boutiques Archives

Designer Gary Card has given London’s LN-CC boutique a redesign that includes a sci-fi-looking wooden tunnel and a room “shaped like the inside of a foot”.

Card, who designed the original interior of the east London store in 2011, said the challenge for him was using the knowledge he has accumulated since then to create something new.

“The question for myself this time was – can I use everything I’ve learned over the last decade to reimagine one of my most recognized projects,” he told Dezeen.

“Each room has a very different concept,” he added. “It’s become part of the tradition now to change the temperature and colour palette with each room and encourage a journey of identity and discovery.”

Wooden orange tunnel inside London fashion store — An octagonal wooden tunnel welcomes visitors

The store is the only physical shop for LN-CC, which is mainly an online business, and is spread across the ground and lower-ground floor of a former tie factory.

Visitors enter via an orange wooden tunnel with an octagonal shape reminiscent of the architecture in director Stanley Kubrick’s film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Calisto room inside LN-CC — Each room in the store has different colours and materials

It is the third tunnel that Card has designed for the store, following its original orange tunnel and a later white version.

“The tunnel is LN-CC’s icon,” Card explained. “It’s been with us for over a decade now, so it had to be a significant feature.”

“We decided early on to bring it to street level and make the entrance something that had never been seen before as part of the store space,” he added.

“It’s a brand-new design and construction. We’ve brought back the orange from the first tunnel; the white is a nod to the second version from 2014.”

Blue room by Gary Card at LN-CC — A cobalt-blue room sits on the lower-ground floor

Each of the six rooms in the store has a different feel and different colours, which Card chose together with LN-CC’s buying and creative director Reece Crisp.

“The colours we settled on really amplify what we’re showcasing, the brand’s unique edit,” the designer said.

Cave-like Callisto room at LN-CC — The store is LN-CC’s only physical space

Among them is the Callisto room, which has a cave-like feel and a design that was influenced by the building’s existing structures.

“In the Callisto room, there was a circular part of a helter-skelter that used to be in the building – this used to be a tie factory and it was in the corner,” Crisp told Dezeen. “When we stripped the space back, we saw this sort of circle and that fed into how we wanted that space to be.”

In the Atrium, Card used tile adhesive to create the structures and patterns on the room’s wide lime-green pillars, which provide shelving for the store’s accessories.

Green pillars inside LN-CC Atrium — The Atrium room has green pillars decorated with tile adhesive

For LN-CC’s shoe room, known as the Midtarsal, Card drew on the anatomy of the human body to create an undulating, flesh-coloured interior.

“The shoe space, the Midtarsal room, that’s engineering to an incredible degree,” Crisp said. “We love the shape – like the inside of the foot – and how that warps the room.”

Throughout LN-CC, Card used a variety of different materials to bring the rooms to life.

“The space is a juxtaposition of lots of different materials,” he said. “So MDF, perspex, wood and concrete – I sought to take small cues from the original while innovating with a refreshed lens exploring the interplay between texture, colour and materials within the newly imagined rooms.”

Midtarsal room at London fashion store — The Midtarsal room has undulating shapes in a beige colour

The last room of the store is a club space, which features LED walls that can be used to turn the room into different colours or display messages.

“The club has always been a huge part of LN-CC’s identity, ” Card said. “It was never about selling clothes – the brand was an online business after all – it was about delivering experiences. So we wanted to do something really special with the new club.”

Club space at LN-CC — The LN-CC club space is lit by an LED wall

“It was a bit dark and gritty before, which was cool, but we knew we needed to raise the stakes for the latest store design without it losing its edge,” Card added.

“My right-hand man, Richard Wilkins, was the tech wizard for the space who created the lighting and amazing LED wall. The lighting totally transforms the space.”

Other recent London store interiors include a boutique sprayed with recycled newspaper pulp and a colourful Marylebone store with handpainted murals.

