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      RtA NYC store by Dan Brunn features broken crystal and red fitting rooms

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      Pieces of broken crystal fill a display case that runs the length of this Manhattan boutique, completed by Los Angeles-based architect Dan Brunn for streetwear brand Road to Awe.

      The store on Mercer Street in SoHo is both the third location for Road to Awe, also known as RtA, and the third designed by Dan Brunn Architecture.
      Road to Awe’s third store by Dan Brunn is divided by a central displayFollowing outposts in West Hollywood and Las Vegas, the new 2,152-square-foot (200-square-metre) space occupies the ground floor of a historic landmarked building.
      “Honoring the more industrial nature of its surroundings, RtA Soho takes on a streamlined and contemporary approach with a raw edge directly opposing the more playful and ostentatious style of the Vegas location and serene nature of its West Coast counterpart,” said Brunn’s studio.
      The row of vitrines is filled with pieces of broken Baccarat crystalThe open floor plan is divided along the centre by a line of mirrored chrome vitrines.

      Created in collaboration with crystal brand Baccarat, the display contains 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms) of broken crystal that would have otherwise been discarded.
      Clothing is hung from suspended steel beamsEach case has an angled top to create a faceted surface, while a red glow surrounds the base of the structure.
      The crystal pieces are also back-lit, “casting rays of light throughout the store like a reverse disco ball” according to the brand.
      At the rear, a fitting room area is entirely red and illuminated with neon stripsMenswear and womenswear are displayed either side of this central axis, hung from floating horizontal blackened steel beams that help to divide the space.
      Brunn retained the original wooden flooring, but painted it in a gradient that blends from white to black towards the rear of the store.

      Delicate glass shelves illuminate Las Vegas boutique by Dan Brunn Architecture

      At the back is an entirely red area that provides access to the fitting rooms.
      A velvet-covered seating module runs down the middle of this space, flanked by repeated arches that puncture the side walls and are outlined by neon lights.
      Areas of missing brick in the fitting rooms are lined with gold leafNeon strips also traverse horizontally across the ceiling, while an LED display on the back wall plays RtA’s merchandising videos and fashion shows.
      Inside the fitting rooms, “valleys” in the existing brick wall “were sporadically filled with gold leaf paint employing the Japanese kintsugi method of embracing the beauty in imperfection”, said the studio.
      The RtA NYC store is located in a historic building on Mercer StreetBrunn’s first store for RtA opened on Melrose Avenue in 2017, followed by his boutique at the Wynn resort in Las Vegas in 2019.
      The architect has also renovated a Frank Gehry-designed house for an illustrator and designed a long slender home spanning a brook for himself.
      The photography is by Brandon Shigeta.

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      Ten pop-up shop interiors featuring memorable designs

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      Our first lookbook of 2023 collects 10 pop-up shop interiors from around the world, from a swimming-pool-style store by fashion brand Jacquemus to a playful supermarket stocked with groceries made of felt.

      Pop-up shops are temporary retail spaces created as locations for brands to sell their products, generally installed for only a matter of weeks or months.
      Due to their fleeting nature, these stores often feature statement interior designs to capture the attention of their audiences, especially if their aim is to promote new or limited-edition goods.
      Showcasing a variety of material and colour palettes, here are 10 pop-up shops featured on Dezeen.
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring suspended fireplaces, homes with sliding doors and interiors informed by Bauhaus principles.

