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    Mooradian Studio sprays London boutique interior with recycled newspaper pulp

    Architecture office Mooradian Studio used spray-on paper pulp to create a bumpy texture across the walls and ceilings of north London menswear store Natalino.

    Taking over a former art gallery in Fitzrovia, Natalino’s first physical store was designed by architect Aram Mooradian in collaboration with design studio Mitre & Mondays to reflect the properties of the brand’s garments.
    Natalino has opened its first physical store”Nathan’s clothes use a lot of natural textures and you can often see how they’re constructed, so we wanted to capture those qualities in the interior,” Mooradian told Dezeen.
    Mooradian, who had recently travelled to Italy with a group of his students from the Architectural Association, was influenced by the contrast of rough and smooth stone surfaces at Carlo Scarpa’s famous Olivetti showroom in Venice.
    The store’s interior was designed by Mooradian StudioAfter initially looking at using a sprayed plaster finish to achieve the desired effect, he came across a spray-on acoustic material from Dutch firm Acosorb that is made from recycled newspaper.

    The material is more commonly used for sound absorption in music studios and restaurants as it helps to reduce reverberation and improves acoustics.
    Spray-on paper pulp covers the walls and ceilingsMooradian used the paper pulp to cover the store’s walls and ceilings alongside utilities such as pipes and ducting. This lends the space a feeling of cohesion in addition to providing the desired tactility.
    “I think retail spaces are often about creating a sensory experience,” the architect said. “Spraying the entire store meant that we could create this atmosphere that wraps around and immerses you.”
    The textured finish is created by blowing the compressed flaked-paper material onto the surfaces together with a non-toxic binding agent.

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    When the interior eventually needs to be refurbished, the material can be easily removed by soaking it with water so it can once again be recycled.
    The use of recyclable materials also extends to the shop fittings, which were developed in collaboration with Mitre & Mondays and custom made in their Islington workshop from standard aluminium strips.
    “We used a range of techniques including bending, folding, clamping and notching to create various metal display structures that can be adapted to fit differently-sized garments,” said the studio’s co-founder Finn Thomson.
    Custom-made aluminium rails are used to display clothingThe components are attached using simple mechanical bolts, allowing them to be easily taken apart and reconfigured or recycled at the end of their lifespan.
    The display structures incorporate hanging rails and table surfaces, while angled aluminium shelves recessed into the wall are used to display shirts, knitwear and jeans.
    A fitting area in one corner of the space features a curtain made from UK-sourced waxed cotton that is suspended from a curved track.
    The aluminium was bent, folded and clamped into shapeThe graphic identity for Natalino was created by design agency Polytechnic, which also owns Bodney Road Studios in east London where Mooradian has his office.
    Aram Mooradian established his studio in 2018 after completing his studies at the Architectural Association. The studio focuses on reusing materials as part of a “gentle building philosophy” that also engages with contemporary craft practices.
    Other reversible shop interiors that have recently been featured on Dezeen include On-Off in Milan, which features a flexible gridded shelving system, and London’s Present & Correct store with its demountable wooden joinery.
    The photography is by Thomas Adank.

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    Multipurpose rooms optimise space at Ulli Heckmann’s Rotterdam apartment

    A bedroom incorporating a bathtub and a window bench is one of several versatile spaces architect Ulli Heckmann created when renovating this compact apartment in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

    Heckmann and his partner, the designer Nienke Bongers, bought the apartment in the Delfshaven neighbourhood in 2020 with the aim of refurbishing it to suit their personal tastes.
    Multipurpose rooms were used to optimise space at Ulli Heckmann’s Rotterdam apartmentThe 100-square-metre property is spread across the ground floor and basement of a brick apartment building dating from 1935 that stretches along a dike on the river Schie.
    Previous renovations in the 1980s had stripped away all of the interior’s original features, so the couple decided to completely gut the spaces and rebuild them using a modern and affordable material palette.
    The open-plan kitchen and living area receive daylight from the gardenThe existing layout did not make the best use of the garden access, so Heckmann moved the bedrooms upstairs and created a large living space below with direct access to the outdoors.