Reference

Colourful illustrations in Rixo Marylebone

Interior Design

Cúpla decorates Rixo Marylebone store with hand-painted murals

By Zarkon Group,19/03/2024

Interior design studio Cúpla has completed a boutique for fashion brand Rixo in central London that features hand-painted illustrations and colourful zellige tiles.

The clothing store on Marylebone High Street was revamped by Cúpla, whose creative director Gemma McCloskey is the twin sister of Rixo co-founder Orlagh McCloskey.

The interior designer had previously designed the brand’s flagship store on the King’s Road and wanted the refurbished Marylebone location to have a similar feel.

“We wanted the store to embody everything we had previously created for Rixo’s flagship store but within its own right,” Gemma McCloskey told Dezeen.

“A sense of escapism paired with a welcoming warmth within a boutique setting were the key emotions we wanted the customer to feel.”

As the brand sells hand-painted prints, the designer wanted the store’s interior to feature illustrations to reflect the style of the clothes.

Blue patterned sofa and archways in London fashion store — It features modified vintage furniture

“Understanding Rixo’s roots and the fact their USP is hand-painted prints, it felt tangible to represent the brand’s values and beginnings with the illustrations,” Gemma McCloskey said.

“Given the space is quite small, we treated it almost like a living room space within a home and felt we could make it all-encompassing and personal.”

Mirror in London clothing store — Artist Sam Wood created colourful illustrations for the store

Artist Sam Wood hand-painted murals and illustrations throughout the store, which has a bright and playful colour palette and also features traditional glazed Moroccan zellige tiles.

“We wanted the colour palette to feel really fresh and bright,” the designer explained.

“Although there is an abundance of colours used, every line of the mural or the ‘random’ coloured zellige tile layout was methodically composed to ensure a right balance between the colours was struck.”

The studio added decorative arches and classical mouldings to the store in a nod to the architecture and heritage of its Marylebone neighbourhood.

The store also features bespoke fitting room curtains with pickle-green and flora-pink stripes by fabric brand Colours of Arley.

Zellige tiles in Rixo Marylebone — Moroccan zellige tiles add to the playful interior

Cúpla used vintage furniture pieces throughout the store, which sells Rixo’s full collection including ready-to-wear and bridalwear.

“We actually modified existing pieces of vintage furniture, which had been previously sourced by [Rixo founders] Orlagh and Henrietta years ago in the early days of Rixo,” Gemma McCloskey said.

“They were the perfect fit for the space but didn’t have the functionality we required, so we decided to alter these instead or replace them.”

Illustrations at Marylebone store — The store is located on Marylebone High Street

“It was much more sustainable and because the pieces were from the early years of Rixo, they had sentimental value so we didn’t want to replace them,” she added.

Other recent London stores featured on Dezeen include a Camper store with a giant foot sculpture and a stationery store with a demountable interior.

The photography is courtesy of Rixo.

Reference

Store interior with green stucco columns and radial grey floor tiles

Interior Design

22RE invokes “stillness” inside green Miami golfing boutique

By Zarkon Group,10/03/2024

Los Angeles studio 22RE has used pale-green stucco informed by Miami’s colours and golf courses for the interiors of a golf clothing boutique in the city.

A few blocks from the ocean, the Malbon store in Coconut Grove serves a large customer base for the brand in South Florida – a popular golfing destination thanks to year-round warm weather.

The verdant neighbourhood and Miami’s distinct architecture provided 22RE with a starting point to build upon, aiming to create a tranquil space amongst such vibrancy.

“We intended to create an oasis within the city, one that invoked stillness – a feeling that Malbon customers are accustomed to while they’re out on the green,” 22RE founding principal Dean Levin told Dezeen.

Golf clothing boutique with green stucco walls — Pale green stucco covers the walls, columns and ceiling beams

The store’s most striking feature is the pale green stucco that covers the majority of vertical surfaces and ceiling beams that form square archways overhead.

“The shade of green used throughout the space was inspired by the studio’s first visit to the location, and inspired by the vibrant hues associated with Miami as a city,” said Levin.

