Hasta La Ideas

From newsprint walls to a city-based campaign, Aesop’s holistic design in their new NYC store

Since its inception in 1987, Australian skincare line Aesop has gone to great lengths to ensure quality. Everything from manufacturing to distribution, including of course their all-natural, socially-conscious products, is the result of a thoughtful, detail-oriented approach. When it comes to opening retail locations, the brand focuses on meshing seamlessly into its surroundings, drawing on elements from the locale to incorporate them into the space. In the case of their 40th standalone location, which opened 7 September 2011 in the Nolita neighborhood of New York City and is one of three opening in the city over the next few months, they applied the concept quite literally.

Designed by local architect Jeremy Barbour, he adopted the same solution as when he created Aesop’s Grand Central Station kiosk, constructing the wall displays and counter out of re-purposed editions of the New York Times. The material, layered to form what look like large paper bricks, gives the space unprecedented texture, creating a warm, welcoming atmosphere. Beyond the visual component, the soft, weathered feel of it compliments the product line nicely, as well as grounding it within the city and community. In a nod to Aesop’s appreciation of the arts, the store will screen Criterion Films on the paper walls, so customers can enjoy world-class cinema projected over years of the written word.

The new boutique also introduces the latest in their 30-day-long store opening series, Thirty Views of New York, in which I was recently one of thirty participants from the arts, publishing, fashion, and music. Each day through the 11th of October, a contributor will reveal a favorite (and possibly secret) location in NYC, including galleries, museums, restaurants, stores and other hidden gems. As part of Aesop’s ingenuity when entering a new space, the campaign allows consumers to learn about the hidden richness in a classic landscape.

Plywood shingles create fish scales on the walls of a clothes store at Bondi Beach, Sydney, while spherical lights hang from the ceiling inside fishermen’s nets.

Australian architects MAKE Creative designed the shop interior for retailer Little Joe, in line with the branding style developed by ex-model Gail Elliott.

Shingle-covered walls are a feature of every Little Joe Woman store.

The fishing nets are in fact made from cords of black satin.

Walls inside the changing rooms are lined with a montage of photographs.

Austrian architects Superblock have also designed a building featuring scale-like cladding – see our earlier story here.

Photography is by Luc Remond.

Here’s some more text from MAKE Creative:

The latest Little Joe Woman store is located in the Beach House, a new arcade development that links the beachfront of iconic Bondi beach with the eclectic retail precint behind.

The Little Joe Woman brand, designed by ex-model Gail Elliott, has its origins in the Hamptons, origins that are reflected in the screen clad in shingles, an element that is repeated and reinterpreted in every Little Joe Woman store.

In the Bondi store, the store is housed in an exposed concrete shell, with a curved screen of raw plywood shingles wrapping around the space. The clothes display units act as a counterpoint to the unfinished quality of the space, with their sleek white powdercoat finish.

A contemporary reworking of glass fishermans’ floats forms an intriguing lighting installation over the main sales counter, adding to the urban beachside aesthetic. Created in-house by MAKE, a series of opaque glass spheres are knotted together with black satin cords.

The changerooms are lined with a signature collaged wallpaper created by MAKE especially for the Little Joe Woman stores. The wallpaper is built up from a series of layered sheets reproducing elements from Gail Elliott’s eclectic inspiration boards.

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Pop-Out House by Mut Architecture	Sneakerology by Facet Studio	Japanse Winkeltje by Nezu Aymo Architects

Garments hang from the recycled parts of four bicycles inside a sustainable clothing shop in Stuttgart.

German designers Markmus and Neoos Design dismantled the bicycles to construct both stationary and rotating display rails at the store for retailer Glore.

Unused wheels and frames are attached to walls and other furniture around the shop for decoration.

Lampshades are made from recycled cardboard boxes, while storage crates provide drawers.

Other shops on Dezeen that use recycled materials include a kiosk made from over 1000 copies of the New York Times and a shop filled with steel shelves that would normally be used in plumbing, both of which were for skincare brand Aesop – see all the shops here.

Here are some more details from Markmus:

Concept

Glore Store, the first sustainable clothes store in Germany, is committed to help small sustainable brands from all over the globe. From this point, we wanted to make a link with the most sustainable way of transport: bicycles.

Following this eco-philosophy, we also decided to reuse some material and collected old bicycles in local shops (they gently offered them for free), fruit boxes for other pieces of furniture, and recycled cardboard for the lighting.

All the elements in the store are related to bicycles.

