Remodeling Blog

Luxury Retail Renovations in Connecticut: Designing for the Customer Experience

Written by Kevin Ahern | May 7, 2025 12:30:00 PM

Customers expect a comfortable and elegant experience when they shop in luxury retail stores. As a retailer, you can help deliver on that expectation through regular updates and luxury retail renovations of your commercial space.

With effective use of lighting, layout, high-end finishes, and colors, you can create a space designed for the ultimate customer experience. Hiring the right team for your commercial renovation is important. Your commercial remodel starts with an architect who knows how to elevate and transform retail spaces. Once the design is complete, you'll need to hire a contractor that can make your vision a reality.

Elegance is key when it comes to designing a retail space that your customers will love. Below, we've listed suggestions to inspire your next luxury retail remodel.

Lighting

Lighting draws the eye and leads customers around your retail space. During the day, many luxury retailers rely on subtle interior lighting and natural daylight to create a beautiful shopping experience. At night, low lighting creates ambiance, while targeted, focused illuminations draw attention to specific items or displays. 

Recessed lighting is by far the most popular option in most retail locations because it is practical and attractive. Using recessed lighting, retailers are able to direct light to specific areas of their store. Special bulbs can help narrow the beam of light, while customized trim around bulbs also helps direct light to specific locations. 

Having many recessed fixtures and sophisticated lighting controls gives you flexibility, so even as the space is redesigned and rearranged, you'll have lighting options to match. 

Not sure how to create effective lighting for your retail space? Your architect will likely incorporate lighting ideas into their drawings. A lighting engineer, most likely referred to you by your architect, will help make your architect's design a reality. 

Layout

The majority of retail stores sell their products from one large room. The space inside that room is defined by furnishings like shelving and cabinetry. Screens, plants, and other natural barriers can be used to delineate between spaces and create zones for selling separate categories of products. What's the advantage of selling your products in one large room? Flexibility. When your store is one large, open space, you can change your layout again and again. Simply rearrange your store furniture to create spaces that work for you. 

Work with a designer that can help you choose a layout that's right for your retail space. Many retailers struggle to find a balance between furnishings and floor space. To help create an environment that is neither too cluttered nor too bare, install custom cabinets and shelves that use simple, clean lines and designs to define your interior space. Some tips to choose a successful layout:

  • Consider visibility from the street as you choose a layout that works for your space. Choose a layout that entices passers-by with a view of your products. 
  • Furniture layout affects how customers walk through your store. Know where you'd like to direct customers as they enter your retail space, and design a layout that encourages customers to go there first.  

High-End Finishes

High-end retail stores use attractive, high-quality finishes to make their interior spaces attractive and luxurious. 

Glass

Tempered glass is strong and beautiful. Used in custom cabinets, tempered glass showcases products beautifully. Tempered glass is also used in storefronts to produce high-end appeal. Floor to ceiling glass storefronts allow natural light into the space while also giving passers-by a view into the store. 

Custom Millwork

Custom millwork is used to create beautiful glass cabinets where retailers can store small, valuable products. Whether you're a jeweler in need of jewelry display cases or you're a clothing retailer in need of custom clothing cabinetry, custom millwork is practical and attractive in luxury retail spaces. 

Colors

Grays and blues dominated retail spaces for a long time, but gold is back, and it's better than ever. Brushed gold metals have a soft elegance with just a touch of glam to create an alluring retail space.

Your designer and architect will help you choose a color scheme for your business, but it's good to start by choosing a base of neutral colors like white, cream, beige, or gray. Neutral colors help create a relaxing and inviting environment where most people feel welcome. Next, incorporate accent colors (like gold) and your brand's signature colors to reinforce your brand identity. 

Popular Color Schemes

There are many popular color schemes you can choose from as you're creating the right environment for your store. 

  • Gold and cream: This glamorous, classic color scheme is popular in clothing stores and boutiques. 
  • Dark, cool colors: This color scheme relies on grays, browns, blacks, and cool colors to create an aesthetic that is calming and peaceful. 
  • Earthy colors: This color palette incorporates colors like browns, greens, creams, and shades of beige to create a light-filled, attractive shopping experience. 

Get Started With Luxury Retail Renovations Today

Modern retail spaces use creative interior design to elevate their brick and mortar locations. As a retailer, you can help make your renovation a success by hiring the right team to do the job. Litchfield Builders offers a free guide to help you find a contractor for your upcoming commercial renovation. If you have questions, contact us to learn more about how we can help with your upcoming retail renovation.