Since founding her cult-favorite shoe line Gray Matters in 2015, designer Silvia Avanzi has made sculptural heels her signature — suede-covered cubes, Plexiglas diamonds, hand-painted stones, and lacquered eggs, all offering support for her sandals, pumps, boots, and slingbacks. So it makes sense that when Avanzi went looking for a studio to design her new 2,000-square-foot Brooklyn showroom, she chose Bower, a firm that knows a thing or two about unexpected sculptural details. A huge, gorgeous, custom version of Bower’s Archway mirror is the centerpiece of the space, but other elements — like a Yellow Brick Road–like runway carpet, baby-blue accents, and egg-shaped bases on each of the desks — almost steal the show. The space is playful but elegant, inspired by the forms, materials, and colors of the shoes on display, as well as Renzo Piano’s architecture, the use of marble and limestone in Noguchi and Fernando Gonzalez sculptures, and the strong design culture of Avanzi’s native Italy. The Gray Matters showroom is open by appointment only.

PHOTOS BY CHARLIE SCHUCK