Hasta La Ideas

Design studio Weiss-Heiten used emerald-coloured tiles to cover the walls, floors and surfaces of the new Berlin store for skincare brand Aesop (+ slideshow).

Aesop Mitte is the brand’s first flagship store in Germany and was designed by Weiss-Heiten to marry Berlin’s industrial history with references to the Bauhaus art school.

Handmade concrete tiles in different shades of green cover most of the surfaces, intended to reference the monochromatic canvasses of German artist Gerhard Richter.

“Our aim was to create a space that combines the clarity of industrial grids with the strength of historical materials and their individual patina,” said architect Alberto Franco Flores.

Shelves made from both German oak and steel display the range of products, while a 1950s sink salvaged from an old farm was added as a nod to the building’s former use as a dairy shop.

The back of the building provides a meeting space to host events and extra room for running Aesop’s German online store.

Aesop regularly works with different architects and designers and each store features a unique design. In an interview with Dezeen, founder of the skincare brand Dennis Paphitis said he was “horrified at the thought of Aesop evolving into a soulless chain”.

The brand also recently opened a new store in London’s Covent Garden designed by French studio Ciguë.

Here’s some more information from Aesop:

Aesop Mitte

Aesop’s first German signature store recently opened on Alte Schönhauser Strasse in the capital’s central borough of Mitte. Crafted in collaboration with local architects Weiss-Heiten Design, it marries elements of historical Berlin with Bauhaus and contemporary influences. Inspired by Gerhard Richter’s abstract, monochromatic canvases, and by the city’s industrial history and everyday charm, the interior assumes a palette of sea-green and a quietly clinical aesthetic. Handmade raw concrete tiles cover the walls and floor creating a sense of having wandered into Berlin Alexanderplatz station or a hidden glade in the forest. A countertop of oiled German oak and near-invisible steel shelves provide subtle contrasting accents.

An aged sink salvaged from a 1950s farm tethers the heritage-listed building to its previous life as an early twentieth-century dairy store. Beyond the retail area, which occupies approximately half the store’s 80 square metres, a concept room provides the opportunity to host events; an additional space will service Aesop’s German online store.

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