    “The original downstairs plan showed one room facing the garden and one towards the street, which was quite gloomy and dark,” the architect told Dezeen.
    “Since the new downstairs is basically mono-orientated, an open layout with the kitchen cupboard as a room divider seemed the best solution in terms of space with an option for privacy.”
    Heckmann completely rebuilt the interior spaces using affordable materials. Photo is by Yuta SawamuraThe largely open-plan configuration creates a space for cooking, eating and socialising that receives plenty of daylight from the large windows at one end.
    Freestanding cupboards screen a small private space that Heckmann explained can be used for “reading a book, inviting friends to stay over or simply drying the laundry without putting it in the middle of the living room.”
    The kitchen is divided by a wooden cupboard unit for privacy. Photo is by Yuta SawamuraThroughout the property, built-in storage helps to optimise and organise space, allowing the interior to be used in different ways at different times. Examples include a hidden desk in the children’s bedroom and a window bench in the main bedroom.
    “Most of the rooms are not limited to only one purpose throughout the day and night,” said Heckmann, “which helps tremendously for the use of the space – especially as a family.”

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    The layout of the upper floor is more compartmentalised than the basement level; however, a full-height mirrored door at the end of the hall can be left open to ensure the spaces feel connected.
    The two bedrooms at either end of the plan are separated by a walk-in wardrobe and a shower room hidden behind cupboard-like doors.
    The main bedroom integrates a bathtub that can be hidden behind a curtainIn addition to the bed and window bench, the main bedroom contains a bathtub set on wooden blocks that can be screened off using a curtain.
    “The need to create multifunctional spaces is one of the reasons why we decided to have the bathtub in the bedroom,” Heckmann explained. “Also, we quite like that it becomes an object in our daily life instead of hiding it away.”
    Most of the furniture was built by Heckmann and Bongers with stained or dyed plywood and MDFThe couple had wanted to use natural materials where possible to completely revamp the interior, but the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic caused prices to soar and subsequent lockdowns made commissioning specialist trades much more difficult.
    Heckmann and Bongers therefore designed and built most of the furniture themselves, using plywood or MDF that they stained or dyed to give the materials a more unique finish.
    The bedroom shelf and the hall cupboards are made from eucalyptus plywood tinted with an earl-grey mixture, while the bedhead is MDF with a hardwax finish.
    The bedhead unit is made from MDF with a warm-toned hardwax finishLime plaster was used on the walls throughout the apartment. The downstairs spaces were left raw and natural, while the bedroom has green pigment added to give it a subtle hint of colour.
    For the kitchen, Heckmann used MDF boards with oak veneer and a countertop with a dark Forbo linoleum surface. The cupboard under the stairs features an oak frame surrounding polycarbonate panels, while the staircase podium is made from painted MDF.
    A hidden desk in the children’s bedroom helps to optimise space usageUlli Heckmann completed his Diploma studies at the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany, in 2006 and worked for several years for agencies in Germany and France, including Maison Edouard François.
    He founded his architecture and design studio in Paris in 2013 and now works on projects across Europe, ranging from object and interior design to private housing and architectural competitions.
    Other recent Rotterdam projects featured on Dezeen include a floating cross-laminated timber office and a multi-faceted auditorium designed using computer modelling.
    The photography is by Ulli Heckmann unless otherwise stated.

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    Apparatus updates Los Angeles showroom to include a “modernist grotto”

    New York-based studio Apparatus has redesigned its Hollywood showroom with multiple material schemas and a range of its lighting and furniture products to evoke a feeling of “discovery” for visitors.