Accessories displayed on stainless steel shelves, surrounded by green stucco — Merchandise is kept to the perimeter of the store, displayed on stainless steel rails and shelves

The placid hue is contrasted with stainless steel elements including the sales counter and a doorway to the stock room.

From the centre of the space, mid-grey handmade Mexican tiles are laid across the floor in a radial pattern, emanating from a circular plaque that displays the brand’s monogram.

Filleted stucco surfaces contrast an aluminium open-cell grid ceiling — Filleted stucco surfaces contrast the aluminium open-cell grid ceiling

A ring-shaped installation above, suspended from an aluminium open-cell grid ceiling, also bears the Malbon logo scribed repeatedly in white neon.

Four columns and a pair of stainless steel benches define this central area, which is intentionally devoid of merchandise to create a moment for pause and conversation between customers.

Clothing and accessories are kept to the perimeter, displayed in illuminated niches on stainless steel rails or shelves.

“In retail stores, there is a predominantly unchanging relationship between salesperson and customer,” Levin said. “We wanted to consider and account for the things we could – foot traffic, merchandising and general flow.”

Detail of a stainless steel bench made from perpendicular planes — A pair of stainless steel benches offer a place for pause and conversation in the middle of the boutique

Behind the street-facing windows, white stones cover the floors and plants so that the store “feels like a natural extension of the vegetation and foliage” in the surrounding area, said Levin.

“Through juxtaposing a variety of different materials both organic and industrial, the Malbon Miami storefront is an accurate reflection of the values we celebrate and preserve as an architecture and design firm,” he added.

Storefront with greenery behind large windows — The storefront contains greenery to create a natural extension of the verdant surroundings of Coconut Grove

Miami has grown significantly as a retail destination over the past decade, with a large concentration of new luxury stores in the city’s Design District.

Brands including Louis Vuitton, Off-White and Christian Louboutin all have distinctly designed outposts in the neighbourhood.

The photography is by Erik Stackpole.

Reference

Paul Smith LA store interior is stone-clad partitions and exposed rafters

Interior Design

Standard Architecture refreshes interior of pink Paul Smith store in LA

By Zarkon Group,03/02/2024

British fashion label Paul Smith’s iconic pink store in Los Angeles has received an interior makeover from Standard Architecture.

Standard Architecture collaborated with the Paul Smith design team to reimagine the 4,740-square-foot (440 square metres) store on Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood.

The studios also created a new VIP entrance patio for the building, which is notorious for its bright pink exterior that has become a pilgrimage spot for amateur photoshoots.

“The primary goal was to enhance the overall customer experience within the store, which was achieved by creating a more cohesive and immersive shopping environment across the different brand departments,” said Standard Architecture.

Seating area with clothing displays on either side — Stone-clad partitions help to define areas, but don’t reach the exposed timber ceiling

The entrance to the store – the only opening in the giant pink wall that faces the parking lot – leads shoppers through a glossy red metal vestibule into the main retail space.

Clearly defined yet interconnected areas for the menswear, womenswear and homeware collections help with navigation around the store.

Suits displayed in colour order on long brass rails — Long brass rails are used to present tailoring

Partitions clad in dappled beige stone frame these zones, but don’t reach the exposed timber ceiling, to retain the sense of openness.

In places, the stone walls are inlaid with mosaic-style artworks depicting abstract flora, which add splashes of colour to the warm-toned surfaces.

Paul Smith homeware collaborations displayed in a corner of the store — Paul Smith’s collaborations with Gufram and Anglepoise are among the pieces on show

Black track lighting is suspended from the rafters, spotlighting the various clothing displays and lounge areas furnished with midcentury-style sofas and armchairs that are dotted around the store.

Long brass rails that appear to be suspended in midair are used to display suit jackets, which are carefully arranged by colour.

