Spin this style: Alton Lane showroom

When Peyton Jenkins and Colin Hunter launched their men's custom-clothing company, Alton Lane (11 W 25th St between Broadway and Sixth Ave; 646-896-1212, altonlane.com) in November 2009, they were tasked with creating a homey environment for their appointment-only showroom---one that would encourage patrons to linger and flip through fabric swatches to create high-quality shirts ($89--$400), suits ($525--$3,000), blazers ($425--$800), pants ($125--$500) and Italian-cotton ties ($75). "We want you to be wowed when you walk in, and the first thing you should feel is total comfort," says Jenkins. The pair, who met as undergrads at the University of Virginia, achieved this by adorning the space with dark-wood furniture, lived-in--looking retail displays, and personal artifacts that reference their Southern roots and reflect their travels. "What we try to do is speak to a universal masculinity that will relate to guys, but also appeal to the wife or girlfriend or female friend that often accompanies our customers," explains Jenkins.

Visitors are greeted by this hand-painted city skyline when they step out of the elevator. "We asked our [interior] designer Michael Mueller (muellerdesigninc.com) to find an 1800s skyline of New York, and he found a picture that was taken not too far from here," recalls Jenkins. "He came in and literally took the picture and a pencil and just sketched it. It's kind of cool to think that when this building was built, that's the likely skyline that would have been here."

A handsome wood armoire from wholesale furnishings company Go Home (132-01 34th Ave at College Point Blvd, Flushing, Queens; 718-445-4022, gohomeltd.com; open to the trade only) conceals the computer hooked up to Alton Lane's proprietary 3-D body scanner, used to create an avatar of clients' bodies before a consultant takes traditional hand measurements. "We don't want you to feel like you're walking into the Apple of custom clothing," says Jenkins of their effort to seamlessly blend technology with old-school tailoring.

"I wanted to have a very cool, almost Victorian coatrack," says Jenkins. "The problem is that after they get a bunch of coats on them, they start to wobble. Also, customers can trip and knock it over." As a compromise, Mueller tracked down this vinyl wall decal from Dezign with a Z (dezignwithaz.com) that achieves the look without posing any hazards---or taking up space. Strategically placed nails make the quirky decoration functional.

Another discovery from Go Home, this antique bar cart has been repurposed to store fabric swatches from European mills such as Dormeuil, Holland & Sherry, Scabal and Thomas Mason.

Sample garments hang on reclaimed-wood shelves, created from old floor joists found in a Meatpacking District townhouse. "In our opinion, you can't fake quality and you can't fake an experience," says Jenkins. "I think, when added up, these purposeful attributes come together to create something undeniably comfortable."

"One of our founding principles was that our business would ultimately give back more than it took," notes Jenkins. To wit, during the month of November, Alton Lane donated 10 percent of every suit sold to the Akilah Institute for Women (akilahinstitute.org), which aims to provide brighter futures for young females in Kigali, Rwanda, through education. This FEED Projects (feedprojects.com) ottoman, as well as a pair of pillows on the waiting-area couch that also hail from Lauren Bush's line of charitable products, are meant to evoke that altruistic spirit.

According to Jenkins, this bronze statue from Go Home serves as "a call back to the classicism of the laurel wreath to the victor [in ancient Greece], and I can't think of too many things more masculine than that." A vintage suitcase from an antiques shop on the Eastern Shore of Maryland is used as a creative display for ties. "Some of the best people and best antique shops are from Easton, Maryland," enthuses Jenkins.

Jenkins says that every Alton Lane showroom---the brand opened a Washington, D.C., location in November and plans on expanding to Boston this fall---will have a lion head. "Coming from the South, in very rural Virginia, one of the most important things was that you had a nice, welcoming and polished knocker at your door," he explains of the symbol of hospitality. "This kind of speaks to that."

When you show up for an appointment at Alton Lane, one of the first orders of business is getting a complimentary drink in your hand. "Men connect to that bartender experience," says Jenkins. "We want the bar to be a very inviting aspect [of the space]." To make the area feel homey, they bookended the handcrafted bar, purchased on Etsy (etsy.com), with a zebra rug Hunter brought back from South Africa and an elk-antler chandelier from Antler Lighting Warehouse (antlerchandelier.org). "It's something we had from day one," says Jenkins of the lighting fixture, which serves as  a nod to his grandfather, who was a hunter. "We both love the outdoors, and it goes back to our Southern roots."