    The 5,000-square-foot (464 square metres) Hollywood showroom first opened in 2018 in a former warehouse. Apparatus redesigned the interiors – which previously consisted of bold geometric and neoclassical elements – opting for an experience featuring a progression of materials that create distinct experiences for each room.
    Apparatus has redesigned the interiors of its LA showroomIts three adjoining rooms were transformed with distinct finishes and reconfigured displays.
    The first room’s walls and adjoining archways were covered in a coarse rock aggregate. Beds of similar stones fill small recessed gaps between the floor and the walls and a large circular mirror sits behind an installation of the Trapeze light configured as a mobile.
    The entry program features wall with a rough texture”Upon entering, you find yourself in our version of a modernist grotto,” said Apparatus.

    “Here lights are relatively low, allowing you to experience our collections with slightly subterranean undertones.”
    The “grotto”-like room features an installation of the Trapeze chandelierThe pre-existing archways were left intact and lead into the next space, which was finished in a silver-toned plaster custom produced by New York outift Kamp Studios. This surface treatment has a reflective quality meant to contrast the first space.
    It has an installation featuring multiple of Appratatus’ iconic Cloud chandeliers that give the space an airiness when contrasted with the earthy textures of the first.
    The second room has a smooth, silvery finish on the walls”Silvered walls reflect without revealing, giving the impression of being inside a Renaissance coffer,” said the studio. “After the grounding of the first space, this functions as a release.”
    A third room is lined with cork wall panels with intricate grain patterning and includes an unattributed bird-themed tapestry.
    Natural light comes in from overhead windows casting shadows on the double-height room, and includes several products arranged sparsely across the room.

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    “It’s about feeling discovery and moving through layers,” said Apparatus founder Gabriel Hendifar.
    Throughout, light fixtures are hung low to emphasize a dream-like characteristic of the reimagined space.
    As in Apparatus’s other showrooms in New York and London, the gallery’s interior design resembles the composition of famous paintings and historical architectural styles. Italian artist Giorgio De Chirico’s Surrealist works were referenced for this room.
    The third space features cork-lined walls and a double-height ceilingAccording to the company, the space was also redesigned based on a creative narrative of a hypothetical person: a woman living in New York City during the 1960s.
    The hypothetical person in this case experiences the cultural tensions of the time, between old world conventions and big changes in society, such as the moon landing, embodying the “tension between modernity and the arcane”.
    “What would happen if this woman moved to Los Angeles a decade later to find herself? Our Los Angeles gallery is the answer,” said the studio.
    The rooms were ordered to evoke a sense of discoveryApparatus has displayed its full suite of products in this immersive setting. Collections on view include the Cloud pendant lamp and the Episode Settee sofa.
    Other recent showroom designs include the London Camper store by James Shaw and Malbon Golf Coconut Grove store by 22RE.
    The photography is by Matthew Placek.

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    Bernard Dubois designs Canal Saint-Martin hotel to feel “far from Paris”

    Belgian architect Bernard Dubois designed bespoke 1970s-style wooden furniture and interiors for the revamped Bouchardon hotel in Paris, which references mountain hotels.

    Located in the Canal Saint-Martin district of the French capital, the Bouchardon is an aparthotel containing 11 suites. Every apartment has its own kitchen and dining area.
    Each suite has a private dining areaThe entire building has been rebuilt and Dubois was appointed to create its interior, which he wanted to provide “both refuge and an intimate feel,” the designer said.
    “The place is inviting, showcasing wood, brown fabrics and green carpeting,” Dubois told Dezeen.
    Wood panels line the walls of the corridorsAt first, Dubois designed the entire project in wood, before deciding to introduce a material palette of contrasting textures, using lacquer on some pieces to add gloss.

    This shiny element balances the various wood textures.
    While pairing opposing finishes, Dubois aimed to keep the space cohesive by using the same colour palette throughout.
    “Coherence is all about finding common grounds between references – [to] create a family with shapes and materials referencing different periods and contexts,” he said.
    Yellow soft furnishings and custom lamps also feature throughout the spaceDubois designed all of the furniture specially for the space and had them manufactured by two millworkers.
    The architect also designed all of the interior architecture details for the Bouchardon.

