Bruce Kennett Studio

L.L. Bean Lobby — Exhibit Design

When L. L. Bean decided to double the size of its flagship store in Freeport, Maine, they asked me to design the lobby. The goal was to put as much of the company’s culture and values on display as possible, while still accommodating what can be many hundreds of shoppers during busy times.

The Bean maintenance crew built the display cases, the directory, and the octagonal welcome desk to my specifications, using native ash — the wood that “L.L.” always used for making snowshoes.

Photo murals add color and tell the key stories of the Bean company over the decades. I worked with a local furniture maker to create comfortable benches scattered throughout the store.

As a nod to those of us who remember the old store with its creaky stairs running up to the second floor, I commissioned a scale model of the building in the 1930s, so that people who came in (and might be shocked by the vast dimensions of the new store) could see something that still resonated with their memories and emotions.

LL Bean original store model exhibit design

BRUCE KENNETT STUDIO

106 Gilson Road
Hartland VT 05048
USA

phone (+1) 603-348-3100
bruce@brucekennett.com

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