Subterms
Marble covered with plaster and metal treated with acid are among the repurposed materials used by Japanese architect Shogo Onodera to minimise waste while fitting out the flagship store of fashion brand IZA Tokyo. More
Brazilian studios Vaga Arquitectura and Atelier Pistache Ganache teamed up to design a “consumer-first” boutique outfit with curving coral walls for a mattress company in Sāo Paulo. More
Swedish designer Gustaf Westman displayed existing and new objects including a colourful “puzzle” shelf during a three-day pop-up event in New York City.
Named Gustaf Westman in New York, the show was located in an industrial storefront in Williamsburg and displayed the designer’s colourful objects and furniture on a meandering pink and orange pathway.
Swedish designer Gustaf Westman held a New York City pop-up that gave nod to a museum experienceSmall descriptions were placed on the ground in front of the objects, as “a nod to a museum experience”, while printed pamphlets similar to museum guides were available to visitors.
“The decision was very organic,” Westman told Dezeen. “When we came here, it was like a gallery space. It’s also a bit ironic, because I’ve only been doing this for four years and I’m not really ready to do a museum.”
A brightly coloured pathway weaved through the space, which was divided by Westman’s screens and a larger display wall towards the front.
Gustaf Westman and Swedish Stockings transform nylon tights into “terrazzo-like” tables
Among the new objects displayed was Puzzle Shelf, a shelving unit made of interlocking, stackable rectangular forms that conclude in puzzle-shaped feet. Westman noted that the shelf is 3D-printed and processed to resemble the material qualities of his other ceramic and metal objects.
“I have an obsession with trying to test all different materials and trying to make them look the same,” said Westman. “Even if I work with wood or ceramics or glass, I want to keep the same finish, so [3D printing] is the next step.”
The shelf was made in a host of bright colours such as red, pink, cream, and dark blue.
Existing and new objects from the designer were displayedThe remaining space was filled with pedestals and shelving outfitted with existing glassware and objects such as a spiralling book stand and flower-shaped mirrors, along with furniture such as a coffee table that pinches wine glasses in place.
The designer previously used nylon tights to create “terrazzo-like” tables and displayed his objects during Day Two from Stockholm Design Week 2024.
The photography is by Kate Fatseas unless otherwise stated
Gustaf Westman in New York was on show at 25 Fillmore Place, Brooklyn from 10-13 October. For more events, exhibitions and talks in architecture and design visit the Dezeen Events Guide.
Read more: More
Tokyo studio Schemata Architects has combined Japanese and Western designs inside a traditional wooden townhouse in Kyoto to create a store for perfumery brand Le Labo.
The building, otherwise known as a machiya, is located in the Kiyamachi area and has been revamped to incorporate Le Labo’s typical finishes while respecting its 145-year-old architecture.
The flagship store is located in an old Kyoto townhouse”How can a brand born and loved in the USA, a country with a culture of shoes-on, be in step with the values of traditional Japanese architecture, a culture of shoes-off, and blend in with Japanese culture?” Schemata Architects founder Jo Nagasaka told Dezeen.
“The project was a struggle between the two.”
Schemata Architects’ design respects the original interiorLe Labo stores are normally located in pared-back modern concrete buildings, but here, Schemata Architects kept the feel of the old townhouse, while making concessions for Western customs.
“We were discussing all the time how much of the existing weathered textures should be retained,” Nagasaka said.
A craftsman room is located on the second floorThe first floor, which showcases the brand’s products, feels more like other Le Labo stores, while the second, which houses offices, a craftsman room and a “fragrance organ”, has a more traditional feel.
“The first floor was furnished as a place to spend time standing up with shoes on, and products were displayed,” Nagasaka said.
“The second floor, on the other hand, was designed as a place to go up without shoes due to the height of the floor and the structure of the floor, so it consists mainly of low furniture.”
Antique and vintage furniture is used throughoutAs the store is located in an ancient city – Kyoto has been a city since 794 – Schemata Architects wanted the interior fittings to adhere to the traditional style of a machiya.