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    As part of this tailor-made approach, Dubois created a focal point for each bedroom using statement headboards made from terracotta.
    The terracotta-coloured headboards are uniquely shaped for each room and “evoke the 1970s in both their shape and glossy lacquer finish,” Dubois said.
    The bedrooms each include a unique large statement headboardDubois also took cues from the aesthetics of mountain hotels combined with American cinema references.
    “The concept of this space was to break away from conventions, far from Paris,” he explained.
    “You can imagine opening a window in the morning and suddenly discovering a landscape reminiscent of Twin Peaks or Colorado.”
    The aim was to give visitors an experience evocative of a ski holiday.
    “The colours and materials evoke mountain hotels, with carpeted hallways and entrances where one can hear the warm muffled sound of ski boots,” Dubois added.
    A rail-like wooden partition separates the bedroom and living areaDubois studied photography before moving into architecture and set up his eponymous firm in 2014.
    For this project, he borrowed from the principles of photographers William Eggleston and Stephen Shore, known for their simple compositions and highly saturated photos respectively.
    Dubois describes his design approach for the Bouchardon, and more broadly, as “creating universes”.
    “Designing is all about creating stories, universes,” he said. “Like a film-maker, a photographer, it’s about digesting references and coming up with something different that, although rooted, creates its own identity and its own story.”
    Other projects from the studio recently featured on Dezeen include a Parisian clothing store that features nods to nightclub interiors and a yellow-bricked store for skincare brand Aesop.
    The photography is by Ludovic Balay.

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    Cavernous restaurant by Spacemen feels like “stepping into a giant pot”

    Architecture studio Spacemen has designed the Bar Kar restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to resemble the earth ovens historically used to cook and smoke food in the ground.

    Based between Shanghai and Kuala Lumpur, Spacemen conceived the interiors for Bar Kar “around the concept of primordial community cooking”.
    Bar Kar is entered via a pathway lined with firewoodGuests enter the eatery through a winding pathway lined with the same firewood used in the restaurant’s kitchen.
    This immersive hall was bookended with mirrored walls to give the illusion of an infinite space.
    Cavernous walls were designed to evoke ancient cooking pitsA bespoke yellow onyx welcome desk with a timber base was positioned at the end of the pathway, which leads to the main dining hall through a stucco-clad tunnel illuminated by a rounded skylight.

    Cavernous, terracotta-hued walls were designed to evoke ancient cooking pits.
    The central “chef’s table” was finished in veiny grey travertine”It’s as if patrons are actually stepping into a giant pot,” Spacemen founder Edward Tan told Dezeen.
    This geometry is echoed in curved tables and banquettes as well as a U-shaped central “chef’s table” finished in veiny grey travertine.
    Arranged around an open, terracotta tile-clad kitchen, the back-lit table provides a space for guests to sit and watch their meals take shape.
    Brown slate flooring was chosen to emulate rocks”All of the elements and finishes are inspired by primordial times,” said Tan, noting the locally sourced brown slate flooring, which was chosen to resemble rocks.
    Crumpled mesh sculptures reminiscent of flames were suspended from curved holes in the undulating ceiling.

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    Bar Kar also features a private dining room informed by “the organic contours of a cave”. For this space, Spacemen chose cream-coloured stucco, stacked in ridged layers to mimic the inside of a cocoon.
    Another gold mesh sculpture hangs over the room’s central red travertine table.
    The private stucco-clad dining room mimics a cocoon”We deconstructed the elements of primordial living in ancient times and put them into an abstract composition,” Tan said. “We wanted to make the restaurant familiar but with a fun and contemporary approach.”
    Known for its bold application of colour and texture, Spacemen previously inserted an “otherworldly” moss-covered installation in a luxury bag store in Putrajaya.
    Other earthy interiors include Studio Wok’s cavernous pizzeria in Sardinia, with sandy pink plaster walls designed to reflect the island’s wind-swept granite rocks.
    The photography is by Su Ping. 

