Hasta La Ideas

A door and deep-framed window are set into the glass house-shaped facade of this cupcake shop in Taiwan by J.C. Architecture.

Taiwanese studio J.C. Architecture used the cake boxes as a starting point for the interior design. “We wanted to create a space that derives from the actual product itself,” say the architects. “We took the idea of the gift packaging and studied the movement of folding.”

Les Bebes Cupcakery has a house-shaped shop frontage that extends beyond the facade of the building with a floor-to-ceiling glass window, interrupted by a solid black doorway.

A black-framed box with a yellow interior pushes through the glass, acting as a display cabinet for the cupcakes.

Inside the shop, a line of small shelves appears to have folded out of the white walls like box lids, revealing squares of dark tiles behind.

Dark tiles are also used to border a raised bar area, which is lined with yellow and black stools.

We recently featured a beauty salon in Osaka that also has a house-shaped shop window.

Earlier this year we featured a patisserie that uses reclaimed wooden doors to recreate the decorative panelling of nineteenth century French interiors.

See all our stories about shop design »

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by J.C. Architecture appeared first on Dezeen.

There’s an upside-down living room on the ceiling of this Polish fashion boutique created by design studio smallna for fashion brand Risk. Made in Warsaw (+ slideshow).

The designers at smallna were influenced by the reversible nature of Risk. Made in Warsaw’s clothing range, in which items can be worn inside-out or back-to-front, to create the illusion of defying gravity.

An inflatable sofa by Polish brand Malafor, a chair and a side table have been fixed to the ceiling, along with a crumpled skirt and a pair of shoes that appear to have been discarded onto the simulated floor above.

White-painted steel pipes protrude from the walls, ceiling and floor, snaking around the perimeter of the space and forming rails from which clothes appear to hang in both directions.

A circular dressing room wrapped in a grey fabric curtain extends the full height of the shop, connecting floor to ceiling as though it could be accessed from either plane.

An upside-down balloon that appears to be made from concrete hangs from the ceiling, seemingly reversing the rules of gravity.

The same balloon, when viewed from the reversed perspective, appears to be floating but held to the ground by a brick. This deceptive installation was created by Polish artist Joanna Gwóźdź, whilst Daiusz Kwiet – another Polish artist – was commissioned to paint the walls of the shop to look like the sky.

Vintage light fittings are dotted around the space, including 1940s American train lights, 1960s Polish tram lights and a Japanese mirrorball from the 1970s.

All the soft furnishings throughout the shop are made from the same grey melange fabric that the Risk. Made in Warsaw designers use to make their clothes.

Other shop interiors we’ve recently featured on Dezeen include the Who*s Who fashion boutique by Italian designer Fabio Novembre and a series of five outlets designed by Zaha Hadid for Milan-based fashion designer Neil Barrett. See all our stories about shop design.

Photography is by Celestyna Król.

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by smallna appeared first on Dezeen.

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.

News: architect David Adjaye has been commissioned to design a fashion hub in Hackney as part of efforts to regenerate the area after the 2011 riots.

The £100 million Hackney Fashion Hub will be supported with £2 million from a regeneration fund set up by the Greater London Authority to help businesses and retailers affected by the rioting.

Working with Manhattan Loft Corporation, the developers behind the restoration of London’s St Pancras Renaissance hotel, Adjaye will create a permanent retail space in two buildings to include shops, a cafe, restaurant and design studios.

“Our proposals offer a beacon for Hackney Central,” said Adjaye. “The buildings will create a light-filled, compelling environment that captures Hackney’s creative energy, gives local residents a sense of pride in their built environment and provides an exciting new draw for visitors.”

The area is already home to a small cluster of fashion outlets for luxury brands Burberry, Pringle and Aquascutum.

In 2006 the Tanzanian-born architect was shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize for his Whitechapel Idea Store, a glass-fronted community building in another deprived part of east London. A year later he was awarded an OBE for services to British architecture.

Last year Adjaye completed two neighbourhood libraries in Washington DC and topped a list of Britain’s most influential black people – see all architecture by David Adjaye.

See more architecture and design from Hackney.

Here’s the full press release:

New Hackney Landmark Looks Set to Create Hundreds of Jobs in East London

Renowned architect David Adjaye has been commissioned to design a new landmark for Hackney: a world class fashion development in E9.

Manhattan Loft Corporation, the developers behind the St Pancras Renaissance restoration and Chatham Works are looking to build a new ‘fashion hub’ on Morning Lane and Chatham Place.

As part of the plans, which will be submitted to the London Borough of Hackney at the end of March permanent retail space will be provided across two buildings over five and eight floors.

The buildings will be located on Morning Lane. Alongside leading fashion houses offering customers the opportunity to buy discounted goods, design studios will also be created where up and coming local designers can showcase and sell their products; making the fashion hub a unique centre for Hackney’s design community.

The hope is that the provision of a permanent fashion hub will create hundreds of jobs for local people.

It will be the UK’s first inner-city fashion outlet centre, providing a complete shopping experience.

Harry Handelsman, Chief Executive of Manhattan Loft Corporation, said: “The aim of this fashion hub is to establish a focus in Hackney Town Centre for the promotion of both local and international brands involved in the design, manufacture and sale of retail products.

“It will deliver major investment and lasting regeneration to this part of London and we hope to be able to encourage more creative people to bring companies such as Tatty Devine, Black Truffle and Fabrications into the area. We are incredibly excited about making the heart of Hackney an international focal point for the world of fashion.”

