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    Esrawe + Cadena house Mexico City fragrance boutique within radial pavilion

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    This wooden pavilion set among lush gardens forms a retail space in Mexico City for fragrance brand Xinú, designed by its founders Esrawe + Cadena.

    The Xinú Marsella space occupies a former car mechanic’s workshop in the city’s Juarez neighborhood that has been transformed into an oasis of greenery.
    Esrawe + Cadena built the Xinú boutique within an industrial courtyard transformed into a verdant gardenIt was built to provide a multi-sensory experience for customers of perfume and home scent brand Xinú, which designers Héctor Esrawe and Ignacio Cadena founded in 2016.
    Both had a hand in creating the retail space, which is intended to reinvigorate the leftover industrial space and provide an enjoyable spot to visit.
    The single-storey pavilion is built almost entirely from laminated tornillo wood”The design approach started with the idea of gifting a garden to the neighbourhood, ingeniously giving life to a vacant space by harmoniously blending a holistic experience that integrates the seductive power of nature, with design and architecture,” said the design team.

    Visitors approach the space via an unassuming metal gateway on the street, passing through a tunnel with many potted plants on either side before emerging into the courtyard.
    Its radial construction emanates from a central columnA flagstone path guides this journey to and around a circular single-storey pavilion built almost entirely from laminated tornillo wood.
    Its radial construction revolves around a large central pillar, from which structural beams emanate to support tongue-and-groove ceiling panels.
    Vertical louvres around the perimeter support shelves and vitrines displaying various itemsThe pavilion sits on a steel frame atop a system of red grandis wood beams, while a pine lattice above the ceiling supports a plywood board roof.
    Around the perimeter are a series of vertical louvres that provide anchors for shelves and vitrines displaying a variety of items.
    Products on view include Xinú’s fragrances, candles and other olfactory-related piecesGlass panels fill most of the gaps between the louvres, except the two that are left for the wooden doors.
    At night, a ring of track lighting illuminates the displays that range from Xinú perfumes and candles, to olfactory-stimulating natural items, small plants and botanical drawings.
    The boutique is designed to offer Xinú customers a “a powerful authentic brand narrative””This thoughtful arrangement allows the periphery to fully embrace the botanical realm, correlating scents, candles, incense and home products with the vivid tapestry of the landscape,” the team said.
    “Supported by a powerful authentic brand narrative, the pavilion unfolds as a contemplative journey, a multi-sensory approach inviting guests to explore a universe crafted by simplicity and the fragrant symphony of nature as well as Xinú’s unique products and scents.”

    Mexican design and architecture undergoing a “renaissance” says Héctor Esrawe

    Xinú launched during Design Week Mexico in 2016, when the brand’s stacked-hemisphere reusable bottles – also designed by Esrawe Studio and Cadena & Asociados – were unveiled.
    Esrawe is one of Mexico’s most prolific contemporary designers, and in a recent interview with Dezeen, said that Mexican design and architecture is undergoing a “renaissance”.
    The courtyard is accessed from the street via a metal gate and reached by following a flagstone pathHis studio’s recent projects include the Albor Hotel in San Miguel de Allende where planes of green tile are suspended from the lobby ceiling and an apartment in Mexico City anchored by a cruciform cabinet.
    Cadena frequently collaborates on projects with Esrawe, offering art direction, concept design and brand identity.
    Track lighting inside the pavilion and uplights in the plants create an atmospheric setting at nightOther projects the two studios have completed together include Grupo Arca’s showroom and cultural centre in Guadalajara and the Tierra Garat cafe in Polanco, Mexico City.
    The photography is by Alejandro Ramírez.
    Project credits:
    Concept and experience: Esrawe + CadenaArchitecture, interior design, furniture: Esrawe StudioDisplay and artwork design: Cadena ConceptsDesign team: Heisei Carmona, Nuria Martin, Laura Vela, Ángel Durán, Raúl Araiza, Rodrigo Romero, Pablo ÁvilaVisualisations: Yair UgarteScale models: Alejandro Uribe, David DíazWood: MicmacStructure: Sergio LópezInstallations: JLC RemodelacionesLandscaping: Arturo FloresLighting: Lighteam

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      Vitra extends European presence with showroom openings in heritage buildings

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      Promotion: Swiss furniture brand Vitra is expanding its European presence through a programme of showroom openings in renovated, distinctive historic buildings.