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    Timothy Godbold adorns Tribeca loft with modernist relief panels

    New York interior designer Timothy Godbold has renovated an apartment in a historic Tribeca building, adding various relief treatments across its neutral walls including panels influenced by a 1970s sci-fi series.

    The spacious loft is located in an 1881 cast-iron building on Franklin Street, which was formerly a textile factory and was overhauled by Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Shigeru Ban in 2019.
    The most dramatic space in the loft is a double-height living room surrounded by windows”The homeowners, a young family with two children, set out with the objective of creating a great home for entertaining that simultaneously utilized space efficiently to create a comfortable family living space,” said Godbold’s team.
    The designer helped to organise the layout so that it functioned optimally for the family, and despite opting for a neutral colour palette, Godbold upped the drama through the scale of the furniture and artwork.
    Rather than disguise a structural column, Timothy Godbold used it as an anchor for the dining tableA double-height living room occupies a corner flooded with light from windows on two sides, which can be diffused by drawing the sheer curtains.

    To work around a large structural column disrupting the view to the living room, Godbold used the column to anchor a stone dining table to turn it into a focal feature.
    The kitchen is intentionally minimal, benefitting from the absence of cabinet and drawer pullsThe table references a 1930s design by Hans and Wassili Luckhardt and Alfons Anker, in keeping with the industrial style of the building.
    The kitchen is very minimal, thanks to the omission of cabinet and drawer pulls, and includes an island with a waterfall stone top that creates space for a breakfast bar.
    An area behind the kitchen was converted into a flexible office and bar spaceHidden behind the kitchen is a former TV room converted into a bar room and an office “to maximise the versatility of the space and meet multiple needs”.
    The walls in this flexible room are covered in geometric plaster-relief panels, which add shadows and texture, while the furniture is darker and more masculine.
    Plaster relief panels based on a 1970s sci-fi series cover the wallsA Reprise pendant light from New York design studio Apparatus hangs in a corner that has been curved to accentuate the modernist-style wall panelling.
    “The wall details in this Tribeca space are inspired by a classic 1970s sci-fi series that showcases an all-Italian modern aesthetic within a futuristic environment,” said the team.
    A feature wall behind the bed in the primary bedroom is fluted across its full widthA row of plastered arched niches separates the formal entertaining areas from a more casual seating area, where a large pale grey sofa shifts the tone from the warm whites found elsewhere.
    In the primary bedroom, the built-in bed and nightstands are installed below a tufted upholstered headboard that runs the full width of the room, and a fluted wall feature that extends to the ceiling.
    The bedroom also features a sculptural sofa, large planters and a huge artwork by Etienne MoyatOpposite the bed is a sculptural sofa surrounded by oversized planters and a large, carved relief artwork by French sculptor Etienne Moyat on the wall.
    Godbold custom-designed many of the pieces throughout the home, including most of the furniture and decorative elements.

    Timothy Godbold turns his Hamptons home into a “villain’s hideout”

    His references included mid-century Italian designers like Joe Colombo, whose space-age shapes are echoed in the dining chairs, sofas, and smaller lighting and decor items.
    Godbold also played with proportion to add drama, as seen in the living room’s custom stone sofas that are upholstered in a “brutalist” fabric made in England, and the coffee table with an integrated planter.
    A variety of space-age shapes and materials can be found throughout the loftThe rugs also feature custom designs that outline the furniture in the same space.
    Overall, the goal was to “marry the industrial, the art deco and the more surreal aspects of 1970s noir cult cinema for a glamorous and intriguing end product.”
    The home’s neutral colour palette continues through to the nurseryOriginally from Australia, Godbold is currently based in the Hamptons, where he renovated his mid-century home to resemble a “villain’s hideout”.
    He also aims to preserve other modernist dwellings built across the area through the nonprofit organisation Hamptons 20th Century Modern.
    The photography is by David Mitchell.

