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      Finnish Design Shop creates forest-set logistics centre to enable “a more sustainable future”

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      Avanto Architects and Joanna Laajisto have designed a logistics centre for retailer Finnish Design Shop that features warm timber, a foraged-food restaurant for staff and visitors, and views of the surrounding forest.

      Located on the outskirts of Turku, west of Helsinki, the logistics centre is the hub for storage, management and dispatch of products from the Finnish Design Shop, which says it is the world’s largest online store for Nordic design.
      The company needed a new logistics centre after a period of high growth, but founder and CEO Teemu Kiiski also aimed for it to be a meaningful place for employees and visitors.
      The Finnish Design Shop logistics centre is located in the Pomponrahka nature reserve in Turku. Photo is by KuvioEmployees of the logistics centre can enjoy plenty of light and forest views as well as warm timber environments and a restaurant run by Sami Tallberg, an award-winning chef who specialises in foraging.
      The Finnish Design Shop had first explored whether it could convert an existing building in the Turku area, but, finding nothing suitable, chose to build on a site in the Pomponrahka nature reserve, where the surrounding forest would provide a calming work environment and reflect the appreciation for wood in Nordic design.

      To undertake construction there responsibly, the Finnish Design Shop says the builders saved as many trees as possible and landscaped the area with natural forest undergrowth and stones excavated from the site.
      The entrance features glass curtain walls that connect the interior and exterior. Photo by KuvioAvanto Architects designed the 12,000-square-metre building to blend into the forest as much as possible — a challenge given its massing, a product of the warehouse layout.
      The layout was created beforehand by specialist consultants to maximise the efficiency of operations, which are carried out by robots in an automated system.
      The centre includes a showroom. Photo by Mikko RyhänenThe architects opted for a dark facade with a vertical relief pattern that becomes visible on approach and echoes the tree trunks in the surrounding woodlands.
      “The pattern forms a more human scale to the large facade surfaces,” Avanto Architects co-founder Anu Puustinen told Dezeen. “We also used warm wooden accents in the main entrance vestibule, balcony and windows.”
      There is also a restaurant that specialises in foraged food. Photo by Mikko RyhänenThe architects gave the office spaces large windows so the employees could enjoy frequent views of the forest and lots of light, and included a balcony for access to the outdoors on the first floor.
      The entrance to the centre is through the showroom, which features glass curtain walls that showcase the use of the building and a long, straight staircase made from two massive glulam beams.
      The first-floor offices have a view of the warehouse floor. Photo by KuvioThe interior was designed by Laajisto and her studio, who aimed to make the space feel well-proportioned and comfortable despite its size and to create a good acoustic environment by liberally applying sound-absorbing materials.
      She kept the colour and material palette neutral and natural, with lots of solid pine and ash wood to continue the forest connection, but used furniture from the Finnish Design Shop in bright colours to punctuate the space.

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      “The aim was that every aspect in the interior should be done well and beautifully,” Laajisto told Dezeen. “Attention to detail was embraced in things that typically are overlooked, such as doors, plumbing fixtures and electrical hardware selections and applications, acoustic ceiling panels and ceramic tiles.”
      The project is the first logistics building in Finland to be certified BREEAM Excellent, the second highest level.
      Special attention has been paid to creating a good acoustic environment with sound-dampening materials. Photo by Mikko RyhänenKiiski, who positions the company as the opposite of multinational e-commerce players such as Amazon, aimed for the new centre to be the most socially and environmentally sustainable online store.
      “The values that life in the Nordic countries is based on include transparency, equality and respect for nature,” said Kiiski. “It would have been impossible to create this company and our new logistics centre without unwavering respect for these values.”
      Wood is featured throughout the interiorHe believes that global online shopping can be socially and environmentally sustainable when issues in supply chains, logistics and operations are addressed.
      “Many studies show that online shopping can have a lower carbon footprint as compared to in-store shopping,” said Kiiski. “This is due to the more efficient logistics in e-commerce and the fact that in-store shopping usually involves private transport.”
      “We want to push the whole industry towards a more sustainable future,” he continued.
      The hub is meant to offer employees a healthy and humane working environment. Photo by Mikko RyhänenPast work by Avanto Architects includes the Löyly waterfront sauna in Helsinki, which has a multifaceted exterior that visitors can climb, and the Villa Lumi, a house with a sculptural white staircase.
      Laajisto’s previous projects include office interiors for service design company Fjord and the Airisto furniture collection for Made by Choice, which was inspired by Scandinavian holiday culture.