“The countertops, wall shelves, staircase, and other architectural elements are composed using the language of the machiya, and the paint scheme is consistent with the existing one, using antique colours of bengara, red earth pigment, and shown, pine soot,” the studio said.
Schemata Architects designed a pine staircase for the interiorThe studio has used mostly antique Japanese furniture pieces for the display cases and vintage Western metal lamps for the lighting design.
Schemata Architects also designed a staircase and shelving in pine wood for the interior, dying them to match the building’s existing structures.
Schemata Architects clads Komaeyu bathhouse in “patchwork” of turquoise tiles
“We wanted the staircase and shelves to be as close to the existing structure as possible, so we applied an ‘old colour paint’ over the common type of wood, the same as is applied to the existing structure,” Nagasaka said.
“Old colour paint is a colour-controlled mixture of persimmon tannin and soot of burnt pine.”
Walls are left bare with products displayed on pine shelvesThe store, which also has a cafe in an adjacent building across a small courtyard, now embodies the “spirit of Le Labo,” according to Schemata Architects.
“By carefully connecting and blending the machiya building with new fixtures, furniture, and products, it embodies the spirit of Le Labo, which treats time, age, craftsmanship, handiwork, and textures with great care,” the studio concluded.
Other recent projects by Schemata Architects include a concrete-and-brick gallery in Seoul and a public bathhouse clad in turquoise tiles.
The photography is courtesy of Le Labo.
Read more: More
Los Angeles-based studio 22RE has combined metal grids, black and mirrored surfaces, and bold splashes of colour inside this men’s multi-brand boutique in the city’s Arts District.
The second Departamento location is situated in the Signal retail enclave, which occupies a series of warehouses southeast of Downtown LA.
The Departamento store features custom elements like a green fibreglass and resin jewellery displayUsing the building’s industrial bones to inform design decisions, 22RE took styling sensibilities of 20th-century modernists like Rudolph Schindler and Richard Neutra.
“Inside, 22RE leans into the original architecture’s industrial elements through a deconstructivist lens,” said the studio.
From inside a coffee shop, visitors pass through a concealed entrance and a mirrored portal to access the storeThe store’s entrance is concealed inside a Concierge Coffee, leading to a mirrored portal that opens onto the shop floor.
While the layout follows a typical grid, the designers have inserted a variety of partitions, volumes and displays that “disrupt” the flow and encourage shoppers to explore.
A triangular niche with mirrored walls creates infinite reflections”This non-linear layout challenges the traditional browsing experience and provides an unconventional yet effective approach to shopping,” said 22RE.
A pair of curved metal-clad walls that evoke a Richard Serra sculpture form a narrow corridor from one area to another, while also displaying garments on their concave sides.
Partitions and volumes are strategically placed to frame views and encourage explorationBlackened wood panels form an enclosed space, inside which bright white walls and repurposed wooden framing contrast dramatically with the rest of the store interior.
“The space, entered via a slatted, sliding door, invites guests to experience the collection in a ryokan-inspired setting, evoking the traditional Japanese inn,” said 22RE.
A red cylindrical element acts a fitting roomThis shop-in-shop was designed in collaboration with fashion brand Taiga Takahashi, and also features shelving made from tatami mats and flooring intended to resemble pebble stones.
Another triangular niche features mirrored walls that create infinite reflections of the apparel and the aubergine-coloured carpet on the floor.
22RE invokes “stillness” inside green Miami golfing boutique
“Collections are hung and displayed via monolithic and sculpturesque forms that divide up the space, creating a fluid but juxtaposing dichotomy between the heavier wood forms and the lighter metallic elements,” 22RE said.
A red cylindrical volume is used as a fitting room, while further dressing areas are tucked away behind silver curtains.
22RE collaborated with Taiga Takahashi on a blackened wood shop-in-shop spaceCustom elements include a green fibreglass resin-and-foam jewellery case and a chiselled aluminium side table.