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    Eight minimalist bathrooms with peaceful pared-back interiors

    For our latest lookbook, we have collected eight minimalist bathrooms that combine tactile materials and organic details to create a relaxing and tranquil environment.

    Next to the bedroom, the bathroom is often the place in the home that is reserved for relaxation and pampering. Keeping interiors here free of unnecessary clutter while adding organic materials such as wood and stone can help to create a tranquil feel.
    Below, we’ve showcased minimalist bathrooms in eight homes from around the world from Mexico to Belgium that show creative and beautiful solutions for this important room.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring Mexican holiday homes, interiors with dramatic full-length curtains and living spaces with swings.
    Photo by by Jonas Bjerre-PoulsenHeatherhill Beach House, Denmark, by Norm Architects

    This beach house on the Danish coast was created as “a getaway from everyday life in Copenhagen”, according to its designers Norm Architects.
    The home’s two minimalist bathrooms were informed by Japanese traditions and feature simple wooden details and brick floors.
    “The spaces are rather small and should still feel comfortable and spacious,” architect Sophie Bak told Dezeen.
    Find out more about Heatherhill Beach House ›
    Photo by Radek ÚlehlaSculptor’s Apartment, Czech Republic, by Neuhäusl Hunal
    Translucent glass panels were used throughout this apartment in Prague, designed by Czech architecture studio Neuhäusl Hunal as a workspace for a sculptor.
    A centralised, curved bathroom features a walk-in shower that is raised on a small platform and clad in white ceramic tiles.
    Find out more about Sculptor’s Apartment ›
    Photo by Givlio AristideCloister House, Australia, by MORQ
    Architecture studio MORQ designed this rammed-concrete house in Perth, Australia, to surround a plant-filled courtyard.
    The interiors also feature visible rammed concrete combined with red hardwood ceilings. In the bathroom, these materials create textural interest and are contrasted with steel fixtures and a wooden floor.
    Find out more about Cloister House ›
    Photo by Mariell Lind HansenCanyon House, UK, by Studio Hagen Hall
    The minimalist bathroom in Canyon House was given a warm feel through the use of cork tiles, which clad both the floor and the bathtub.
    Like the rest of the house, the interior was informed by 1970s California modernism. Pale lavender-coloured curtains and globe-shaped bathroom lamps add simple decorative touches to the space.
    Find out more about Canyon House ›
    Photo by Fabián MartinezLoma Residence, Mexico, by Esrawe Studio
    Local firm Esrawe Studio wrapped the whole interior of this Mexico City apartment in an oak “skin” – save for the stone-clad bathroom.
    Here, the all-stone walls and floor create a striking interior with their natural patterns, while an oval washbasin and built-in shower add interesting geometries.
    Find out more about Loma Residence ›
    Photo by Salva LópezCasolare Scarani, Italy, by Studio Andrew Trotter
    This 19th-century school in Puglia, Italy, was turned into a home by architecture practice Studio Andrew Trotter, which aimed to “bring it back to life without destroying its essence”.
    In the bathroom, the studio kept the traditional stone flooring and added calming lime-plaster walls. Geometric glass lamps, a jute rug and a copper tap and soap holder give the minimalist bathroom a rustic touch.
    Find out more about Casolare Scarani ›
    Photo by Tim Van de VeldeKarper, Belgium, by Hé!
    Clay plaster clads the walls of the bathroom in this Brussels home (above and main image) designed by Belgian studio Hé! While the colour palette was kept simple – held mostly in pale beige and white – plenty of green plants give the space life.
    The apartment is located in a former industrial building on Karperstraat, to which the studio added a timber-framed rooftop extension.
    Find out more about Karper ›
    Photo by Lorenzo ZandriNelson Terrace, UK, by Paolo Cossu Architects
    This minimalist apartment in London, which local studio Paolo Cossu Architects designed “almost like a blank canvas”, features an equally minimalist bathroom.
    Here, a chunky white bathtub sits next to a geometric steel stool – a decorative piece that functions almost like an artwork in the pared-back space. A fabric shower curtain and wooded towel rack give the room a more organic feel.
    Find out more about Nelson Terrace ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring Mexican holiday homes, interiors with dramatic full-length curtains and living spaces with swings.