Jack Basrawy, of Chatham Works said: “We’ve been working closely with Hackney Council’s Ways into Work scheme, a programme that supports the unemployed, so that Hackney residents are at the front of the queue for the new jobs. Pringle and Aquascutum are already employing Hackney residents. Our proposals will hopefully create even more job opportunities for local people.”

David Adjaye, Principal Architect of Adjaye Associates, who was named Most Influential Black Figure of 2012 and is recognised as producing some of the best building designs in the world, said: “Our proposals offer a beacon for Hackney Central. The buildings will create a light-filled, compelling environment that captures Hackney’s creative energy, gives local residents a sense of pride in their built environment and provides an exciting new draw for visitors.”

Digby Nicklin, Commercial Director of Commercial Estate at Network Rail, said: “Across the capital, we are working with our neighbours to open up and renovate arches to attract niche entrepreneurs and build business communities.

“Working with small business through arch development schemes we are also helping to regenerate parts of London and creating employment opportunities.”

The permanent world class fashion development will replace the temporary structures which have already been created on site by Manhattan Loft Corporation and Chatham Works and which currently house leading fashion brands Pringle and Aquascutum.

Work has already started to convert the railway arches in Morning Lane between Churchwell Path and Link Street into new retail spaces; also designed by Adjaye Associates these will sit alongside the new development.

The plans for the development will see some 7,000 square metres of new retail space created for fashion outlets, a café, restaurant and design studios.

In addition to new open space, pedestrianised areas and signage will be created to encourage visitors to explore Hackney Central and visit Mare Street, Narroway and other surrounding retail areas.

Hackney Council, Network Rail and the Mayor of London have provided support for the scheme, which is set to create jobs for local people and benefit local businesses, with the expected increase in visitors to the area. Local people are currently being consulted about the plans. If granted permission in the summer of this year the fashion hub could be built by 2016.

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outlet in east London appeared first on Dezeen.

Internet shoppers in San Sebastian can now pick up their purchases from a shop that appears to be furnished with nothing but cardboard boxes (+ slideshow).

Spanish architects VAUMM designed the store for group discount voucher website Deskontalia as a place where customers can pick up their deliveries and find out about the latest offers.

Unlike most shops, the space has no products to display, so the architects were challenged with filling an empty room. Inspired by the cardboard boxes used to transport purchases, they developed a concept to cover the floor and walls with boxy wooden furniture and shelving.

“Cartons are converted into the measurement unit of the architectural proposal,” explain the architects. “Small cartons are elements to generate a kind of sculpture that envelops the walls and roof to create different environments which users can interact with.”

Most of the boxes are used as shelves that can be reconfigured to suit different displays. Others are made from wood and provide tables and stools where customers can sit and browse the website.

A reception counter lines the edge of the room and also resembles a pile of boxes.

Aside from the boxes, the shop’s interior is kept simple, with existing walls and columns painted white and plants positioned beside the windows.

Other cardboard interiors include a cardboard meeting room for Bloomberg, a cardboard bank and a fold-out cardboard shop.

Spanish architects VAUMM are based in San Sebastian. Past projects by the firm include a golden culinary centre and an outdoor elevator.

Photography is by Aitor Ortiz.

Here’s a project description from VAUMM:

Deskontalia store in Donostia – San Sebastian, Gipuzkoa, Spain.

When somebody thinks about a shop, he can hardly avoid thinking about the products sold inside, and therefore those products are those which give sense of the need for a space. What would it happen if that object of desire was any? What if no one?

For Deskontalia store, located in a urban downtown street, the sale has occurred even before one reaches the local. The space should be a pick up point for any product that one could imagine buying over the Internet, but even something else.

From that point of view the space should become not only a space to sell, but a space to be a meeting point between brand and people, an open space, a place of the city where an online business becomes a physical reality.

The store activity is linked to package traffic, cardboard containers in which travel purchased products, which are collected in this new architectural space. A small counter where to exchange these packages of hands, solves all the functional requirements of the trade.

The space has been treated as a white empty space where old items such as masonry walls or casting pillars are bathed in this colour, as well as more contemporary new resin pavement, in an attempt to transform the store not in a shop but in a store where different transformations may occur.

Cartons are converted into the measurement unit of the architectural proposal. Small cartons are elements to generate a kind of sculpture that envelops the walls and roof to create different environments which users can interact with.

Above: floor plan – click above for larger image

These packaging boxes incorporate the graphic image of the brand, a d-, like a strip on both sides, 90 degrees in space. Thus, the store gets a sculptural object at its scale by stacking the cartons with multiplications of their shapes and cubic components, qualified by the impression of the brand. Somehow it has been generated a kind of recycled space, in which low cost boxes transcend the value and meaning we could give to them individually, to become artistic and modulate the space when considered together.

The walls are not only boxes bookshelf but also part of the shell, the roof parts are not only sculptures but also shapes that break the echo sound of the store which also modulate the sound.

Above: ceiling plan – click above for larger image

Cartons are organized this way in which the white container has become the store, which can be moved at any time, changed or simply replaced by other objects. The cartons composition will be transformed as easily as the other part of the store, which is the Deskontalia web site, which is also shown in the store through two digital projections which interact with users.

Furniture is also involved in this changing condition, so its module-based design lets multiple configurations of the store, so you can have a lecture, read a newspaper, show a new product, or just hang out in internet.

Above: shelving concept – click above for larger image

The counter, stools and tables, somehow show the same packaging language, that besides also incorporates to the design other meanings such as low cost, the ephemeral, the changing and the casual, all of them concepts that underlie also the Internet purchase which serves to this commercial space.

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by VAUMM appeared first on Dezeen.