Hasta La Ideas

Glass silhouettes of male and female figures reach out to each other across the tiled floor of this Milan fashion boutique by Italian designer Fabio Novembre.

Located on Milan’s Corso Venezia, the new Who*s Who store is dominated by a series of human figures, each striking a different pose.

Fabio Novembre used the glass profiles, which are screen-printed with tiny tessellated shapes, to divide the racks of clothing.

The walls are clad in polished stainless steel and the floor is covered in monochrome ceramic tiles.

The boutique opens on 8 April to coincide with the furniture fair and numerous other design events and exhibitions taking place in the city between 9 and 14 April – see all news about Milan 2013.

We previously featured another boutique interior by the same designer dominated by two giant blue busts and last year we filmed a two-part interview with Novembre in which he talked about the changes taking place in the Italian design scene – see all projects by Fabio Novembre.

Photographs are by Pasquale Formisano.

Here’s some more information from Who’s Who:

The brand that has become a symbol of modernity and femininity, confirms its international vocation and presents the new concept that shall characterise its boutiques. In order to develop the new retail strategy and create an innovative design, Who’s Who engaged Fabio Novembre, an eclectic, imaginative and contemporary architect who, with a surprising project, succeeded in highlighting the company’s DNA with a strong, meaningful and long-sighted concept.

The boutiques become an ideal set for a meeting between a man and a woman, represented by outsized sculpted glass figures, which seem to be walking slowly across space while their hands search for each other until they brush against each other, in a free interpretation that reminds one of Michelangelo.

A surreal scene in which the wrought steel walls reflect a multiple reality, making it fluid; the floor, slowly sloping towards the side walls, is the only hint showing the direction to go, because, as the architect points out, “only the spark of love can light the flame of creation” of any kind. “We like to say that the name Who’s Who refers to the search for an identity, to the constant leaning towards something that is not the self,” says Novembre.

The ideal location for the launch of this ambitious plan is Milan’s “Quadrilatero della Moda” : the first shop opened recently in Corso Venezia 8. This important retail project was strongly supported by Massimiliano Dossi, the head of the company, and the opening of another single-brand boutique, this time in Forte Dei Marmi is scheduled for the end of March, Forte Dei Marmi is a strategic Italian location, given its status of internationally renowned sea town.

In 2013 Who’s Who scheduled the opening of at least four other boutiques in areas in which the brand has been quite successful in the past several years: China, the Middle East and Russia. Finally, the three-year plan, which will come to an end in 2015, includes the opening of at least 22 single-brand shops around the world.

Project name: Who’s Who
Location: Milano, Corso Venezia
Client: Max-Company
Architect: Fabio Novembre
Design team: Dino Cicchetti, Giulio Vescovi
Contractor: Buzzoni
Total area: 85 sqm

Floor covering: Ceramic tiled floor (Mutina Tex)
Furniture: Glass shelves system; polished stainless steel hanging.
Special elements: Male and female silhouette made by structural glass decorated with screen printed asterisks side-illuminated by LED strips; wall covered with Exyd Product Line M (stainless steel)
Ceiling: Barrisol Blanc Vénus
Lighting: Spotlights, LED strips, fluorescent lamp

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by Fabio Novembre appeared first on Dezeen.

Zaha Hadid Architects has completed five new boutiques for Milan-based fashion designer Neil Barrett, with each one containing portions of an abstract volume that was designed in one piece (+ slideshow).

Above: Shinsegae Main, Seoul

The “Shop in Shop” concept was devised to encompass four stores in Seoul and one in Hong Kong. The architects designed a free-flowing shape, then divided it up into 16 pieces that could be distributed to each of the stores for use as a modular display system.

 Above: Shinsegae Main, Seoul

Referred to by Zaha Hadid Architects as an “artificial landscape”, the curving shapes feature a variety of twists, folds and rotations that reference the moulded interior of Neil Barrett’s flagship Tokyo store, completed by the studio in 2008.

Above: Galleria Main, Seoul

Each block is different and can be used in a variety of arrangements to display different garments, shoes and accessories.

Above: Galleria Main, Seoul

The stark white colour of the objects contrasts with the polished black flooring underneath. This monochrome theme continues throughout each store, where walls are painted in alternating shades of white and black.

Above: Galleria Main, Seoul

The studio is now working with Neil Barrett to roll out more Shop in Shop stores in Beijing, Shanghai and elsewhere in Seoul.

Above: Hyundai Daegu, Seoul

Zaha Hadid Architects has been busy over recent weeks. In the last month the studio has released images of a lakeside cultural complex underway in China, revealed designs for a complex of towers in Bratislava and launched a system of twisting auditorium seats. See more architecture and design by Zaha Hadid on Dezeen.

Above: Hyundai Daegu, Seoul

As well as collaborating with Hadid, British designer Neil Barrett has also worked with Italian studio AquiliAlberg, who designed the angular scenography for his 2010 Autumn Winter catwalk.

