Retail design is all about getting people through the door. Once they’re there, half the battle is won. Studio Makkink and Bey are helping Camper reel in customers, hook line and sinker.
The line in this case is literal, albeit graphic rather than physical, and somewhat reminiscent of the stitching found on shoes. This shop in Lyon is one of the many playful retail spaces the footwear company has developed with imaginative designers. The Rotterdam-based designers chosen this time round used red lines to describe the flow of human traffic across not only the store’s white floor, but also its walls and ceiling. Real steps have been outlined in the same red, confusing the second and third dimensions in an Escher-eque scene. Woe unto the one-eyed shopper with no depth perception! Shelves have been recessed into the walls and are framed against the black backdrop by white lines level with the walls. Blocks of steps are positioned in this landscape, some of which can be used to access the higher shelves, while others are used to display product. They direct the flow of people to the shelves at an easy pace and provide seats for trying on the wares.
Camper has consistently and cleverly used shop design not only to draw customers, but also to reinforce the brand image of a fun company focused making the act of walking more pleasurable. Not only do we buy their shoes, but we also happily buy into the image they project.
Music, art and design have always been integral to one another. They inspire each other and together reflect the human psyche. Black Celebration, a new retail store in the capital of Cyprus, Nicosia, takes its inspiration from the iconic Depeche Mode album of the same name.
Black Celebration was an important point in the development of Depeche Mode’s darkening style, and although it was released in 1986, it speaks to the current zeitgeist. Black Celebration (the store) takes these melancholic themes and gives them a physical form. The retail store was created in collaboration with the Berlin-based Cypriot artist Phanos Kyriacou and envisioned as a space where fashion, music, art and culture meet. These different disciplines all take their inspiration from the concepts of “Nothing is what it seems” and “Space poisoning.” As such, the store is a space where everything has been cut back beyond façades and finishes. From the outside, a muted grey wall hides as much of the store as it reveals, enticing walkers by to enter, albeit with trepidation, into parallel universe. The walls inside Black Celebration are a utilitarian white a lit by similarly utilitarian white fluorescent lights conspicuously mounted on walls. The shop is sparse on racks and the unexpected warren of rooms allows customers to wander through the space and search through the carefully curated items on display.
By cutting back on clutter in design, the shop becomes a canvas for the items on sale, and allows visitors to enter the mindset needed to appreciate these pieces.
We don’t often hear news from former eastern bloc countries, and it’s a pity since we feel a little left out. Slovenian designer Nika Zupanc is rectifying this with AS Aperitivo.
The bar is located in Ljubljana and draws its inspiration from the great out-doors with a garden motif. The project is has taken the place of a wooden garden pavilion of a restaurant. The concept behind AS Aperitivo is that of a 150-year-old tree enveloped by a concrete structure floating in the garden. The space is semi-enclosed creating a connection to the garden outside. The bar itself feels like a protected glade in an ancient forest. The spirit of the tree cuts through the ceiling of the bar with Zupanc’s own cherry pendant lights. The same cherry red is used as accents throughout the cool concrete interior. The rest of the space is finished in shades of grey and black and oak, creating a peaceful haven. Some of the furniture was made especially for the AS Aperitivo, taking its inspiration from that of Mediterranean resorts in of the 60s and 70s. The plissé details on these pieces evoke the feeling of a breeze flowing through the trees. Diagonal lattices have been used throughout the space and can be seen in the wine rack; cabinets and the wire mesh chairs.
All the individual elements of AS Apertivo, from the sparsely finished interior to the designer furniture and lighting, fit elegantly together to create a space that feels protective while at the same time intriguing.
With Mad Men newly on our screens, it’s nice to see a certain staid 60s sensibility in design making a comeback. One Plus Partnership has managed to keep this sense of elegance, while at the same time making it relevant to today with the Chongqing Mountain & City Sales Office in Nanshan, China.
The inspiration for this 17 000 square foot real-estate office came from the hills that surround it. The space is filled with low-res mountains and valleys. Triangular marble facets form “cliffs” which line the walls and reach up through the double volume space. The theme is continued on the floor with intricate, irregularly sized triangular inlays creating a space ages mosaic. Sharp cuts in the cliff face, like fissures in a mountain side lead to a cave-like staircase. From the ceiling, long LED lights hang. These lights are said to be inspired by rain, and one can easily imagine the streaks of light formed by falling drops in a midnight thunderstorm. Custom-made bronze reception desks are scattered around like chunks of ore. One can almost imagine Norse dwarves coming up the staircase after a long day underground.
While the space is imbued with the monolithic and timeless spirit of stone, there is a certain dynamism to the design. Thanks to the high ceilings a feeling of airiness as opposed to oppression is created. And with the subdued color palette and high level of finishing, One Plus Partnership is sure to make Chongqing proud.