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      AMO experiments with materials for Stone Island store in Chicago

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      Fashion brand Stone Island has debuted a retail concept by Dutch studio AMO, which includes surfaces made from compressed shredded paper, burnt cork and sand-coated steel.

      The research studio, affiliated with architecture firm OMA, created the store concept to celebrate Stone Island’s 40th anniversary.
      Stone Island’s Chicago store features a digital chandelier at its entranceAs well as an update to the look and feel of the interiors, AMO has designed the spaces to host a program of public presentations, salons, workshops and private events beyond store opening hours.
      For the store’s architecture, the studio referenced the “innovative” approach taken by the Italian brand to transforming materials for its products, particularly outwear.
      The interior was designed by AMO to reflect the brand’s experimental approach to materials”Research and innovation are at the core of Stone Island,” said AMO director Samir Bantal, who worked with Natalie Konopelski, Giulio Margheri and Mateusz Kiercz on the project.

      “The space, materiality, and program of the stores underpin the brand’s ethos, and reinforce a sense of belonging of its community of like-minded people,” he continued.
      Walls are lined in cork that has been burnt, sandblasted and coatedThe inaugural store to be designed based on this direction is the 180-square-metre space in Chicago, Stone Island’s first in the city.
      The space features altar-like niches for displaying archival pieces and prototypes to highlight Stone Island’s focus on technology and development.
      A niche at the back of the store displays archival products and prototypesSurfaces throughout the store are intended to look like stone, though none are actually made from it. Instead, off-the-shelf materials have been treated in a variety of ways to replicate the same visual qualities.
      Shredded paper and resin were compressed under high pressure to produce durable panels that mimic concrete, and used to create sculptural displays for products.
      Sculptural display stands are formed from shredded paper and resin that’s compressed to look like concreteCork – which is a staple in existing Stone Island stores – was burnt, sandblasted and coated to create a dark texture. Applied to the walls, the material helps to both absorb sound and control humidity, while the ceiling is covered with a sawtooth arrangement of translucent light boxes.
      Corrugated steel panels were sand-coated to create a softer finish and used to form a curved partition around the fitting rooms.
      The fitting rooms are surrounded by sand-coated corrugated steelAt the store’s entrance, which has a bright orange floor, a digital chandelier is suspended from the ceiling and broadcasts messages to shoppers.
      Following the opening of the Chicago store in October 2022, plans are in place to roll out the concept at locations including Seoul, Munich and Stockholm.

      AMO cocoons Jacquemus store in pillows to create “bedroom-like” interior

      “Stone Island and AMO share values of innovation, functionality, and passion,” said Stone Island creative director and president Carlo Rivetti.
      “I am very happy to begin this important partnership, a new visual approach for our stores, to speak to our communities.”
      Stone Island’s research is explained through displaysAMO was founded as the research arm of OMA, and has developed long-standing relationships with several fashion brands.
      One of its most frequent collaborators is Prada – the studio has designed a number of environments for the Italian brand’s runways shows over the years.
      The Chicago store is the first iteration of the concept by AMOMost recently, AMO worked with French brand Jacquemus to create a Paris boutique with a “bedroom-like” interior and a terracruda-clad shop-in-shop at London’s Selfridges.
      The photography is by Marco Cappelletti, courtesy of Stone Island and OMA/AMO.

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      Axel Arigato rejects “McDonald's approach” to interiors with Berlin flagship store

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      Travertine displays that double as DJ podiums feature alongside glistening butter-yellow columns in Axel Arigato’s Berlin outpost, which the streetwear label has designed together with longtime collaborator Halleroed.

      The brand’s flagship boutique is set in the central Scheunenviertel neighbourhood, across the ground floor of a prefabricated concrete Plattenbau building typical of post-war East Germany.
      Axel Arigato has opened a flagship store in BerlinStockholm design studio Halleroed was tasked with conceiving the interior scheme for the space, reviving some of the key visual themes the practice has established across all of Axel Arigato’s other stores.
      Rather than simply copy-and-pasting these elements, Halleroed mixed and matched them to create something new.
      Travertine was used to cover the floors and form chunky shelvesThis is illustrated in the store’s pale yellow columns, which effectively merge the glossy lacquered-metal surfaces seen in the London boutique with a muted version of the distinctive yellow accents that were used in the pop-up Stockholm shop.