Shoes presented on stepped white ledges that resemble bleacher seating — Shoes are presented on stepped white ledges that resemble bleacher seating

In an area dedicated to accessories, the shoes and bags are lined up on stepped white ledges that resemble bleacher seating.

Walnut is used for accents including shelving, door frames, and podiums, as well as for a large open storage system with compartments for presenting individual products and a row of sculptures by Alexander Calder.

Founded by fashion designer Paul Smith in 1970, his eponymous brand is synonymous with the brightly coloured stripes applied to many of its apparel products and other collaborations.

Many of these appear throughout the store, including a colour-tinted Anglepoise desk lamp and a striped version of Gufram’s cactus-shaped coat stand.

Glossy red metal vestibule with store interior beyond — Entry to the store is via a vestibule wrapped in glossy red metal

“Overall, the design reflects a deep understanding of the brand’s identity, which places a strong emphasis on the use of colour and attention to detail,” Standard Architecture said.

Paul Smith retail spaces around the world are equally playful. On London’s Albemarle Street, its boutique has a patterned cast-iron facade by 6a Architects, while the shop in Seoul is encased in a curving concrete shell by System Lab.

Bright pink exterior of Paul Smith store on Melrose Avenue — The store on Melrose Avenue is an icon in Los Angeles thanks to its bright pink facades

Standard Architecture was founded by Silvia Kuhle and Jeffrey Allsbrook, who discussed their work with Dezeen during our Virtual Design Festival in 2020.

Past projects by the firm include a Hollywood Hills residence with a cantilevered swimming pool and a minimal showroom for fashion brand Helmut Lang – which was located just a few blocks from the Paul Smith store before it shuttered.

The photography is by Genevieve Garruppo.

Reference

Cafe interior with white oak tables, burnt orange seats and a wall mural

Interior Design

Cafe Kitsuné Los Angeles features Parisian interiors with “Japanese twist”

By Zarkon Group,27/01/2024

Paris-based lifestyle brand Kitsuné has opened a cafe next to its boutique in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, both with minimalist interiors featuring white oak and stainless steel.

The interiors of the new Cafe Kitsuné and the renovated Maison Kitsuné store were designed by co-founder Masaya Kuroki to reflect the brand’s French-Japanese culture as well as the West Coast setting.

Facing Sunset Boulevard on the east side of the city, this is the brand’s fourth cafe in North America – following locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Vancouver – and its first in LA.

“A sprawling city of diverse findings, from cutting-edge restaurants to pockets of art and architecture second to none, LA has lent design inspiration and a backdrop to several campaigns for the fashion house,” said the Kitsuné team.

White oak counter front with stainless steel panels behind — White oak tables and surfaces are set against stainless steel counters and panelling for a minimalist look

“Now, it’s the perfect setting for Café Kitsuné, a physical extension of the brand’s Franco-Japanese DNA, and reinvention of the classic Parisian cafe and wine bar experience with a Japanese twist,” they added.

The building’s red-tile exterior and poured concrete flooring were preserved, and hand-painted signage by Californian artist Jeffrey Sincich was added over the large street-facing windows.

Burnt orange dining chairs and upholstered benches highlight the colours of the mural

Inside the 700-square-foot (65-square-metre) cafe, white oak tables and brushed stainless-steel counters feature alongside burnt orange dining chairs and upholstered benches.

Another Sincich mural covers the full length of a wall, offering “a whimsical take on Café Kitsuné’s standard appearance” and presenting the space as an “old-school market”.

A speaker system by Japanese audio company Rotel was installed in the cafe “to provide a top-notch sound experience for customers”, according to Kitsuné.

Next door in the boutique, a similar material palette is used for elements including a built-in storage and display unit across the back wall.

Maison Kitsuné boutique with oak panelling and bright blue central table — The existing Maison Kitsuné boutique next door has also received a refresh

White oak forms the framing, shelves and doors that lead to the stock and fitting rooms, while ribbed stainless-steel sheets provide a backdrop for the items on show.