      Image courtesy of SelfridgesLe Bleu, UK, by Random Studio and Simon Jacquemus
      Experience design firm Random Studio created a series of pop-up installations at London’s Selfridges department store that served as temporary shops for French fashion label Jacquemus between May and June last year.
      Titled Le Bleu, the surrealist installations included a pale blue tiled space that was informed by swimming pool changing rooms, complete with dark blue lockers and cubicles holding a series of smaller installations within them.
      Find out more about Le Bleu ›
      Photo by Calle HuthA Better Place to Think, Norway, by Snøhetta
      A Better Place to Think was an Oslo pop-up store designed by architecture studio Snøhetta for tablet brand reMarkable, which looked to the tranquility of libraries for its interior design.
      Warm-hued reading lamps positioned on divided wooden desks illuminated curved leather banquettes where visitors were invited to sit and read. A squiggly neon overhead light took cues from the shape and energy of handwriting.
      Find out more about A Better Place to Think ›
      Image courtesy of Lucy SparrowThe Sparrow Mart, USA, by Lucy Sparrow
      Sushi rolls, pork chops and a playful ATM machine all made entirely out of felt featured in a makeshift supermarket installation in Downtown Los Angeles by British artist Lucy Sparrow.
      The Sparrow Mart was stocked with 31,000 purchasable plush renditions of grocery staples, which were arranged along aisles in colourful rows that took cues from 1980s American supermarkets.
      “As a child, I was obsessed with the exotic, turbo-charged technicolour glow emanating from across the Atlantic,” the artist told Dezeen.
      Find out more about The Sparrow Mart ›
      Photo by Gray HamnerSKKN pop-up shop, USA, by Perron-Roettinger
      Design studio Perron-Roettinger adopted a minimalist colour and material palette when creating the first pop-up shop for SKKN, Kim Kardashian’s skincare and homeware brand.
      Located in a Los Angeles shopping mall until the end of last year, the store’s curved alcoves and sculptural counters were clad in raw plaster and cement, which acted as shelving for the reality TV star’s pared-back products.
      Kardashian opened another pop-up shop in 2021 to promote her underwear brand SKIMS, featuring glossy display units designed by Willo Perron.
      Find out more about this SKKN pop-up store ›
      Photo by Jasper FryMugler Bodyscape, UK, by Random Studio
      Random Studio recently dressed the interior of Corner Shop, Selfridges’ ever-changing retail space, with chrome-effect fragments designed to mimic women’s body parts. The pieces formed an installation celebrating 30 years of fashion brand Mugler’s fragrances.
      Called Bodyscape, the striking large-scale fragments were made from painted wood, while a drop-shaped sculptural centrepiece dispensed Mugler scent intermittently, and also produced undulating lighting when visitors approached it.
      “Seen from the street, the sculptural installation forms an abstract side view of a woman elegantly reclining,” said Random Studio.
      Find out more about Bodyscape ›
      Photo by Benoit FlorençonTiffany & Co pop-up shop, France, by OMA
      Pieces from jeweller Tiffany & Co’s 185-year history are currently on display at a pop-up shop in Paris designed by architecture studio OMA, which will be edited throughout this year until its dismantling in May.
      The labyrinthine store includes a dramatic blue rotunda showcasing designs from Tiffany’s extensive archive, which are encased within pyramidal glass plinths mirrored by gigantic images of the jewellery – blown up to give visitors a closer look at the pieces’ delicate features.
      Find out more about this Tiffany & Co pop-up shop ›
      Photo by Jonathan HökkloSelf-Portrait pop-up shop, USA, by Storey Studio
      Luxury fashion brand Self-Portrait showcased its ready-to-wear Autumn Winter 2019 collection at a New York pop-up store in the city’s SoHo neighbourhood designed by Storey Studio.
      An immersive setting was created by hanging drapes of translucent pink-and-white lace that the studio attached to a concentric circular wooden structure, while suspended tubes of LED lighting illuminated the interior.
      Find out more about this Self-Portrait pop-up store ›
      Photo courtesy of Axel Arigato”Upside-down” Axel Arigato pop-up shop, UK, by Avoir
      Axel Arigato footwear is currently for sale at this “upside-down” pop-up shop in Selfridges, designed for the streetwear brand by French studio Avoir to recall an inverted office.
      Trainers fitted with magnets stick to the walls of the space, which features familiar polystyrene grid ceilings and other office-like materials such as strip lighting and exposed wires.
      “The concept was to flip the script both physically and figuratively on what customers expect from a pop-up, turning all elements upside down through an industrial office lens in which the ceiling becomes the floor and vice versa,” said Axel Arigato.
      Find out more about this “upside-down” pop-up shop ›
      Photo by GlossierGlossier pop-up shop, USA, by Studio Lily Kwong
      Landscape designer Lily Kwong looked to the topography of Capitol Hill, Seattle, to create a local pop-up shop for beauty brand Glossier.
      Conceived in collaboration with Glossier, the store contained moss-topped mounds referencing rolling hills and covered with the region’s native plants.
      Pink and purple accents featured throughout the space and nodded to the brand’s brightly coloured make-up collection, which was displayed on white plinths.
      Find out more about this Glossier pop-up shop ›
      Photo by Topia VisionFatface Coffee, China, by Baicai
      Fatface Coffee was a pop-up coffee shop designed by architecture studio Baicai and presented for a month at Shenyang’s Window Gallery in China.
      The focal point was 300 forest-green beer crates forming a central rectilinear bar and cork-seated stools – an installation that intended to blend the city’s fondness for beer with a local coffee culture that is emerging.
      Bacicai opted for this central seating area to create an open space encouraging free circulation and challenged the conventional floor plan of a cafe.
      Find out more about Fatface Coffee ›
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring suspended fireplaces, homes with sliding doors and interiors informed by Bauhaus principles.