• The jeans area is showed in a 3 turning wheels structure at the entrance.
• The main storage volume at the entrance is based on the image of asian bikers carrying tons of boxes fastened with a rope.
• The fitting rooms have been created by a tube of fabric hanging from wheels attached to the ceiling.
• The main hanging space is a 10 meters bicycle divided in 2… and so on…

The biggest challenge was to build up the lighting. In total 120 cardboard boxes were set in different levels (so we could have a playful and “cubes” sensation from the ceiling). We reused the old grid structure and held the boxes with small pins (nails) by ourselves.

The whole project was designed together with Udo Kloos (Neoos Design in Nürnberg), the designer who already designed the Glore stores in Nürnberg and Munich.

Design: Marcos Aretio & Udo Kloos

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Pave by Joan Sandoval	Tokyo Bike store by Emulsion	Dri Dri at St Martins Lane by Elips Design

Mirrors lining the ceilings and walls of a tiny pop-up clothing shop in Warsaw create the illusion of endless rails of garments. 

Polish architects Super Super and Inside/Outside collaborated to design the temporary pavilion inside a mobile office container for clothing retailer Zuo Corp.

Lengths of LED lighting surrounding the edges of the walls are reflected in the mirrors and appear to be part of an infinite illuminated grid.

To one side of the sales floor are a storage cupboard and dressing room, which ironically has no mirrors inside at all.

The pavilion occupied the city centre site for three months earlier this year.

Another clothes store by Super Super published on Dezeen uses cheap materials from a builders’ merchant – see our earlier story here.

Photography is Jacek Majewski.

Here are some more details from Super Super:

Zuo corp. Pop-up shop, Bracka 20, Warsaw.

A temporary Pop-up shop for an independent clothing brand Zuo corp. was planned initially for the gardens of the Warsaw University Library during the summer. The building of the project however was postponed to the winter and relocated to the city center, opposite the popular Warsaw café ‘Między Namiʼ address Bracka 20. Zuo Corp. Pop-up shop opened on the 18th of December and was open for a limited time of just 3 months.

The designers were given the use of a small sidewalk space, which would normally be allocated to café ‘Między Namiʼ in the summer as a garden café. A major requirement for the project was to use two interconnected office containers (dimensions 4.65 x 5.60 x 2.31m) that the investor had at their disposal. The metal insulated structure of the container was supposed to provide protection from the difficult weather conditions: heavy rain, snow and strong frosts (up to -20 ° C) occurring at this time of the year in Warsaw.

The aim was to achieve maximum effect with minimum means, having a small budget and the use of the base structure of the containers. Another important task was to create a surprise effect when entering the pop-up shop. Small, inconspicuous object, as it seemed from the outside, was creating an “Alice in Wonderland” effect, to introduce the viewer to another world. The outer facade of the black cube did not announce what happened inside the pavilion. The containers were tightly “packed” in black canvas evoking an association with a magic box of a prestidigitator.

A space of 27 square meters was divided in 3 different functions: a main exhibition room with dimensions of 4.5 x 4.5 m, and a small facilities area with storage and dressing room. The ceiling height of the space was very low, only 2.2 meters. To avoid the impression of being in a confined space, we decided to visually enlarge the main room to infinity by lining the walls and ceiling with mirrors. The floor was covered with black linoleum. The doors to the back and into the dressing room were also hidden behind mirrors. The changing room was lined with black cloth. The customers had to go outside the dressing room to see their own reflection.

All edges of the interior walls were accentuated with stripes of LED lighting. This being the only source of the light to the room combined with the mirrors strongly emphasized the illusion of boundless space. The impression of the space having a low ceiling – gone: The clothing, light, people and floor all reflected in the
mirrors to infinity became the only heroes of the interior space. From every angle attention was focused purely on the new styling of the customer.

The project is a joint work of two design studios: Super Super (Hanna Kokczyńska, Jacek Majewski) and Inside/Outside (Agnieszka Kuczyńska). We all live and work in Warsaw.

Name project: Zuo Corp
Used materials: office container, mirrors, LED lighting, black canvas
Construction methods: office containers, interior wooden structure
Furniture manufacturer: custom made
Lighting manufacturer: custom made, stripes of LED lighting
Floor area (m2): 27 m2
Costs (€): 10 000 €
Date of completion: December 2010

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Sneakerology by Facet Studio	LN-CC by Gary Card	Munich La Roca by Bailo+Rull ADD

Shimmering panels of stainless steel create the appearance of a rippling lake above the heads of shoppers at a supermarket in Moscow.

UK architects Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands designed the food hall and a surrounding mezzanine of restaurants and bars on the upper floors of a seven-storey department store.

The stainless steel panels were beaten then polished before being mounted onto the ceiling, which is visible from retail floors below.

The roof is supported by chunky white columns, which are interspersed between the fresh food counters that fill the hall.