      “We don’t have a McDonald’s approach where each store looks the same,” explained Axel Arigato’s creative director Max Svärdh.
      “We treat them as contemporary galleries and focus less on the transactional element, whilst staying true to our blueprint that keeps coming back in new shapes and materials.”
      Yellow-lacquered metal was used to envelop columns and form clothes railsRoman travertine, which features heavily across the brand’s Paris boutique, was used to cover the entire expanse of the floor, as well as forming chunky shelves and the plinths that encircle the interior columns.
      Rendered in various shapes, sizes and textures, these sculptural plinths can be used to display different trainers or act as counters and curved seating nooks when Axel Arigato is hosting an event in the store, which can comfortably accommodate up to 250 people.
      “The podiums – and in a way all the surfaces – are multipurpose in that we use them for displaying the weekly rotation of product drops, DJ decks at parties or pop-up merchandise when we hand over the space to other creatives,” Svärdh told Dezeen.

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      The raw natural texture of the travertine is contrasted against the lacquered metal, which was used to envelop the pillars and form a series of clothing rails curved around the perimeter of the room.
      “The glossy finish lends a highly visual element to our spaces and creates a nice contrast to the very organic materials and softer characters of the stone and the store’s generally muted character,” Svärdh explained.
      Mirrored pillars bookend a huge LED screenTogether with the floor-to-ceiling mirrors flanking a huge LED display, the shiny metal surfaces also help to reflect the illumination that is provided by the rows of strip lights running all the way across the ceiling.
      The flagship is Axel Arigato’s second bricks-and-mortar store in Germany, following the opening of its Munich outpost last November.
      Axel Arigato joins Hay, Acne Studios and a growing number of international brands that have moved into the Scheunenviertel in recent years. The area is rapidly being expanded into an alternative shopping destination tucked away behind the more touristy destinations of Berlin’s central Alexander Platz.
      Other businesses in the Scheunenviertel neighbourhood include Sofi – a bakery set in the courtyard of a restored brick factory.

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      Perron-Roettinger clads Kim Kardashian SKKN pop-up store in raw plaster and cement

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      Design studio Perron-Roettinger has created a pop-up shop for Kim Kardashian’s skincare and homeware brand SKKN in Los Angeles that showcases its products in a physical space for the first time.

      The minimalist pop-up store, which is located inside Los Angeles shopping mall Westfield Century City, was designed using a limited material palette in a nod to the brand’s pared-back design.
      Perron-Roettinger has created a pop-up shop for Skkn”The SKKN [store] is about raw materials – bold, big blocks of stacked raw material – which is inspired from an inactive quarry that I visited once,” Perron-Roettinger cofounder Willo Perron told Dezeen.
      “All different plaster and cement finishes echo the emphasis on the raw natural materials.”
      The walls and counters are made from concrete and plasterIn the 1,330-square-foot (123 square-metre) space, homeware and skincare products are presented within curved wall alcoves or on top of sculptural counters made from grey concrete and plaster. The room is framed by two large portrait photos of reality television star Kardashian.

      “Just in time for the holiday season, the pop-up will offer customers a luxurious in-person shopping experience with the entire SKKN By Kim collection – from skincare to home decor,” said the brand.
      Skincare items are displayed in alcovesThe use of raw materials references Perron’s partner Brian Roettinger’s packaging for SKKN products, as well as Kardashian’s recently launched concrete homeware collection called Home Accessories Collection.
      All the materials come in varying shades of Kardashian’s signature beige and grey colour palette, which she has used in her home and her shapewear collections.

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      According to Perron, the brand’s packaging and the store interior are united in their reliance on simple shapes and raw materials.
      “The throughline idea is materials untouched, most primary and elemental state,” he explained. “Simple geometry is important to add a recognizable component to both the space and the packaging.”
      Perron–Roettinger was also responsible for SKKN’s creative direction, brand identity and art direction.
      The store mirrors the brand’s minimalist packagingThe SKKN pop-up shop is open until the end of the year in Westfield Century City, Los Angeles.
      The longtime collaboration between designer Willo Perron and Kim Kardashian has seen Perron design other pop-up stores for the American reality star’s brands.
      For Kardashian’s shapewear company Skims, Perron created a beige coloured pop-up shop in Paris with chunky display units and partitions.
      Los-Angeles based Perron-Roettinger has also completed other pop-up shops for brands including Stüssy.
      The photography is by Gray Hamner.

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      Nina + Co brings biomaterials into MONC eyewear store in London

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      Cornstarch-foam shelves meet mycelium display plinths in this London store that Nina + Co has designed for bioplastic eyewear brand MONC.