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      JamesPlumb fuses bulrush and hemp elements at Cambridge Aesop store

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      London design studio JamesPlumb blended handwoven bulrush shelves with earthy hemp accents to create the interiors for this Aesop store in Cambridge, which takes cues from the nearby River Cam.

      Located on the city’s Trinity Street, the Aesop outlet was conceived as a “woven reading room” that provides a place to shop and leaf through books, according to the Australian skincare and cosmetics brand.
      The JamesPlumb-designed shopfront features a facade informed by leatherThe store’s understated shopfront is painted a dark brown hue informed by well-worn leather, which nods to antique book bindings in reference to Cambridge’s history of academia.
      Inside, a curved and slatted window seat doubles as a plinth for potted pelargoniums that frame the store’s light-filled, street-facing room featuring earthy-toned walls.
      Potted pelargoniums line a street-facing window seatThis space is defined by oversized, textured shelves created from freshwater bulrush plants – locally sourced and handwoven by rush weaver Felicity Irons of Rush Matters.

      “The city itself and the surrounding landscape were the starting point for our design,” studio founders Hannah Plumb and James Russel told Dezeen.
      “The River Cam plays a huge part in that – we were increasingly drawn to it and felt strongly that it sets the pace and the pulse of the city of Cambridge.”
      Hemp and bulrush form shelving and other cabinetryOther shelving in this room is made from hemp grown on the nearby Margent Farm, which was combined with bio-resin to form geometric slabs of cabinetry that display various Aesop products, as well as a large sink.
      “[The hemp] absorbs a huge amount of carbon as it grows, and to be so local to the project was wonderful,” acknowledged Plumb and Russel.
      “We wanted to use materials that were as local as possible, and bulrush being literally of the local waters made sense – both because of its beauty and tactility, and also because of the chance to use a material that would travel so few miles, and use so little energy in production,” they added.

      Aesop’s London store takes its colour from the red sandstone of Glamis Castle

      At the back of the store, another room features walls painted in a darker hue than the street-facing space, which takes cues from the brown flowers of bulrush plants.
      Visitors are invited to sit in a low-slung antique armchair upholstered in floral fabric or browse the various books displayed on the same hemp and bulrush cabinetry that exists throughout the store.
      The back room is dressed in darker huesOriginal nineteenth-century polished wooden floorboards also feature in both rooms and intend to echo the outlet’s emphasis on local history.
      “Each Aesop store has its own character, and for this one, we responded specifically to its location in the heart of Cambridge,” concluded Plumb and Russel.
      Similar shelving found in the front room features various books on displayThis Cambridge branch is not the first Aesop store designed by JamesPlumb. The studio also created one in London’s Bloomsbury where water runs from shelf to shelf and a stone-based store in Bath that celebrates the city’s architectural landscape.
      Other Aesop outlets worldwide include a Tokyo branch defined by plaster and steel and a Toronto store featuring Victorian balustrades.
      The photography is by Oskar Proctor. 

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      Space-age design informs Nodaleto shoe store by Rafael de Cárdenas

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      French shoe brand Nodaleto has chosen Miami as the location of its first US store, which New York studio Rafael de Cárdenas designed with sci-fi-influenced red and chrome interiors.

      The shop opened in Miami Design District during the city’s art week earlier this month, starting a two-year lease in the 1,000-square-metre space (10,764 feet).
      Sculptural red seats run through the middle of the Nodaleto storeRafael de Cárdenas based the interior on mid-century French design, as a homage to the influence this movement had on sets created for sci-fi movies.
      The studio also linked the shape of Nodaleto’s signature heels to chairs featured in Stanley Kubrick’s film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
      The interiors pay homage to midcentury French design and space-age movie sets”The design, driven by the concept of ‘hyper-modern hospitality’, explores shapes and materials that echo the feel of a space station as well as an idea of a glamorous future,” said the Rafael de Cárdenas team.