      The brand, which is known for high-end office and home furniture by leading designers, has embarked on a programme of showroom expansion and renovation to add to its global presence.
      “All Vitra showrooms reflect an agile and flexible platform to showcase our office and home concepts, including both Vitra and Artek,” said the brand.
      “We are keen to present the collaboration and synergies with our partners in spaces designed for communal work, activities and events.”
      It has recently opened or renovated showrooms in Amsterdam, London, Madrid, Oslo and Stockholm.

      Vitra recently opened a showroom in OsloVitra’s latest showroom opened last month in Oslo. Set within a 1930s metal factory in the resurgent Skøyen district, the understated interior was designed to contrast the industrial structure and set the base for the brand’s curated furniture collections.
      The space contains offices for Vitra local staff and also functions as a place for the brand to host architects and designers.
      It also opened a showroom in renovated building in MadridEarlier this year in Madrid’s bustling Salamanca district, Vitra opened a showroom within a 1920s art nouveau building originally designed by Spanish architect Antonio Palacios as a power supply facility for the city’s metro system.
      The space was renovated by Spanish studio Carlos Manzano Arquitectos to create a bright and open space that showcases many of the building’s original features.
      Topped by a distinctive steel and glass roof, the space combines office space for Vitra’s Madrid staff along with a showroom space, Vitra Colour & Material Library and a Task Chair Lab.
      “One of our main goals was to peel off added elements to reveal the beauty of the spacious interior,” said Till Weber, creative director interiors and scenography.
      “We also tried to maintain as much as possible of the original structure. For example, we tore out an entire kitchen installed by the former tenant to reveal wonderfully preserved brick walls.”
      Its Amsterdam showroom overlooks the city’s portIn Amsterdam, Vitra recently opened another showroom on the dockside in the city’s Houthavens district within an old industrial munitions complex.
      Vitra’s Amsterdam home was designed by London-based interiors studio SevilPeach, which was shortlisted for interior designer of the year at Dezeen Awards 2019.
      Described as “breathtaking” by Vitra chairman Rolf Fehlbaum, the pared-back space features several showrooms, a shop, offices, canteen, a workshop and warehouse spaces.
      Vitra’s London showroom opened in the Tramshed in ShoreditchIn London, Vitra recently opened a showroom in another heritage building – the Grade II-listed Tramshed in Shoreditch.
      Originally built as a power station for the East London Tramway in 1905, the building was renovated to draw attention to its original features including the central roof light.
      Along with the showroom openings, Vitra also recently renovated its Stockholm showroom. The brand also has European showrooms in Brussels, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Prague and Paris as well as outside Europe in Los Angeles, New York and Tokyo.
      The Herzog & de Meuron-designed VitraHaus is its flagship storeThe target audience for Vitra’s showrooms are B2B professionals, dealers, artists and designers. For its private clients, Vitra caters via its authorised dealer network and its own online shops.
      Additionally, there is the Vitra Campus in Weil Am Rhein in Germany, which contains the Herzog & de Meuron-designed VitraHaus flagship store.
      “The VitraHaus is a unique building that we have been working on for more than a decade,” said Nora Fehlbaum, CEO of Vitra.
      “During this time, we have learned more about the building and about interiors in general: what does the building want? What suits it? What are the recipes for a good room? What is missing from our collection to make an interior even more meaningful or appealing? The interior we have now created reflects our answers to these questions and it is an ongoing project.”
      Vitra creative director interiors and scenography Till Weber said: “In addition to the Vitra Campus, the Vitra brand should also be tangible and visible at a local level.”
      “Depending on the location and surroundings there is a tailored concept, different colour scheme, a different product selection – but the Vitra DNA can always be experienced.”
      Find out more about Vitra’s showrooms on its website.
      Partnership content
      This article was written by Dezeen for Vitra as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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

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      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 LN-CC store in east London has a red facade”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.”
      An octagonal wooden tunnel welcomes visitorsThe 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.
      Each room in the store has different colours and materialsIt 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.”
      A cobalt-blue room sits on the lower-ground floorEach 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.
      The store is LN-CC’s only physical spaceAmong 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.
      The Atrium room has green pillars decorated with tile adhesiveFor 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.”

      Mooradian Studio sprays London boutique interior with recycled newspaper pulp

      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.”
      The Midtarsal room has undulating shapes in a beige colourThe 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.”
      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.

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      Al-Jawad Pike creates marble “immersive experience” for APL’s Soho flagship store

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      British architecture studio Al-Jawad Pike has used colourful marble for the interiors of trainer brand Athletic Propulsion Labs’ second flagship store in Soho, New York City.

