showroom area with Steve Madden boot
The store’s flooring is a poured self-leveling cement microtopper, chosen for its durability and raw finish. Custom display tables layer intersecting shapes and textures—brushed aluminum, dark green marble laminate, and glossy yellow lacquer—to reflect the brand’s bold character. Natural white oak veneer walls sourced through Wolf-Gordon add warmth and clubhouse-inspired familiarity.

April 25, 2025

Words: Wilson Barlow

Photography: Courtesy of Ringo Studio

Steve Madden’s Times Square Flagship Gets a Sculptural Makeover

In the heart of Times Square, one of the world’s most high-octane retail corridors, a bold new expression of the Steve Madden brand has taken shape. The 2,700-square-foot flagship—newly redesigned by Brooklyn-based Ringo Studio—melds gritty New York attitude with immersive, tactile sophistication. Ringo Studio founder Madelynn Ringo approached the project with reverence for Steve Madden’s cultural roots and an eye toward the future. “Steve Madden is synonymous with New York City’s energy and creativity,” Ringo explains. “We were challenged to reimagine the brand’s retail identity while honoring its rich history.” The result is part clubhouse, part showroom—a layered, gallery-like interior that invites visitors to linger, lounge, and connect.

A sweeping oak colonnade guides customers along a meandering path through merchandise zones defined by textural contrast: rough concrete floors meet veined travertine, high-gloss penny tile “rugs,” and heavy slabs of black marble. Integrated chrome shelving provides modular flexibility to support the brand’s fast-moving inventory, while peek-through openings and custom millwork from Chateau Brooklyn anchor the space with intimate sightlines and vignettes.

Ringo Studio Reimagines This Steve Madden Flagship With Flair

room with multiple shelves and pastel yellow seating area
A custom double-sided seating plinth anchors the rear lounge of Steve Madden’s Times Square flagship, finished in high-gloss Sherwin-Williams Chartreuse lacquer and perfectly color-matched Maharam upholstery. Beneath it, a “rug” of glossy white penny round tile—laid with uneven, excavated edges—evokes the layered materiality of NYC’s Salon 94 gallery, adding a sense of discovery to the otherwise minimalist concrete floor.

The color palette—equal parts edgy and nostalgic—draws on Steve Madden’s pop culture moments. Signature hits of baby blue and lemony yellow nod to the brand’s irreverent early-2000s “big head” ads, while plush seating nooks and sweeping champagne-toned curtains lend warmth and glamour. Lighting, too, plays a starring role: linear LED bars slice across the 18-foot ceilings, creating a rhythm of shadow and sparkle that evokes the pulse of the city itself.

But beneath the polish lies precision. Ringo’s team navigated significant site challenges, including subway vibrations beneath the floor that required innovative concrete detailing. “We integrated predefined seams that aligned with the existing structure, allowing the floor to subtly move without cracking,” the designers note.

Tapping Into Nostalgia With Design Details

side of room with pale blue seats, marble table in center with a red boot on top
The store’s flooring is a poured self-leveling cement microtopper, chosen for its durability and raw finish. Custom display tables layer intersecting shapes and textures—brushed aluminum, dark green marble laminate, and glossy yellow lacquer—to reflect the brand’s bold character. Natural white oak veneer walls sourced through Wolf-Gordon add warmth and clubhouse-inspired familiarity.

Functionally, the layout also rethinks how customers move through the space. Distinct zones for women’s, men’s, and kids’ lines allow for intuitive browsing, while a sunken lounge at the rear offers a moment of pause—a softly lit stage for trying on heels or catching a glimpse of Times Square from behind the glass.

Ultimately, the project captures a brand in motion: youthful but grown-up, nostalgic but future-facing. As Ringo puts it, “We wanted to create a space that feels like Steve Madden—expressive, confident, and ready for what’s next.” In a city where standing out means everything, the new flagship doesn’t just hold its ground—it turns heads. 

Lace Up At The Revamped Steve Madden Flagship In Times Square

changing room area with curved yellow couch and pink drapes
A custom chartreuse banquette with soft curves greets visitors at the entry, backed by mauve velvet drapery that adds softness and intimacy. Pablo’s oversized Bola Sphere pendant floats above, complementing the curves and chrome details. On the right, curved display units in travertine laminate provide a neutral, tactile backdrop for hero products.
curved area of room with pale blue walls and seats
A colonnade-like architectural volume clad in white oak veneer cuts through the store, forming intuitive zones while maintaining flow and visual connectivity. Custom lighting from Pierce Lighting Studio includes Coronet Multi extrusions—linear LED bars paired with track heads—while brushed aluminum shelving inside the baby blue display cabinets adds a polished, flexible merchandising system.
closeup of display table with black marble top
This sculptural display table, one of several throughout the store, mixes chrome laminate, black marble laminate, and buttery yellow high-gloss lacquer. The contrast of slick and matte finishes reflects New York’s urban edge, bringing grit and gloss together in a palette that’s equal parts playful and elevated.
bright red boot on a table in the room
Steve Madden’s signature red boot punctuates this sculptural vignette, displayed atop a custom millwork pedestal designed to accommodate rotating footwear collections. The bold product pop mirrors the playful palette of the interior, reinforcing the expressive, fashion-forward tone of the flagship’s reimagined identity.
black shoe on top of the display table
Another view of the custom display furniture reveals the consistency of the store’s material language. Chrome laminate surfaces gleam beside polished marble textures and bright lacquer finishes, uniting form and function in a retail landscape designed for adaptability, vibrancy, and the brand’s ever-evolving collections.

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