Former Grocery Store Transformed Into Family Social Club in New York City

Finding space for children to play safely in urban areas can feel nearly impossible, especially in a dense city like New York. Compound that with a pandemic, during which most outdoor parks are underutilized and parents have to juggle daily childcare with their own remote work needs.

Enter Cocoon, a self-described “members-only hub for families.” The 18,000-square-foot space is primarily an urban playground with a 10,000-square-foot indoor park called “The Yard.” It also features a parkour, or flipping and tumbling gym, a reading nook, nursery, and a space for parents needing to get work done remotely. The club, which was founded by two sets of parents, also seeks to support the community with parent courses and workshops for pre- and post-natal care and guidance from doulas. Also provided are tutoring, events and classes for kids based on age and interests like art, music or science.

The owners of Cocoon chose a ground-floor retail space, formerly a grocery store, in a multifamily building in New York’s Tribeca neighborhood.

“We looked at a lot of spaces, and this one made a lot of sense because it’s in a residential building, next to a park, and in a central location [in the city],” said Abigail Coover, founder and principal of Brooklyn design studio Overlay Office, which lead the project. “There is a goal for the business to support the community and the people that are in that building.”

Perhaps the most challenging part of the project was transforming the expansive empty shell, which was in a raw state with industrial interiors, concrete and exposed infrastructure, into one that was comfortable, cozy and inviting.

“The [Cocoon owners] really wanted the space to feel as open and park-like as possible, and wanted it to feel natural,” said Coover.

Playing off the park-like aesthetic of the Yard, Cocoon was designed to emulate nature. The designers chose materials that were sustainable and natural, like aspen wood, pine, cork, terrazzo tile and synthetic turf flooring, and featured a color scheme of creams, tans, greens and blues inspired by the outdoors. Decorative accents, such as circular forms suspended from the ceiling, were wrapped in preserved moss.

Instead of sectioning off different uses with full walls, the design team laid out the space as a series of circles and separated functions with millwork, textured flooring, different materials and decorative elements in the form of circles and arches to distinguish specific spaces, while keeping an open feel to the space and promoting smooth circulation.

“Differentiations in material and design sensibilities in the spaces create the distinction between the programs, rather than walls,” said Coover. For example, the active spaces like the Yard are laid with artificial turf flooring, while the workspace uses terrazzo tile flooring and the reading nook uses cork.

The strategy also serves to allow the only source of natural light — that comes from the storefront windows — to permeate the space as much as possible.

Coover noted the psychology behind the circular design theme, saying that it further enforces the company’s mission of “togetherness and community-building.”

"Especially for young kids, circles promote togetherness and learning. Instead of having a linear arrangement, it encourages people to look inward and at one another," she said. “We used the circle to create ideas of inclusivity, and that kind of naturally evolved in the space — we set up the furniture or cushions in a circle so that there were circular gathering spaces throughout, rather than rows or other organizations.”

A coworking-esque space for parents, called “the Study,” allows space for remote work and a series of semi-private arched alcoves to make calls.

The Study is adjacent to the play spaces, though it is separated by two semi-circular screens made from suspended strings, keeping with the open arrangement and allowing a line of sight into the Yard.

“We didn’t create a full wall [to separate these spaces] because parents want to be able to look over, see their kids, and know where they are,” said Coover. The rope partition “creates separation between the two [areas], but it still allows that visual connection.”

The project’s construction began shortly before the COVID-19 lockdowns in March of last year, causing the team to modify its design plans with both temporary and permanent strategies. The expansive open space, while an original design challenge in-and-of itself, turned out to be a real asset during the pandemic, said Coover.

“We took that time to do some redesign and think about safe circulation through the space, upgrades to the HVAC system, and how to create this new layer of infrastructure without compromising the original design intent,” said Coover.

The club opened in November 2020, and currently operates at 50% capacity, allowing 65 square feet per person. The open layout made it easy to add markers for circulation paths and promote social distancing. The design team also chose materials that were durable and easy to clean.

“We took [short- and long-term needs] into consideration and designed for both during and post COVID,” said Coover. “For example, we’re using moveable partitions, and selected furniture that works now but could have a home somewhere else in the space later as functions change.”