      “In many ways, midcentury French design defined the frontier of space as much as NASA; the interior reflects that.”
      Shoes are displayed on white shelves in front of brushed chrome panelsSci-fi references can be seen across the store, which is fully carpeted in bright red and features brushed chrome panels divided by thin light strips along its walls.
      “In cinematographic style, a warm satin velvet floor meets cold steel shelves,” the studio said. “The store space – in line with brand’s creative tone – strives to induce the experience of contemporary luxury.”
      The shape of Nodaleto’s signature heel reminded Rafael de Cárdenas of the seats in 2001: A Space OdysseyShoe displays run the length of the narrow space, with white shelves suspended in front of the metallic panels.
      Through the middle are a series of sculptural, undulating modular seats for shoppers to sit and try on the footwear.

      Rafael de Cárdenas plays with pink at Glossier HQ in New York

      A large red volume right at the centre is emblazoned with the brand’s backlit logo, as well as three pairs of white mannequin legs that emerge from the vertical surface.
      “The store serves as a moldable creative field for the brand and strives to offer an intimate immersion into Nodaleto’s mischievous personality,” said the studio.
      White mannequin legs emerge from a wall under the Nodaleto logoRafael de Cárdenas was shortlisted for interior design studio of the year at the Dezeen Awards 2022. Named after its founder, the studio’s previous projects include a bar inside New York’s Nordstrom department store and the Manhattan offices of beauty brand Glossier.
      Miami Design District is home to the stores of many luxury brands, with architecture and interiors by internationally renowned studios, including Louis Vuitton’s menswear store wrapped in a diamond-patterned facade by Marcel Wanders.
      The brand’s first US store is located in Miami Design DistrictThe city, seen by some as the capital of Latin America, received an influx of creative talent during the Covid-19 pandemic and continues to grow as a cultural destination.
      “Nodaleto chooses Miami because it’s a crossroad of cultures, a city permanently kissed by the sun, a hub for arts and design, because of its daring nerve and unapologetic energy,” said the studio.
      Also during this year’s Miami Art Week, Kelly Wearstler debuted a collection of knotted marble furniture and Nike showcased hundreds of Virgil Abloh-designed sneakers.
      The photography is by Kris Tamburello.

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      Dezeen's top 10 shop interiors of 2022

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      A fashion store filled with pillows and a furniture showroom that looks more like a luxury apartment are among our pick of the best shop interiors of the year, in the next instalment of Dezeen’s review of 2022.

      Designers continued to play with retail conventions this year, and 2022’s roundup of shop interiors also featuring a supermarket-style second-hand book store and a cosmetics brand outlet modelled on a 1970s office.
      Read on for Dezeen’s top 10 shop interiors of 2022:
      Photo by Michael RygaardGarde Hvalsøe Aarhus, Denmark, by Bunn Studio
      This showroom, for Danish cabinet maker Garde Hvalsøe, was designed by New York practice Bunn Studio to look more like a grand apartment than a retail space.