A white aluminium ceiling grid stretches across the entire store, extending over all of the freestanding elements, with lighting embedded behind creating futuristic glowing patches.
Influenced by Japanese ryokan inns, the space features white walls and repurposed timber framing22RE was founded by principal Dean Levin in 2021, and has since completed a range of interior design projects across the US.
The studio recently wrapped up the offices for a creative music agency in LA that include a 1970s-style sunken meeting room and a golf clothing boutique in Miami lined with pale-green stucco.
The photography is by Erik Stackpole Undehn.
Read more: More
Chinese interior studio Various Associates has completed an irregular pyramid-shaped flagship store for drone brand DJI in Shenzhen, China.
Located at OCT Harbour on the shores of Shenzhen Bay, the flagship store was designed to demonstrate the Chinese drone company’s latest technology.
Various Associates designed the largest DJI flagship in ShenzhenThe 4000-square-metre store contains spaces for product display, a gallery, customer service area and an event space in four floors, in addition to a public park called DJI Oasis, which is used for drone flights.
The multi-facated facade was clad in granite with large triangular windows on the angled surfaces facing the park, which is connected to the second floor via an outdoor, zigzagging staircase.
A new staircase connecting all floors is inserted into the buildingGentle ramps in the park lead visitors into the store, while forming a series of triangular patterns, responding to the same geometric form of the architecture.
To minimise the direct sun exposure from the glass facade, Various Associates inserted an “interior skin” of stainless steel louvres to the outer shell of the building.
The second layer forms an origami shape on the ceiling that corresponds to the outer shape.
Various Associates designs Voisin Organique restaurant to resemble a gloomy valley
“We hope to solve the problems of site mobility and sun exposure through a holistic program, and simplify the visual complexity of the interior walls and window sills, while retaining the original geometric aesthetics of the site architecture,” explained the Shenzhen-based studio.
“The newly added ‘interior skin’ filters the sunlight, casting unique daylight patterns throughout the day, creating a sense of outdoors.”
Display tables and lightings are informed by DJI’s classic drones’ propeller bladesOn the ground floor, DJI’s drone products are displayed on custom-made tables in angled shape of the brand’s classic drones’ propeller blades.
They are lit from above by lights, which are same shape, suspended from the ceiling.
A gallery-like space on the third floor is used to exhibit photographyThe third floor of the building contains the Hasselblad Experience Station – a joint display area for DJI and Swedish camera and lenses brand Hasselblad.
The gallery-like space with a darker tone contrasts the bright and airy product section downstairs, which is used for showcasing the photography created by DJI and Hasselblad.
An event space on the top floor features a 15-meter-high ceilingThe building is topped with the 15-meter-high DJI Horizon Hall, which was designed as an event venue. According to the studio, the dramatic geometric space naturally draws visitors to look up upon entering, evoking the actions of watching a drone taking off.
Various Associates is an architecture and interior design studio founded by Dongzi Yang and Qianyi Lin in 2017. Elsewhere in Shenzhen, the studio previously designed a cafe and cocktail bar that emulates a small cosy cabin.
The photography is by SFAP.
Project credits:
Architect: Various AssociatesChief designers: Qianyi Lin, Dongzi YangProject management: Hanqun CaiDesign team: Yuwen Deng, Zebing Li, Benzhen Pan, Chao Luo, Junrui Zhang, Qian Xie, Yue ZhangLighting design: GD Lighting DesignMEP design: Tongji ArchitectsStructural design: Tongji ArchitectsContractor: HECIAN
Read more: More
Interiors studio Tabitha Isobel has designed a gallery-like store in central London for luxury luggage brand Carl Friedrik, featuring a rich and inviting palette comprising dark wood, metal and draped fabrics.
Carl Friedrik approached studio founder Tabitha Organ to design the company’s first physical store, located in a Grade-II listed building on Regent Street just off Piccadilly Circus.