      The interior of the 3,900-square-foot space (1,188 square metre) was laid out in a curving amphitheatre design, which the studio designed to be “simple yet severe” while creating a “completely immersive experience,” Al-Jawad Pike studio co-founder Jessam Al-Jawad told Dezeen.
      The centrepiece of the Athletic Propulsion Labs (APL) store is five “vanity rooms” in a radial design, each clad in different-coloured onyx or marble stone with matching stone stools and back-lit mirrors.
      The rainbow-colour array of stone, chosen by the client from different quarries, was “intended to represent the five boroughs of New York,” Al-Jawad said.
      Five vanity rooms are each clad in distinctive coloured onyx or marbleA teardrop-shaped column is located in the centre of the store, while boulder-like plinths positioned around the space are used for product displays.

      The textured display plinths were developed with a bespoke fabricator based in New York, who CNC-carved the forms.
      The studio incorporated various other materials into the scheme such as textured sprayed plaster on the walls, Romano travertine for the floor, and champagne-coloured anodised aluminium for the display boxes.
      Al Jawad Pike completed the interiors for Athletic Propulsion Lab’s flagship store in New YorkThe aim of the store layout was to allow customers to see all the products from all parts of the store.
      “We approached this by creating an architectural form that displays the product in a pan-optical array to provide visibility in completeness from almost any part of the store; whilst maintaining a seamless link between staff back-of-house functions at the basement level with the main retail space,” the studio explained.
      The space features a layout designed in a curvilinear amphitheatre styleThe shoes are displayed in simple box frames, which are raised and lit up like artwork in a gallery. Ensuring that the trainers on display were the focal point was a main objective for the architects.
      “The goal was to make sure the products were the main attraction in the store, while also making everything work smoothly for both customers and staff,” Al-Jawad Pike said.
      The studio devised a store layout enabling customers to view all products from any part of the storeThe store’s semi-circular layout has street-facing windows that let in the light, and the studio also added adjustable warm lighting from the back-lit, semi-circular ceiling to provide additional illumination.
      “We wanted to create a wash of light from above to bath the space in a warm and comfortable ambience,” said Al-Jawad.
      “At its top, the perimeter wall banks into a semi-circular, back-lit stretch ceiling with adjustable warmth to dramatically alter the atmosphere in the space.”
      Sculpted boulders are dotted around the store spaceAl-Jawad Pike was founded in 2014 by Al-Jawad and Dean Pike and aims to create spaces that “engender a sense of well-being and intrigue, as well as fun”.
      Other retail interiors recently featured on Dezeen include Bottega Veneta’s Avenue Montaigne flagship store in Paris and Cúpla’s design for a boutique in central London.
      The photography is by Ståle Eriksen.

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      Linehouse creates greenhouse-informed food market in Shanghai

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      Architecture studio Linehouse has wrapped a food market in a Shanghai laneway neighbourhood around a central atrium informed by Victorian greenhouses.

      Named Foodie Social, the 2,000-square-metre food market is located within the Hong Shou Fang community – a residential area in Shanghai’s Putuo district known for its classic “longtang” laneway architecture.
      The food market is in a two-storey grey brick building in ShanghaiThe entrance to the two-storey market was framed by a double-height arrangement of stacked recycled red bricks, with a corten steel canopy added to provide shelter.
      The same recycled red bricks sourced from demolished houses in China can also be found on the interior walls, stacked to create three dimensional patterns.

      The glass pitched roof is lined with a gently curved metal trussA large glass door can be pulled open on warm days, with patterned paving from the laneway outside extending to the interior of the market, fully connecting the interior and exterior.

      The interior of the market was designed to resemble a greenhouse, with shops and cafe’s arrranged around a central, double-height atrium.
      The glass pitched roof above the atrium was lined with gently curved metal truss, in reference to Victorian greenhouses, with three large fans hanging from the metal truss to improve the air circulation.
      Some vendors are designed to be retractable to allow flexibilityA cafe in the atrium, which contains an olive tree planted into the ground, integrates a metal staircase that leads to the upper floor.
      A area describes as a “stage” is located by the staircase with a series of undulating balconies wrapped around the atrium on the upper floor.