      Housed in a majestic Renaissance building in Aarhus, the interior showcases the brand’s signature handcrafted kitchens and walk-in wardrobes alongside other domestic furniture.
      The idea was to help customers visualise how the cabinets would look in their own homes.
      Find out more about Garde Hvalsøe Aarhus ›
      Photo by Hu YanyunDeja Vu Recycle Store, China, by Offhand Practice
      Dezeen’s most-viewed retail interior of 2022 is a store in Shanghai that puts a new spin on second-hand shopping.
      Intending to counter the “shabby” image associated with flea markets, local studio Offhand Practice created an interior featuring supermarket-style crates and minimalist railings, displaying pre-owned books and fashion.
      The design was named large retail interior of the year at Dezeen Awards 2022.
      Find out more about Deja Vu Recycle Store ›
      Photo by Benoit FlorençonJacquemus Shop-in-Shop, France, by AMO
      French accessories brand Jacquemus unveiled one of its most playful retail interiors to date in 2022, designed by OMA’s design and research studio, AMO.
      Pillows form everything from wall coverings to display stands in this 60-square-metre boutique, located in department store Galeries Lafayette Haussmann.
      OMA partner Ellen van Loon told Dezeen she wanted to create “a cocooning and relaxed atmosphere, inviting customers to lounge and browse for as long as they want”.
      Find out more about Jacquemus Shop-in-Shop ›
      Photo by Alex LysakowskiThe Annex, Canada, by Superette
      Marijuana retailer Superette opened another of its retro-style stores in 2022, this time in the Annex neighbourhood of Toronto.
      Superette, which is French for “mini supermarket”, has created a nostalgic feel in all of its shops. Here, the brand’s in-house team modelled the design on an Italian deli, with chequerboard flooring, vintage-style posters and tiled surfaces.
      Find out more about The Annex ›
      Photo by Maris MezulisCowboy, France, by Ciguë
      French design studio Ciguë had a car-free future in mind when designing this retail outlet for electric bicycle brand Cowboy.
      Located in Paris department store Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche, the shop features a winding concrete walkway reminiscent of a cycle path, surrounded by areas of crushed earth.
      Roughly hewn limestone provides seating, while the walls are covered in raw earth.
      Find out more about Cowboy ›
      Photo by HandoverMONC, UK, by Nina+Co
      Sustainable materials play an important role inside this debut store for eyewear brand MONC, designed by Nina+Co.
      The entire interior is formed of either bio-based or recycled materials, on the basis that the brand only had the London retail space on a short-term lease. These include cornstarch foam, which forms the undulating ceiling and display shelves.
      This circular design ethos led to the project being named small retail interior of the year at Dezeen Awards 2022.
      Find out more about MONC ›
      Photo courtesy of DuratDurat Showroom, Finland, by Linda Bergroth
      Finnish designer Linda Bergroth chose bold colour combinations in her design for the Helsinki showroom of tile manufacturer Durat.
      Almost every element in the 100-square-metre showroom is formed of Durat’s terrazzo-like surface material, which is made from plastic waste and is 100 per cent recyclable.
      The most eye-catching colour pairings include salmon-pink and mustard, and apple-green with bright orange.
      Find out more about Durat Showroom ›
      Photo courtesy of HarmayHarmay Hangzhou, China, by AIM Architecture
      Chinese office AIM Architecture has designed a series of interiors for cosmetics brand Harmay, but the most imaginative so far is this one in Hangzhou, which is modelled on a 1970s office.
      The design draws on its setting in the Renzo Piano-designed OōEli business park. The space features a wool carpet and suspended ceiling tiles, with products displayed on desks, meeting tables and bookshelves.
      Find out more about Harmay Hangzhou ›
      Photo by Felix SpellerCubitts Leeds, UK, by Child Studio
      Different design periods combine in this store in Leeds, designed by Child Studio for British eyewear brand Cubitts.
      Set in a historic shopping mall that boasts pink marble columns and mosaic ceilings, the shop features Victorian-style joinery, a mid-century counter, an Eileen Gray-designed modernist lamp and an art-deco-style bakelite clock.
      Find out more about Cubitts Leeds ›
      Photo by Sharon RadischJonathan Simkhai, USA, by Aruliden
      Irregular, overlapping arches wrapped in soft-toned fabric defined shopping areas in this temporary installation for fashion brand Jonathan Simkhai in New York City.
      Created by design agency Aruliden, the interior drew on the geometric shapes and signature cut-outs of the brand’s clothing.
      Find out more about Jonathan Simkhai ›

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      Self-Portrait wraps London store in mint-hued Cornish clay and tonal surfaces

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      Luxury fashion brand Self-Portrait has opened a store in London with mirrored surfaces and Cornish clay walls that combines “minimalism, materiality and colour.”

      Located on the corner of Kings Road and Duke of York Square in Chelsea, London, the 200-square-metre store was designed by Self-Portrait founder and creative director Han Chong in collaboration with New York-based architect Andreas Kostopoulos.
      The store was designed by Self-Portrait founder Han Chong and architect Andreas Kostopoulos”Inspired by spatial design and the idea of self-reflection, features in a myriad of textures including chrome and mirror dominate the interior walls and reflect tonal surfaces in mint green,” Self-Portrait said of the interior.
      “By leveraging on minimalism, materiality, and colour, we wanted to create an intimate, sensory and focused experience, free from any interferences or visually distracting architectural qualities and functions that can typically overwhelm retail environments,” said Kostopoulos.
      Tonal surfaces were added to the interior of the storeThe store interior is characterised by natural materials. Mint-pigmented Cornish clay covers its walls and provides a textural quality through its visible markings, which are reminiscent of limewash.