More oak was used for the minimalist service counter and panelling behind, and a bright blue table sits in the centre to add a pop of colour.

White oak built-in shelving display for clothing, with bent metal chair in front — White oak and stainless steel are repeated in this space to create a visual connection with the cafe

Kitsuné was founded by 2002 by Kuroki and Gildas Loaëc and encompasses the fashion brand, Maison Kitsuné; a music label, Kitsuné Musique; and its line of cafes, bars and restaurants.

Back in 2017, French designer Mathieu Lehanneur designed the Kitsuné store interior in New York’s Soho, adding snaking metal rails for displaying garments.

The photography is by David Kitz.

Reference

Interior Design

Aro Archive store in Shoreditch features pastel-coloured rooms

By Zarkon Group,22/01/2024

Fashion retailer Aro Archive’s pastel-hued east London store was designed by founder Ariana Waiata Sheehan to evoke “a sense of otherworldliness”.

The store, located in Shoreditch, replaces the brand’s previous, more industrial store on nearby Broadway Market and was intended to have a frivolous feel.

The interior has “a sense of otherworldliness, escapism and fun,” Waiata Sheehan explains, comparing it to “a mixture between a mushroom trip and going to visit someone’s rich aunty who runs a gallery”.

“We’ve always had very neutral industrial spaces,” she told Dezeen. |But you can get an industrial Zara these days, so time to switch it up and go full personality, which has been scary but so worth it.”

Pink floor in Aro Archive — It is located inside an old Victorian warehouse

Located inside a five-storey former Victorian warehouse, Aro Archive, which sells pre-owned clothing by avant-garde designers, was organised so that each floor has a different colour.

Monochrome pastel pink, blue and white hues decorate the different levels, which also feature a wide range of reclaimed and recycled materials, furniture and artworks.

Blue floor in Aro Archive — Founder Ariana Waiata Sheehan created the interior design

“The pink floor is supposed to feel very warm, womb-like and enclosed,” Waiata Sheehan said. “The blue floor is more light and otherworldly. And the two white floors are very ethereal and calm.”

White duvet covers by fashion house Maison Martin Margiela were used to create curtains for the changing rooms, while interior pillars are made from reclaimed 1990s metal lamp posts that the designer sourced from a scrapyard in Preston.

Martin Margiela duvet-changing rooms — Duvet covers by Maison Martin Margiela frame the changing rooms

“The building and surrounding area feel very London, so we did want to bring in a sense of that for example with the lamp posts, metal works and details, bright neon lights and so forth,” Waiata Sheehan said.

She sourced a number of unusual furnishings for the Aro Archive store, including an industrial control station from a paper-manufacturing plant that is now used as a till.

“The industrial paper control station I’ve been watching on eBay for nearly 4 years, waiting for a time I had the space to buy it,” Waiata Sheehan explained. “I wanted something different to the normal till, they’re all so boring and square.”

The store also has another large metal till and metal drawers that originally came from a 1980s Mary Quant store and were rescued from a squat in Hackney Wick.

Metal till from Mary Quant — A large metal till was originally from a Mary Quant store

Waiata Sheehan also sourced several smaller pieces for the boutique, where customers can purchase everything down to the artwork, furniture and accessories.

“I do all the buying so everything is here because I love it in some way,” she explained. “But in terms of favourite pieces in store right now?”

“For fashion, it’s the Rick Owens orange shearling gimp mask gilet, for objects the Shirin Guild ceramic incense holders and for furniture the wobbly glass table with magazine racks.”

Industrial control station — Waiata Sheehan bought an old industrial control station from eBay

Waiata Sheehan hopes the Aro Archive boutique will feel like a home away from home and help to create a community feel in the area.

“I think Shoreditch is lacking a sense of community and I wanted to work that into the space,” she said. “The feeling of a chaotic family home and a feeling of togetherness.”