      Overlapping concrete arches frame Bangkok shopping centre by Linehouse

      Various typologies of food vendors are arranged in the open atrium on the ground floor, some of which are designed to be retractable, allowing flexibility for different types of vendors as well as a large open event space to be formed at the centre.
      “This new typology brings together the local with more curated food offerings in a contemporary yet humble and sustainable way,” explained Linehouse’s Shanghai team who are responsible for the design.
      Recycled red bricks can be found both on the facade and interior wallsSmaller snack shops were positioned on the ground floor, while larger restaurants occupy the upper floor.
      Each stall was assembled from a kit of parts, so that the vendors are able to create their own signage and layout, but maintain a consistent material and lighting palette.
      Larger restaurants are located on the upper floorLinehouse is a Hong Kong and Shanghai-based architecture and interior design studio established in 2013 by Alex Mok and Briar Hickling. The duo won the emerging interior designer of the year category at the 2019 Dezeen Awards.
      The studio has also recently designed the facade of a shopping centre in Bangkok and the interiors for a Hong Kong residence that respond to coastal views.
      The photography is by Wen Studio.
      Project credits:
      Design principal: Alex MokAssociate-in-charge: Cherngyu ChenDesign team: Yeling Guo, Fei Wang, Wang Jue, Norman Wang, Aiwen Shao, Mia Zhou, Yunbin Lou, Xiaoxi Chen, Tom Grannells

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      Mooradian Studio sprays London boutique interior with recycled newspaper pulp

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      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.

      Cúpla decorates Rixo Marylebone store with hand-painted murals

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

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      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.

      Apparatus designs Interlude furniture for “imagined, modernist concert hall”

      “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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      Selfridges launches The Joke Shop with playful Slapstick Generator artwork

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      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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      Crosby Studios creates office-themed installation in LA for The Frankie Shop

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      New York-based Crosby Studios has piled office equipment around a long metallic table as part of a pop-up installation for fashion brand The Frankie Shop in Los Angeles.

      The month-long installation titled The Office was launched to coincide with LA Art Week and the Sag-Aftra film festival and marked the New York label The Frankie Shop’s first presence in the Californian city.
      A long, metallic conference table formed part of The Office installation created by Crosby StudiosThe brand’s founder Gaëlle Drevet and Crosby Studios creative director Harry Nuriev met at his studio, talked for 2.5 hours and decided to work together.
      The resulting installation occupies a trapezoidal building on Sunset Boulevard wrapped in metallic film on all sides.
      Equipment like printers, office chairs and water coolers were arranged around the perimeter of the spaceInside, the warehouse-like space features a long table also covered in a reflective material, with matching cube-shaped stools set along either side.

      Articulated desk lamps, microphones and bottles of water were arranged on the table as if set up for delegates at a convention.
      The central table featured microphones and water bottles as if set up for a meetingAround the perimeter, Nuriev placed recycled office equipment, such as a large printer, a stack of binders and a pile of plastic-wrapped office chairs.
      A row of water coolers was lined up along one end of the room, encircled with glowing light boxes to create sharp silhouettes of the equipment in front.
      Light boxes that encircle the space create sharp silhouettes of the office furniture placed in front”It’s not really about the office, it’s more about what happens after the office,” Nuriev told Dezeen. “I was thinking it’s time to officially move on from the office and consider the future. However, in this project, we’re uncertain about what the future holds exactly.”
      A selection of apparel by The Frankie Shop is interspersed among the vignettes, while a “storage” area in the back serves as a fitting room.
      Some of the furniture is plastic-wrapped, appearing as though just installed or ready to be shipped awayTogether, the industrial style of the building, the silvery materials, the lighting and the equipment served to highlight the brand’s reinterpretation of businesswear.
      “The pop-up design blends a dynamic combination of fashion and nostalgia, where the power suits of the past seamlessly align with the modern attitude of The Frankie Shop,” said the team.

      Crosby Studios looks to the “signature red” of David Lynch for Silencio New York

      Metallics are commonplace in Nuriev’s interior projects, appearing prominently in a Berlin jewellery store, a Moscow restaurant and his own New York apartment amongst others.
      However, he is vague about the reasons or intentionality behind this recurring theme.
      The exterior of the building on Sunset Boulevard is also covered in reflective film”I don’t really think about ‘why’; it’s just my instincts, and I prefer to follow my feelings,” said Nuriev. “For this project, I had a vision of silver, and I think it works perfectly.”
      Originally from Russia, the designer founded Crosby Studios in 2014 and is now based between New York and Paris.
      The month-long installation marks The Frankie Shop’s first presence in LA and was timed to coincide with the city’s art weekHe recently completed the interiors for New York nightclub Silencio, based on the original location in Paris designed by film director David Lynch.
      Nuriev frequently collaborates with fashion brands, on projects ranging from a virtual sofa upholstered with green Nike jackets to a transparent vinyl couch filled with old Balenciaga clothing.
      The photography is by Josh Cho.
      The Office is on show in Los Angeles from 23 February to 24 March. For more events, talks and exhibitions in architecture and design visit Dezeen Events Guide.

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