Above: Hyundai Daegu, Seoul

Photography is by Virgile Simon Bertrand.

Above: Hyundai Daegu, Seoul

Here’s some more information from Zaha Hadid Architects:

Neil Barrett Shop in Shop

A display landscape

The ‘Shop in Shop’ concept for Neil Barrett is based on a singular, cohesive project that is divided into sixteen separate pieces. Specific pieces have then been selected and installed into each of the four Neil Barrett Shop in Shop’s in Seoul, and also into the Hong Kong shop; creating a unique display landscape within each store. Each separate element acts as a piece in a puzzle of the original ensemble, ensuring each shop maintains a relationship to the defined whole and with the other Neil Barrett Shop In Shop locations.

Above: Hyundai Daegu, Seoul

The pieces have been carved and moulded from the original solid as pairs that define each other to create an artificial landscape that unfolds multiple layers for display. The emerging forms engage the same design principles adopted for the Neil Barrett Flagship Store in Tokyo; the characteristic peeling, twisting and folding of surfaces has been extended to incorporate double curvatures and rotations.

Above: Hyundai Main, Seoul

Adaption to multiple conditions

The display landscape is a flexible modular system that allows multiple arrangements and adaptations according to specific locations and multiple conditions, developing an original space at every location. The pieces can be used individually or pieces can be used in conjunction with others from the collection accordingly to suit the scale and spaces of each shop, with each piece able to display shoes, bags or accessories.

Above: Hyundai Main, Seoul

Materiality

The Shop in Shop concept continues the geometries of the Tokyo Flagship Store, developing a dialogue between the Cartesian language of the existing envelope walls with the sculptural, smooth finish of each piece. This contrast of materials in combination with the formal language of the design plays with these visual and tactile characteristics and is further accentuated by the black polished floor.

Above: Hyundai Main, Seoul

Neil Barrett Shop in Shop designs are located in Seoul and Hong Kong:
» Galleria Main, 3F, Galleria Luxury Hall East, 515, Apgujung-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
» Hyundai Main, 4F, Hyundai DPS, 429, Apgujung-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
» Shinsegae Main, 5F, Shinsegae DPS, 52-5, Choongmuro 1-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul
» Hyundai Daegu, 2F, Hyundai DPS, 2-ga, Gyeosan-dong, Jung-gu, Daegu. Seoul
» The Landmark, B1/F, 15 Queen’s Road Central, Hong Kong

Zaha Hadid Architects and Neil Barrett are continuing their collaboration on further Shop in Shop concepts to open in Beijing, Shanghai and Seoul.

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by Zaha Hadid Architects appeared first on Dezeen.

Japanese designer Yusuke Seki plans to bring traditional Japanese dress back into fashion with this modern kimono shop in Kyoto (+ slideshow).

The concept for the Otsuka-Gofukuten shop is to simplify the process of having a kimono made-to-measure, encouraging more people to wear the historic robes day-to-day. “Japanese people would wear kimonos in everyday life in bygone eras, nowadays we only wear for special occasions,” say the design team.

Yusuke Seki planned the store with three separate displays areas, allowing a clear distinction between different styles and price ranges to make the experience easier for the customer.

Brightly coloured and patterned fabrics are presented on industrial wooden shelves at the centre of the store, while more material is hung from metal frames and some is laid out in wooden drawers.

Ageing ceramic tiles line the walls, serving as a reminder of the 70-year history of the building that was previously used as a tofu retailer. Rather than retaining the smooth surface of these tiles, Seki chose to chisel away at each one to create a similar texture to crumpled fabric.

Accessories are placed on low tables, while painted stones are scattered across the floor. “The main design concept uses aspects from the past and introduces new hand craft towards a new design for the future,” say the team.

A concrete staircase leads up to the first floor, where an exhibition area displays a mixture of garments and art.

Yusuke Seki is a Tokyo-based designer who set up his studio in 2008. Since then he’s worked on a couple of sweet shops for Papabubble, including one in collaboration with Spanish designer with Jaime Hayon.

Other Japanese shop interiors completed recently include the flagship for fashion brand Takeo Kikuchi and a Starbucks coffee shop designed like a library.

Photography is by Takumi Ota.

Here’s a project description from the designer’s studio:

Otsuka-Gofukuten – evolution of traditional kimono store in Kyoto.

This building was constructed 70 years ago, and has been a Tofu (Japanese bean curd) store in the past.

Gofuku (another world: Kimono) is a traditional cloth which has varying price, range, qualities, which can sometimes confuse the customer. Even Japanese people would wear Kimonos in everyday life in bygone eras, nowadays we only wear for special occasions, as it has a recent reputation as a garment reserved for high society to wear to special, formal events.

