enfilade, or series of intimately interconnected low-ceiling rooms.

Visitors enter through a 13-foot-high (four-metre) door and step into an oversized foyer with a gently sloping floor and shallow steps. The floor is covered with over 4,600 pavers made of used bricks from a local supplier. Lining one side of the room is an original brick wall that formerly was covered up. Exposed timber beams and a large wooden column anchored to a concrete block hint at the building's history.

Apparel is hung on black metal racks or set atop pedestals made of brushed aluminium, travertine and other materials. Stretching through the centre of one room is a 10-foot-long (three-metre) table made of powder-coated steel.Strewn about the store are jagged boulders that serve as tables or anchors for garment rods. The large, raw rocks respond to the "client's desire to contrast a natural object with manufactured garments".

Rooms are awash in neutral tones, with merchandise adding dashes of colour.Beyond the retail zone, the team created a reading room with an assortment of books and magazines. An original glass block wall, which faces an exterior alleyway, was left in place, adding a vintage touch.