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    Selfridges launches The Joke Shop with playful Slapstick Generator artwork

    London department store Selfridges has opened The Joke Shop, a “shoppable comedy store” that sells products including sneezing powder and has windows filled with whoopee cushions and slipping bananas.

    Located in the corner store space on Selfridges’ ground-floor level, The Joke Shop pop-up store was designed by the retailer’s in-house team.
    The Joke Shop has a fake entrance with nostalgic typefacesThe shop, which the retailer describes as a “shoppable comedy store”, sells joke shop products such as whoopee cushions and sneezing powder, together with fashion pieces from designers including Judith Leiber and Adam Jones.
    Selfridges worked with five joke stores across the UK to get the right atmosphere for The Joke Shop, which Selfridges executive creative director Laura Weir hoped “would platform the power of nostalgia and in-person human connection”.
    The shop sells a mix of playful toys and fashion items”The Selfridges creative team travelled the country visiting local joke shops and found institutions that were rich in inspiration and personality,” Weir told Dezeen.

    “We used more found and vintage pieces than we might usually in the space and as a result, a customer asked me ‘what did you use for the smell?'” she added. “The impression of a genuine joke shop was so strong that customers felt we had scented the space, which we hadn’t.”
    Artist Mel Brimfield created Slapstick Generators for the storeThe Joke Shop also features the Slapstick Generator, an artwork by artist Mel Brimfield that appears ready to drop buckets of paints and anvils on visitors to the store.
    A second Slapstick Generator outside the store threatens to release a boulder on the person at the Selfridges Concierge desk outside The Joke Shop, while a third sits in one of its windows.
    One appears ready to drop a boulder”I love the sheer scale of it, the detail of each mechanism and the sense of movement,” Weir said of the Slapstick Generator.
    A fake door, which fills another of the windows, was inspired by nostalgic typefaces and handwritten wayfinding.
    “Above the door, we worked with Peckham-based signwriter and mural artist Matt Rogers who hand-painted the signs to give a nod to the British joke shops,” Weir said.

    Yinka Ilori imbues Courvoisier bar with natural beauty of Cognac region

    “Some of my favourite touches were the graphic stickers on the door, which disclosed a funny rating instead of a hygiene rating, for example, subverting classic retailing tropes with funny twists,” she added.
    “Eclectic attention to detail and intentional imperfection felt important.”
    Artist Max Siedentopf designed a display of a banana slipping on a banana peelSelfridges also commissioned artist Max Siedentopf to create installations for its other department store windows, featuring his takes on classic jokes – including a giant chicken crossing a road to get to Selfridges and a trainer-clad banana that has slipped on a peel.
    “Each window pays homage to classic jokes and pranks throughout the decades – from giant whoopee cushions, a wide collection of authentic clown shoes, pie catapults and, of course, bananas,” Siedentopf told Dezeen.
    A giant whoopee cushion fills one window”I bribed a group of monkeys with bananas to randomly select jokes for me,” he added. “Each window is unique, however every single screw, piece of wood, banana and nail were carefully selected for their comedic potential.”
    Other Selfridges retail spaces featured on Dezeen include a pop-up Kim Kardashian swimwear store and a Courvoisier bar by designer Yinka Ilori.
    The photography is courtesy of Selfridges.

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