"Nancy [Keucher], one of our showroom directors here, talks a lot about nontraditional ways to display retail," says Jenkins, referring to these ties tucked into a trio of old-fashioned glasses from Pottery Barn. They sit on a silver tray from a Maryland antiques store and are backed by decanters from Crate & Barrel and another shop on the Eastern Shore.

Globes are another hallmark of Alton Lane's showrooms. "I just think globes are cool," enthuses Jenkins. "They are reflective of what was known at the time they were made, and it's neat to see how countries and the world changed between different globes. It's kind of a living history." This particular one hails from Maryland's Easton Antiques & Art Gallery.

Along with his father, Jenkins is an avid collector of antique maps, and most of the prints hanging in the showroom are from his personal collection. "As much as my wife loves that component of me, she was very excited to get many of them out of our apartment," jokes Jenkins. A large majority were sourced from a shop adjacent to the UVA campus called Freeman-Victorius (freeman-victorius.com), however this reproduction of an 1890 London map that Jenkins originally spotted at the British Museum (britishmuseum.org) hails from Restoration Hardware (935 Broadway at 22nd St; 212-260-9479, restorationhardware.com). It references Alton Lane's name, taken from a cobblestone alley near Wimbledon Stadium (both Hunter and Jenkins have lived in England and are tennis fans). A Persian rug purchased on eBay, a sofa from South Carolina company Bari Leather Furniture (barileatherfurniture.com) and a Pottery Barn hunting trunk complete the reception area.

This foldable tripod floor lamp was scored at Beall & Bell (beallandbell.com), an antiques store in Greenport, New York. "I am really into campaign furniture," enthuses Jenkins. "It has a great history, and everything had to fold up, so it could be put away. You read some of these stories about how Napoleon traveled and it's unbelievable---the guy had the Ritz before there was the Ritz."

"If you go to school in Virginia, Jefferson cups are a big thing. It's kind of reminiscent of a country club," says Jenkins, motioning to this unengraved trophy that's used as yet another creative display for ties. "Most men in today's world still love the idea of a private club, but I also think they are uncomfortable with the pomp that can go along with it. [At Alton Lane] the idea is to purposely play on exclusivity with access. We want the customer to have a personalized experience, but we want that to be available for anyone."

SPIN THIS STYLE

Circa 1890 London map, $1,295, at Restoration Hardware, 935 Broadway at 22nd St (212-260-9479, restorationhardware.com)

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Room & Board Otto round pouf in Driftwood, $299, at Room & Board, 105 Wooster St between Prince and Spring Sts (212-334-4343, roomandboard.com)

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Crate & Barrel Hayward Paprika pillow, $40, at Crate & Barrel, 611 Broadway between Bleecker and W Houston Sts (212-780-0004, crateandbarrel.com)

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Pier 1 Imports embossed book boxes, $12--$13 each, at Pier 1 Imports, locations throughout the city; visit pier1.com

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Arzu Studio Hope Prevail hand-knotted rug, $1,349, at potterybarn.com

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Hand-tufted zebra-cut wool rug, $117, at overstock.com

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Anthropologie Looking Glass decanter in Diamond, $58, at Anthropologie, 85 Fifth Ave at 16th St (212-627-5885, anthropologie.com)

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Z Gallerie Squire coatrack, $125, at zgallerie.com

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Two's Company Mint Julep cups, four for $90, at organize.com

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Crate & Barrel Hunter II trunk, $599, at Crate & Barrel, 611 Broadway between Bleecker and W Houston Sts (212-780-0004, crateandbarrel.com)

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Restoration Hardware Presse Parisienne burlap pillow cover, $40, at Restoration Hardware, 935 Broadway at 22nd St (212-260-9479, restorationhardware.com)

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Wall Splots New York City Skyline wall decal, $50, at wallsplots.com

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Pier 1 Imports classic brown globe, $50, at Pier 1 Imports, locations throughout the city; visit pier1.com

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Room & Board Tri-Plex floor lamp, $399, at Room & Board, 105 Wooster St between Prince and Spring Sts (212-334-4343, roomandboard.com)

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West Elm glass bottle with wood stopper, $39, at West Elm, locations throughout the city; visit westelm.com