Tabitha Isobel has designed Carl Friedrik’s Regent Street storeOrgan and her team developed a scheme for the 65-square-metre space that references the pared-back look and materiality of the company’s products, which combine heritage details with modern styling.
“The brand style of Carl Friedrik is quite minimalistic and they wanted that to come across in the interiors,” Organ told Dezeen.
Drapes provide a theatrical backdrop for the products”The brief was to design a space that emulated an art gallery and concept store whilst also being practical, warm and inviting – a space where the products could take centre stage, be admired and have space to breathe,” she added.
The building’s listed status meant that only minor alterations could be made to the existing interior, which retained several of its original features including ornate cornicing and rich Versailles oak flooring.
Lamps by &tradition and display trays by Tiger Nicholson introduce a metallic touchThe previous tenants had painted the walls a cold shade of grey and the space featured shelving in a traditional style that didn’t reflect Carl Friedrik’s more contemporary values.
Organ chose a lighter, warmer shade for the walls that makes the most of daylight entering through windows on two sides. She also used calico fabric throughout the interior to soften the overall aesthetic and give it a more welcoming feel.
Due to the short-term nature of the lease on this space, everything in the store was designed to be easily dismantled and reused in an alternative venue if required.
Tabitha Isobel gives London townhouse a “surprising and bold” makeover
Drapes hung in front of two of the walls conceal the existing cabinetry and provide a theatrical backdrop for smaller bags and items displayed on aluminium shelves.
Fabric suspended from the ceiling also surrounds a central column, helping to partition the large space and create a layered effect that draws the customer’s eye through the room.
Bespoke plinths designed to display larger luggage items are finished in a consistent minimal and monolithic style to ensure attention is focused on the products.
Midcentury armchairs and a marble coffee table form a small lounge areaThe plinths were made in the north of England by fabricator Studio Tuesday using stained oak or wood lacquered in Carl Friedrik’s brand colour.
Throughout the store, Tabitha Isobel used aluminium and chrome to introduce reflective accents that catch the eye. The plinths are set on recessed aluminium bases that lighten their visual mass and create a floating effect.
Brushed aluminium was also used for the base of a custom-made display table featuring an inset panel made from the same chocolate-coloured leather as some of the brand’s products. There are no tills in the store as all orders are taken using handheld devices.
A Philippi bowl adds further metallic detailsA corner of the space is designated as a cosy lounge area organised around an existing fireplace. It features a woven bench positioned opposite a pair of mid-century armchairs and a marble coffee table chosen to complement the scheme’s material palette.
Portable lamps by Danish brand &tradition and a bowl by German firm Philippi add further metallic details, while the display trays positioned around the store are made by Organ’s brother Tiger Nicholson, a stonemason based in Henley-on-Thames.
To enhance the gallery-like feel, artworks including photographs by Daniëlle Siobhán and paintings by Melanie Anne Haynes provide focal points on some of the walls.
Decorative flowers provide a pop of colourCarl Friedrik’s longer-term vision is to open additional stores that will utilise the same minimalistic style and rich material palette as the Regent Street store.
Tabitha Organ established her studio in 2023 after a decade of working in the industry for studios including Conran and Partners and Tatjana von Stein.
The Carl Friedrik store is her first retail project after working predominantly on residences including a London townhouse that combines natural materials with futuristic details.
The photography is by Daniëlle Siobhán.
Read more: More
Spanish fashion house Loewe paid homage to its own craft history in this Seoul store, which features artwork including a multi-level bamboo sculpture and a basket woven entirely from horse hair.
The store is located in Seoul’s Gangnam district and is the first Casa Loewe branch in South Korea.
Loewe has opened a new shop in Seoul’s Gangnam districtA gleaming monolithic facade characterises the exterior, covered in handmade ceramic tiles in a verdant shade of green.
“With tiles crafted in Spain, the facade is a bold volume of colour and texture that sits in dialogue with the store’s urban context and surrounding greenery,” said Loewe.
Tile-clad plinths and shelving features insideThe interior spans three floors and also features a selection of brown, green and blue tiles, which clad blocky plinths and shelves displaying garments, bags and footwear.