Pillars made from lampposts at Aro Archive — Lampposts from a scrapyard form pillars inside the store

Other London stores with notable interior design recently covered on Dezeen include Swedish fashion brand Toteme’s newly-opened Mayfair store and a Coach pop-up store at Selfridges that had fixtures made from recyclable materials.

The photography is by John Munro.

Reference

Store interior with white walls, wooden floors and a central yellow column

Interior Design

Yellow lighting illuminates Le Père store in New York by BoND

By Zarkon Group,07/01/2024

New York architecture studio BoND has used tubular lighting to create a bright yellow glow inside this men’s apparel store on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.

The first flagship for cult fashion label Le Père occupies a 1,000-square-foot (93-square-metre) corner unit on Orchard Street.

Utilising the store’s large exposure to the street, BoND opted to create an interior that would be just as impactful from the exterior as it is once inside.

“BoND designed the store to feel like a canvas, highlighting the design elements of the clothes while ensuring the space is a place that creators feel encouraged to spend time in,” the team said.

A central column encased in a translucent yellow box — A central column is encased in a translucent yellow box

The firm’s approach was to leave the majority of the space white, allowing the boldly patterned clothing to stand out, then highlighting the fitting rooms using bright yellow lighting and surfaces.

A structural column in the centre of the store encased in a translucent box is also fitted with lights to give off a sunny glow.

Yellow fitting room with a rail of clothing to the right — Yellow lighting installed in the fitting rooms emits an inviting glow

This yellow aura is immediately apparent from the street and is meant to entice passersby to step inside.

Neon lighting has seen a resurgence in retail and other commercial interiors of the past year, appearing everywhere from a Brooklyn cafe to a Calgary chicken shop.

Pair of yellow fitting rooms with tube lights either side of the mirrors — The tube lights were installed on either side of mirrors in the fitting rooms, which are also yellow

At Le Père, other elements like the tops of vintage Artek furniture are coloured red and black, to borrow from the street signs across the neighbourhood.

Floor-to-ceiling curtains along the back wall create a soft and neutral backdrop for the apparel, which is displayed on industrial metal racks.

Close-up on a curved bench with a row of cylindrical seat pillows — Custom furniture pieces were designed by BoND and fabricated by Lesser Miracle

Wide-plank wood floors are laid across the main shop floor, which doubles as a space for gatherings, conversations, exhibitions and events.

Custom furniture pieces including a curved bench were designed by BoND and fabricated by Brooklyn design and art studio Lesser Miracle.

“The design scheme blurs the lines between a store, a home and an art studio – a space that is both aspirational and livable, combining contemporary and historic elements as a playful strategy,” said the studio.

On the exterior, a generous portion of the facade is given over to a giant billboard that Le Père will use to present its seasonal visual campaigns and artwork by the brand’s collaborators.

Billboard across a storefront — A large portion of the facade is given over to a billboard to display the brand’s campaigns

The debut placement for Fall/Winter 2023 was titled And Sometimes Boys and influenced by the work of Korean visual artist Nam June Paik.

BoND was founded by Noam Dvir and Daniel Rauchwerger, who previously designed the global headquarters and showroom for the Brazilian brand PatBo in New York.

Le Père store exterior on Orchard Street — The glow from the yellow lighting is designed to entice in shoppers on the Lower East Side. Photo by BoND

The duo earlier overhauled an apartment in Chelsea for themselves, turning the dark, divided space into a light-filled home.

The photography is by Stefan Kohli, unless stated otherwise.

Reference

boutiques

Gary Card redesigns LN-CC store with orange tunnel and LED-lit club

Cúpla decorates Rixo Marylebone store with hand-painted murals

22RE invokes “stillness” inside green Miami golfing boutique

Standard Architecture refreshes interior of pink Paul Smith store in LA

Cafe Kitsuné Los Angeles features Parisian interiors with “Japanese twist”

Aro Archive store in Shoreditch features pastel-coloured rooms

Yellow lighting illuminates Le Père store in New York by BoND

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