The overlooking mezzanine provides two private restaurants, a 16 metre-long bar and outdoor terraces that overlook the surrounding city.

Other popular markets on Dezeen include a Shanghai supermarket with swooping lighting tracks on the ceiling and an Istanbul fish market covered by a concrete and steel canopy – see all our stories about markets here.

Photography is by Chris Gascoigne.

The following details are from the architects:

Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands creates landmark luxury food destination in Moscow

International architecture studio Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands has completed a luxury food retail and restaurant space at Tsvetnoy Central Market, Moscow, to rival leading international retail stores. Located on Tsvetnoy Boulevard and adjacent to Old Moscow Circus, the 3,930m² (42,300sq.ft) scheme at the new high-end department store features striking, beaten stainless steel interiors.

Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands’ design for developer RGI International is the practice’s second collaborative project in Europe with specialist consultants Ford McDonald, having previously completed the acclaimed La Rinascente food hall in Milan. It draws on the practice’s expertise in luxury food retail schemes, including a 10 year collaboration with Harvey Nichols involving its stores in London, Manchester and Edinburgh, as well as the landmark restaurant at London’s OXO Tower Wharf.

Paul Sandilands, Director at Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands, said, “Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands’ design for the food emporium at Tsvetnoy Central Market echos the site’s rich history as the location of Moscow’s famous 19th century flower market. With our previous experience in retail and hospitality design, we created a reflective stainless steel interior to capture the colour, buzz and activity in the space. This creates a sense of drama, which shimmers down to the lower retail levels, drawing visitors up through the building. Tsvetnoy Central Market is set to become Moscow’s ultimate food destination.”

Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands’ scheme occupies the upper floors of the seven storey department store and is centred around a 1,700m² (18,300sq.ft) delicatessen food hall. Located above, a large-scale mezzanine level houses a 16m long bar, two private dining restaurants and destination outdoor terraces with stunning views across the Moscow skyline.

With floor-to-ceiling windows throughout, Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands has harnessed full design control over the only ‘editable’ plane within the space – the ceiling – to create a strong identity for the building. The suspended internal ceiling is comprised of 2,600 components made from highly-polished beaten stainless steel. This technically innovative feature addresses the common issue of underperformance on the upper floors of department stores, by creating a lively and colourful destination at the top to entice customers upwards through the building.

Visible from the ground floor entrance of the department store through a large full-height atrium, the ceiling provides visitors with a glimpse of the colourful produce and activities within the 7m high food hall above. Sitting inside the external envelope, the reflective surfaces wrap and unify the two food retail floors, creating movement through abstract shifting patterns of colour, which make reference to the site’s history as a flower marketplace as well as the architectural innovation and geometry of the new building, designed by Moscow-based architectural studio Project Meganom.

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Hugely impressed by Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands’ stainless steel design, the client also drew the surface down to the lower levels of the department store, including the entrance and central atrium spaces. This mirrored edging unifies the retail floors, driving footfall and sales throughout the store.

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Mahipat Singh at Tsvetnoy Central Market said, “We are very excited by Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands’ work at Tsvetnoy Central Market, which provides the store with a unique visual identity and atmosphere. I am certain that the market will become an integral part of our customers’ lifestyles as it has revolutionised food shopping in the city, embodying the modern spirit of Moscow. Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands’ expertise has been a crucial element in establishing Tsvetnoy Central Market as a rival to the world’s leading department stores in New York, London, Paris, Milan and Hong Kong.”

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The food hall is flanked by six over-the-counter fresh food concessions, including a European delicatessen, a bakery and patisserie, an Asian sushi bar, fish and poultry counters, and a wine shop. The market also retails a wide range of goods including fresh fruits and vegetables, dry groceries, frozen food and flowers. To ensure that the acoustics from the busy market hall would not reverberate into the open private dining areas above, Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands worked with acoustic consultant, Cole Jarman.

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Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands has used feature ceilings on a number of retail schemes as a device to entice customers store wide. This approach was applied to the highly successful restaurant, bar and brasserie for Harvey Nichols at Oxo Tower Wharf, London, which features a cantilevered aerofoil roof with rotating coloured louvre blades that swivel to allow light and acoustic variations. At the La Rinascente food hall in Milan, the practice designed a glowing three-dimensional ceiling, which unified the food concessions and restaurants on the top floor
of the historic department store.

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Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands’ architectural approach to the client’s brief, utilising space, light and technology to its maximum as opposed to an interior design solution, has resulted in a sophisticated and accessible experience for visitors to Tsvetnoy Central Market.

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Lotus Fresh by Head Architecture	Besiktas Fish Market by GAD	Barceloneta Market by MiAS Architects