      Nestled among a parade of high-end shops in Marylebone, MONC sells glasses made from bio-acetate – an acetate produced completely without fossil fuels – which are packaged using recycled leather cases and compostable cornstarch foam.
      The first MONC eyewear location sits along a row of shops in MaryleboneWhen local studio Nina + Co was brought in to design MONC’s debut store, the team was keen to incorporate biomaterials throughout the interior, while also taking the brand’s short-term lease of the retail unit into account.
      “Circularity was key,” said the studio. “Almost everything we brought into that building was entirely bio-based or recycled.”
      “The furniture is expertly built to last but can be disassembled for re-use, recycling or return to the earth as nourishment.”

      The store features a ceiling installation made from cornstarch foamUpon entering the store, visitors find themselves under an undulating ceiling installation crafted from corrugated panels of cornstarch foam.
      Thicker blocks of the material were used to create rows of squishy-looking shelves, which can be used for packaging or simply dissolved in water when they eventually start to show signs of wear and tear.
      The foam was also used to form small shelvesDisplay plinths made out of mycelium – the vegetative part of a fungus – were dotted across the store to showcase different eyewear models.
      In between the shelves, a couple of long mirrors are balanced on hunks of concrete that were salvaged from roadworks nearby.
      A recycled PET island sits at the centre of the store beside mycelium display plinthsThe craggy concrete was chosen as a subtle nod to the rugged Dolomite mountains, which can be seen from the Italian town where all MONC eyewear is produced.
      Nina + Co worked closely alongside Welsh manufacturers Smile Plastics and London joiner EJ Ryder to design the store’s recycled PET island and bench seat, which are an apricot-orange hue.

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      As both furniture pieces were joined with mechanical bolts rather than glues, they can easily be taken apart, flat packed and transported to a different MONC store for reuse.
      Walls throughout the interior were finished with VOC-free clay paint while the unit’s existing floor was covered with a water-based sealant.
      The plastic was also used to form a bench seat”Previous tenants had ripped up their floor to leave a plywood subfloor, with markings of the adhesive still evident and some paint bucket outlines,” the studio explained.
      “After a test patch, we were convinced that a simple water-based sealant would give it a beautiful depth and sheen with the industrial feel of concrete [while being] kinder to the planet and the budget.”
      Walls were washed with a calming clay paintMONC is one of five projects shortlisted in the small retail interior category of this year’s Dezeen Awards.
      It’s going head-to-head with the Durat showroom by Linda Bergroth, which is decked out in an unusual mix of colours, and Aesop’s Yorkville store by Odami with its oxblood-red balusters.
      The photography is by Handover.

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      AIA Estúdio designs cave-like interior for clothing store in Rio de Janeiro

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      Organic shapes and stone-like surfaces characterise the interior of the Haight clothing store in Rio de Janeiro, which was designed by interior and landscaping design practice AIA Estúdio.

      A large pillar with a rough, textured surface dominates the 110-square-metre shop interior, expanding as it ascends before merging into the ceiling to create a cave-like space.
      A pillar transforms into a cave-like structure”Its height starts small and in the back part it ends higher in a nonlinear form, just like a cave,” AIA Estúdio founder Alice Tepedino told Dezeen.
      “The infinite and diverse processes of erosion that form cliffs, caves, stalactites, sands, stones and the movements of water with its tracks and shapes led to our creative process being part of the concept developed for the store’s spatiality.”
      Stone slabs around the pillar are used to display objectsRather than being a cumbersome obstacle, the pillar helps organise the shop’s circulation and movement of shoppers, according to the studio.

      “It is from the occupation around the pillar that the space fluidity is achieved. This disposition is enhanced by curved lines that define the path inside the store,” said Tepedino.
      Curved stone plates balance on rocksSlabs of soapstone and Bahia beige marble encircle the pillar at different heights and are propped up by Bahia beige marble rocks that create a display surface and a place for shoppers to sit.
      On the perimeter walls, niches with stainless steel bases display Haight’s clothing on brushed-brass rails.