      Custom terrazzo flooring in hues of white, grey and mint blankets the majority of the floors while some areas, including fitting rooms, were decorated with plush carpets in matching colours to add a softer touch to the space.
      Mirrors visually extended the space and blurred the boundaries of the storeBetween the textural clay walls, expanses of mirrored panels adorn the vertical surfaces and surround street-facing windows from floor to ceiling to visually extend and blur the boundaries of the retail space.
      “I love the idea of spatial perception, blurring the lines between the interior and exterior, vertical and horizontal,” explained Chong.

      AMO recreates “Provence atmosphere” with clay Jacquemus shop-in-shop

      While using rich and textural materials, Chong and Kostopoulos also looked to create a space that was minimalist and free from distracting architectural elements by reducing the store to its bare essentials.
      Overhead lighting throughout was subtlety concealed behind a gridded, drop ceiling that creates a contemporary and modernist look while also adding a contrasting textural quality.
      Cornish clay was applied to the walls to create a textural finish”I am so proud of the space we have created – it’s the perfect blend of art and architecture, which provides a serene and minimalist home for our collections,” Chong continued.
      “For me, this store has become the perfect physical manifestation of our brand – it’s a contrast of the effortless and the studied, with a focus on quality, materials and craft.”
      Custom terrazzo covers the floor of the storeSelf-Portrait’s ready-to-wear collections were displayed on chrome-finished clothes rails in front of windows while accessories were organised across chrome display tables.
      Antique furniture was combined with contemporary pieces throughout the store. A Max Lamb chair was neatly placed in a mirrored corner of the retail space, while wooden chairs were scattered throughout.
      Antique furniture was combined with contemporary piecesSelf-Portrait is a contemporary luxury brand that was founded by Chong in 2013 after he graduated from womenswear design at Central Saint Martins.
      Elsewhere in London, AMO created a terracruda-clad shop-in-shop at Selfridges that featured curving display areas and brutalist-style furniture for French fashion brand Jacquemus.
      Design studio Perron-Roettinger recently unveiled its design for a pop-up store for Kim Kardashian’s homeware brand SKKN, which the studio clad in raw plaster and cement.

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      Random Studio creates “giant fragments of a woman's body” for Mugler pop-up

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      Dutch design studio Random Studio has created Bodyscape, a “futuristic” pop-up store, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of French fashion brand Mugler’s fragrances.

      The Mugler installation, which was designed for luxury department store Selfridges, includes sculptural, chrome-effect fragments designed to evoke a woman’s body. These were organised across the ground floor of the Corner Shop, an ever-changing retail pop-up space.
      The pop-up was created to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Mugler’s fragrance”For Mugler, we had dreamt up Bodyscape; a giant sculptural installation of a woman reclining, fragments of her body parts breaking the space up into a cluster of retail experiences,” said Random Studio.
      “Amplifying the brand’s surreal fascination with the female body, the hyper-feminised curves, crevices and folds of the installation were to be accentuated by a futuristic reflective material.”
      Sculptural fragments of a woman’s body were installed in the Corner ShopThroughout the space, sculptural fragments were used as walls, partitions and display areas that aim to take visitors on a journey through the chrome-effect-finished body. The interior walls of the shell-like fragments were painted in Mugler’s signature blue hue.

      Pieces of the sculptural body, which Random Studio explained mimicked the form of a woman reclining, were displayed in full view along the street-facing windows of the Corner Shop.
      It was constructed in collaboration with Xylotek”Seen from the street, the sculptural installation forms an abstract side view of a woman elegantly reclining,” said the studio.
      “The curves, crevices and folds of the body are rendered in a reflective material that mirrors the viewer’s gaze, throwing back a distorted image – a nod to Mugler’s sense of humour and seduction.”