By incorporating art throughout the store, Loewe aimed to reference its origins as a leather-making collective in the 19th century, as well as nodding to its annual craft prize.
Eclectic artwork characterises the storeThe collection of pieces includes a multi-level bamboo sculpture by Japanese artist Tanabe Chikuunsai IV. The bamboo was used to form a duo of cylinders resembling tree trunks, which stretch from the ground floor’s central atrium up onto the first floor, where they intertwine.
Among the other artwork on show is a delicate vessel by 2022 Craft Prize winner Dahye Jeong, who wove an intricate basket out of wispy strands of horse hair.
The collection includes a multi-level bamboo sculpture by Tanabe Chikuunsai IVAccording to Loewe, the brand conceived the store as “a place where a blend of fashion, art, craft and design furniture creates the eclectic feel of an art collector’s home”.
Furniture pieces are finished in a selection of materials ranging from custom felt to black walnut and canvas.
Loewe presents 24 lamps characterised by “unexpected interactions” with light
Bespoke Loewe leather benches provide seating for trying on shoes, while black terrazzo and burnt wood were used to create tables and podiums respectively.
Artisanal wool carpets were patterned with abstract interpretations of tapestries by British textile artist John Allen that depict expansive landscapes.
Wool carpets were finished with abstract interpretations of tapestries by John AllenThe rest of the interior is defined by swathes of concrete that contrast with the eclectic artworks on display, as well as oak, brass and marble accents.
This May, Mexican ceramicist Andrés Anza was named the seventh winner of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize for her “arresting” human-sized ceramic sculpture. Elsewhere in East Asia, the fashion house recently opened a store in Osaka, Japan, specifically dedicated to the repair and preservation of Loewe leather goods.
The photography is courtesy of Loewe.
Read more: More
Skincare brand Aesop has opened a minimalist store in London’s Knightsbridge, featuring a “soap corridor” created with uniform tiles made from the everyday bathroom product.
Set within a slim and narrow room on Brompton Road, the Aesop outlet is characterised by a floor-to-ceiling installation made of cream-coloured soap bars.
Aesop has opened a store in London’s KnightsbridgeThe installation, created by architect Nicolas Schuybroek, was transferred from an Aesop store in Milan, where it was temporarily on display for the city’s design week in April. Slabs of soap were arranged in a gridded layout and supported by a subtle timber structure, designed to be disassembled and installed at different locations.
“Schuybroek had taken one of the most fundamental, functional household items – a bar of soap – to create an unconventional sculpture,” reflected Aesop.
It features an installation by Nicolas Schuybroek made of bars of soapAccording to the skincare brand, the architect was informed by the simplicity of Arte Povera – an Italian art movement from the 1960s to the 1970s that favoured using unconventional everyday materials instead of more traditional ones such as oil paint or carved marble.
“Just as practitioners of the Arte Povera movement restricted themselves to simple and everyday materials in their poetic compositions, the spatial restriction of the store enforces a streamlined design in the form of a soap corridor,” said Aesop.
Frida Escobedo segments Aesop Park Slope with rammed-earth brickwork
As per every Aesop branch, the store includes a central basin for skin consultations. At the Knightsbridge store, every piece of furniture was repurposed from the Aesop furniture collection, including the basin and the grey geometric display shelving.
In one corner of the room, more bars of soap were piled into a sculptural heap, adding a playful touch to the otherwise “muted calm” of the interior.
The skincare brand explained that Schuybroek’s installation is intended to travel to numerous Aesop stores, with Brompton Road being its second home.
The installation was previously on display during Milan design week in AprilKnown for its varied store designs that often reference their specific locations, Aesop has nearly 400 outlets around the world.
These include a brick-clad branch in Copenhagen that pays homage to the nearby Louisiana Museum of Modern Art and an open-sided shop in Seoul that was informed by traditional Korean pavilions.
The photography is by Alixe Lay.
Read more: More