The store purpose is to re-introduce Kimono culture. It has a clear 3-step price system to allow new customers to choose the suitable product, and to compare to other pre-existing traditional kimono stores. On the second floor, it opens up as a gallery space with kimono related modern art and a design works exhibition. The main design concept uses aspects from the past and introduces new hand craft towards a new design for the future.

The interior design consists of 3 types of showcases according to the price range, frame and type of composite of Kimono. The other kimono products are displayed on original designed shelves with knotted feet. The design method explores diachronic aspects such as materials, stories, location, architecture and function to translate and add value through design approach.

The white tiles are from original Tofu store. The walls in all directions are covered by white tiles Yusuke has curved to add new textures, which give the appearance of new surfaces from the layered inside material. This process makes the accurate grid become more characteristic and organic like a hand drawing. The coloured stones are incorporated under the floor, and original old fashion glasses are fixed into the windows to demonstrate the history of the building.

All the aspects have a story and contribute to the overall store details. They take on a new life, having been a relic of the past – mirroring the theme of this new approach to Kimono design and wear.

Above: original building before renovation

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by Yusuke Seki appeared first on Dezeen.

Products are displayed amongst an array of colourful metal wireframes at this pharmacy in Madrid by interiors studio Stone Designs (+ slideshow).

“We use colour as an international language that everyone understands,” Stone Designs partner Cutu Mazuelos told Dezeen. “We love to use colour as a tool that lets people feel the atmosphere that we want to show them, turning the experience of buying medicine into a social event.”

Some of the wireframe boxes sit on a wooden platform, while others are mounted onto the walls.

Shelving colours shift from vivid red and pink on one wall to bright orange and yellow on another. Meanwhile, the checkout counter is finished in pale blue and features a white marble surface.

Pendant lights hang from the ceiling and patterned tiles cover the floor.

The shop is located beneath an old bridge, giving the space an arched ceiling.

Other pharmacies designed in recent years include one in Athens with a facade punctured by Braille and one in Belgium with a sliding cross-shaped window. See more pharmacies on Dezeen.

Here’s a project description from Stone Designs:

Farmacia de los Austrias The Farmacia de los Austrias (De los Austrias Chemist) is placed in one of the most emblematic areas of historical Madrid.

Our initial idea was to create a new space typology, in which tradition and vanguard merge in such a subtle way that originate a slow and deliberate dialogue in which no element stands out of the rest, creating an almost musical harmony.

Products are displayed in really thin metallic structures standing in the bluish walls, creating a sweet and warm chromatic range that makes us feel at ease. This space transmits that we are attended by real professionals, but with a more human touch than usual.

Some details such as the white marble counter help to strengthen the concept of the “well done job” that oozes the old; while other materials like the tiled floor, embrace us in a warm and close atmosphere.

It is a project in which, due to its nature and small size, even the slightest detail has been taken care of, creating an enormous sensory universe that makes the visitor enjoy a most gratifying experience.

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by Stone Designs appeared first on Dezeen.

Alex Cochrane Architects has created a space for shoppers at London department store Selfridges to find peace and quiet amid the bustling emporium (+ slideshow).

London studio Alex Cochrane Architects built the space on the lower ground floor of the Selfridges as their interpretation of a previous silence room created by the store’s founder when it first opened in 1909.

“Gordon Selfridge did a Silence Room many years ago, and sadly there’re no records of what that room looked like so we did our own version of what the Silence Room might be,” Alex Cochrane told Dezeen.

Next to a major thoroughfare, adjacent to a cafe and flanked by two lifts, the space is not intended to be completely silent but rather encourage visitors to lower their voices and take time to unwind.

“Our take from the beginning was that there was always going to be background noise and we really wanted to create a room that people can feel silent in regardless of that,” said Cochrane.

After removing their shoes, visitors are channeled into a dark corridor with light bulbs hung in each corner to guide them around the back of the rectangular box and through a gap in the wall.

Cream felt covering the walls, floor and seats helps to insulate some of the sound and provide comfortable surfaces to relax on once inside.

“We’ve seen people sleeping there, meditating there. One person was seen praying there,” Cochrane said.

A modular bench finished in oak veneer wraps around the edge of the room, becoming deeper at the shorter ends of the room to provide extra space to lie down.

LED lighting hidden at floor level and behind the seating creates an ambient glow.

Services and ductwork on the ceiling remain exposed but painted black as a subtle reminder of the nature of the building.

“Similar to the background noise, we wanted to keep the visual noise from the ceiling. We wanted it to serve as a reminder of being in a commercial institution such as Selfridges,” Cochrane explained.

The Silence Room was created for the store’s No Noise campaign, which also includes the sale of limited edition products with no brand names.

Alex Cochrane Architects also designed the Men’s Designer Space at Selfridges and we’ve also featured a renovated Victorian boathouse by the studio.

Photography is by Andrew Meredith.

See all our stories about design at Selfridges »

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by Alex Cochrane Architects appeared first on Dezeen.