      Jacquemus creates surrealist interpretation of his own bathroom for Selfridges pop-up

      Instead of opting to use easily manufactured but less sustainable materials such as fibreglass or metal, Random Studio collaborated with Bristol-based timber company Xylotek to construct the installation using wood.
      Xylotek manufactured the shell-like structures, which were painted across the exterior and interior with a metal-effect finish rather than “higly-toxic” chrome.
      This was done so that the paint could eventually be stripped off and the wood recycled.
      The structures were painted blue and silverThe centrepiece of the installation, encased by the chest and buttocks of the fragmented body, is a drop-shaped object that releases a cloud of fragrance and triggers starry lighting as visitors near it.
      “A polyphonic soundscape of siren-esque voices coaxes visitors into the space and towards a scent sculpture, illuminated by undulating lights,” said Random Studio.
      “As the visitor approaches the drop-like structure, the lights intensify and the sculpture emits a short burst of fragrance whilst a projection lights up the space with stars which slowly transforms into the abstract shapes of heavenly bodies.”
      The curving walls guide visitors through the pop-upEarlier this year, Random Studio designed a series of surrealist pop-up installations at Selfridges for fashion brand Jacquemus that included a luxury-bag vending machine and a swimming-pool changing room.
      Also at Selfridges, trainer brand Axel Arigato created an “upside-down” office-themed pop-up with wall-mounted trainers and polystyrene ceiling tiles across the floor.
      The photography is by Jasper Fry.

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      Yinka Ilori draws on “unapologetic” architecture of Burkina Faso for debut pop-up shop

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      Modular display stands modelled on buildings in Burkina Faso feature in the first brick-and-mortar shop that London-based designer Yinka Ilori has created for his self-titled homeware brand.

      Taking over a compact retail space in Shoreditch in the leadup to Christmas, the pop-up shop features a colour-block interior designed to match the products on sale, as slime-green walls clash with pink and orange flooring.
      Yinka Ilori has opened a pop-up shop in LondonThis “more is more” philosophy to colour also extends onto the store’s glossy lacquered product displays, designed by Ilori to reference the construction of mosques and homes in Burkina Faso.
      “I am really obsessed with their design language which is very African, very rich and very unapologetic,” he told Dezeen.
      “There is a recurring use of squares and triangles and you sometimes also see poles sticking out of the structures. I found these poles fascinating. They are structural but also used to make it easy for people to climb up and repair the building.”

      Products are displayed in modular colour-block storage unitsIn the store, these shapes are reflected in the modular storage units, which are constructed from medium-density fibreboard (MDF) and each topped with a stepped pyramid.
      Strategically placed holes can be used much like those on a pegboard to add poles of different sizes and provide storage for a changing array of products.
      Longer rails can be slotted in to hang T-shirts and throws, while smaller pegs can hold umbrellas or prop up shelves for presenting mugs, notebooks and other lifestyle items.
      The units end in stepped pyramidsBulkier items such as the designer’s collection of tableware and limited-edition basketballs are displayed on counters panelled in ribbed MDF that is sprayed in a gradient of colours to emphasise their sinuous shapes.
      At the store’s entrance, six of Ilori’s hand-painted Square Stools are arranged into a towering window display that shows off their stackability.

      “I use colour as a way of starting a conversation” says designer Yinka Ilori

      The opening of the pop-up also coincides with Ilori’s latest product drop. Themed around “memory-making, togetherness and play”, this includes everything from notebooks and basketballs finished in sunny, childlike patterns to a collectible version of the traditional Yoruban strategy game Ayo.
      In line with this idea, the shop will also host different events for the local community, from an Ayo tournament to a tasting of Nigerian palm wine.
      The counters have slatted legs painted in a gradient of coloursOpening his first physical store is “an absolute dream come true”, Ilori said.
      “My public projects are all about interaction both between audiences and with the work itself but I don’t often get to interact directly with people and I feel it’s time for me to do that,” he added.
      “Through the store, I’m able to get their feedback on my work and also see how they interact with each of the products and the stories I’m trying to tell through these pieces.”
      The shop’s floor was finished in a vibrant colourIlori started his homeware brand in 2020 with the aim of reworking “unexpected, functional household items as artworks” by imbuing them with bold colours and patterns that reference his British-Nigerian heritage.
      The products feature many of the same patterns he previously developed for his large-scale installations, such as The Colour Palace pavilion he created for the London Festival of Architecture together with local studio Pricegore.

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