Hasta La Ideas

Architecture studio KOT Architects has designed a creamy showroom-cum-office inside a new building in Tel Aviv for French fashion house Dior.

Situated on the 17th floor of a newly built office block, the showroom, which features a large birch plywood bookcase and neutral colours, was designed to simulate the comforting feeling of a home.

“The raw and rugged urban surroundings amplify the contrast between the various materials used and accentuate the cosy and inviting ambience within the space,” KOT Architects founder Kfir Galatia-Azulay said.

“The approach was to conceptualize the space as a home with distinct zones to create a welcoming and secluded environment, distinct from that of a conventional office or store,” Galatia-Azulay told Dezeen.

KOT Architects employed a colour scheme consisting of off-whites and beiges with brass accents to create a warm and cosy atmosphere.

These work together with white travertine stone, polished white marble, raw concrete and natural birch wood materials to create a clean and sophisticated look, which the studio said embodies the “elegance” associated with the Dior brand.

The studio arranged the showroom and the employee rooms – which include a kitchenette and a private office – as a series of multi-functional “versatile spaces” across the L-shaped space.

A wooden bookcase was used to create a partition in the middle of the floor plan, with one side providing employees with room for events and networking and the other for clients to try on clothes.

“The challenge was to optimize an L-shaped area with two wings – one for the company’s offices and another added wing for the showroom space,” Galatia-Azulay said.

“The objective was to establish a versatile space that accommodates various commercial activities while upholding the brand’s values.”

Elsewhere, KOT Architects added a spherical light fixture into the ceiling above a travertine table, which was custom-made in its Tel Aviv studio.

Meanwhile, perfume bottles, candles and mannequins sporting Dior garments are displayed on in-built shelving units and on chunky, beige plinths.

Seating is provided by bleaker-style benches which employees can sit on during presentations, armchairs clad in creamy fabrics and matching plump ottomans.

Dior is one of the most well-known fashion brands in the world. According to the curator of the V&A museum’s exhibition Dior: Designer of Dreams Oriole Cullen, Dior’s founder “helped to define an era“.

The fashion house’s most recent runway show at Paris Fashion Week took place beneath a hanging kaleidoscopic installation by artist Joana Vasconcelos, which was decorated with fabrics from the collection.

The photography is by Amit Geron.

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