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      The metallic surfaces and straight edges of the niches contrast with the organic shapes and materials in the centre of the shop, which is located in the Shopping Leblon retail centre.
      Tepedino used indirect lighting in the niches to illuminate the space, mimicking cracks in cave walls where sunlight can seep through.
      Clothing is displayed on brushed-brass rails”The exhibition interspace was thought of as a cut in the walls, an operation emphasised by the transition of materiality,” said Tepedino.
      “Inside, there are exhibition racks in brushed brass, which, with their more solar aspect, contribute to subtly warming up the store’s ambience, together with the soapstone and its greyer tone.”
      The bottoms of wall niches are lined with steelTepedino’s design is the first of Haight’s stores to be located inside a shopping centre, which prompted the designer to approach the project in a different way.
      The entrance to the shop is a large opening that provides open access from the shopping centre to the nature-inspired shop interior.
      It is the first Haight store to be located in a mall”The design adopted a contrasting strategy between the store and mall, which, despite the rigid and controlled environment, offers opportunities such as the possibility of not having a door,” said Tepedino.
      “The brand’s conceptual basis is related to natural landscapes but when you are inside the mall, you find a language that is the opposite of Haight’s conceptual basis, with artificial elements and cold materiality.”
      Natural materials and surfaces were used throughout the shop interior”Once you’re inside the store you get disconnected from the artificial atmosphere of the rest of the building,” Tepedino continued.
      The project has been shortlisted in the small retail interiors category of Dezeen Awards 2022, alongside a surfaces showroom in Helsinki with colourful terrazzo-like walls and an oxblood red shop interior with walls decorated with Victorian-style balusters.
      The photography is by Maira Acayaba.

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      ASA Studio Albanese references mid-century offices for Thom Browne store in San Francisco

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      American fashion label Thom Browne has opened its first retail location in San Francisco, designed by ASA Studio Albanese to feature dramatic marble against white slatted blinds.

      The flagship store is situated at 432 Jackson Street in the historic Yeon Building, which dates back to 1855, in the heart of the city’s luxury shopping district.
      Thom Browne’s San Francisco store pairs decorative marble walls with white slatted blindsIts interior is the latest collaboration between Thom Browne’s eponymous founder and architect Flavio Albanese of Italy-based ASA Studio Albanese, who has designed over a dozen stores for the brand since 2017.
      Like its counterparts around the world, the 1,250-square-foot (116-square-metre) space is outfitted to look like a Mad Men-era workplace.
      A selection of mid-century furniture pieces was curated for the spaceThis is achieved by pairing highly decorative marble surfaces with strips of white slatted blinds and tube lighting.

      “Behind Thom Browne’s signature slat blind-covered windows is a minimalist mid-century style office with rows of fluorescent tube lighting, polished with white Calcutta and Carrara marble floors, and banker grey Bardiglio and Carrara marble walls,” said the Thom Browne team.
      The store’s desaturated colour palette is reflective of the brand’s clothingAmong the furniture pieces curated to embellish the theme are a glass-topped desk placed in the centre of the room at one end and chairs that form a small seating area at the other.
      “Thom continues to outfit this space with mid-century furniture by American and French designers — including seating and lamps by Jacques Adnet, a desk by TH Robsjohn-Gibbings, office chairs by Knoll, benches by McCobb, coffee tables by Mathieu Mategot, and display etagere’s by Maison Jansen,” the team said.
      Accessories are displayed on minimalist shelving unitsThe largely desaturated colour palette – reflective of the brand’s clothing – is interrupted by brass accessories and details on the furniture, as well as a few camel-toned garments.
      A black band wraps around the rooms at floor level, separating the grey marble on the walls from the lighter toned stone underfoot.

      Thom Browne holds “teddy talk” for toy-inspired Autumn Winter 2022 collection

      Clothes are presented on metal rails mounted on wheels, while bags, shoes, eyewear and fragrances are displayed on minimalist freestanding shelves.
      The fitting rooms are hidden behind doors covered in the same material as the walls so that they blend in seamlessly when closed.
      The store is located in the historic Yeon Building on Jackson SquareThom Browne founded his label in 2001 with five suits in a small by-appointment shop in New York City’s West Village, and eventually expanded to include ready-to-wear and accessories lines for both men and women.
      Browne’s Autumn Winter 2022 collection was an ode to toys and featured sculptural tailoring, presented at New York Fashion Week in front of an audience of 500 teddy bears.
      The photography is courtesy of Thom Browne.

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      Schemata Architects creates sports store with fixtures made from discarded marine debris

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      Display fixtures made from jerry cans and blocks of polystyrene salvaged from the ocean feature in this concept store for a outdoor brand on Jeju island by Schemata Architects.

      Created for Kolon Sport, an outdoor brand with sustainability at its core, the concept store is located in a commercial building on the island of Jeju. Jeju is South Korea’s largest island and is renowned for its beach resorts and volcanic landscape.
      The Kolon Sport store was designed by Schemata ArchitectsKolon Sport is known for upcycling clothing from its own inventory that would otherwise be thrown away.
      Schemata Architects wanted the interior of its Jeju concept store to align with the brand’s upcycling ethos and looked at ways in which it could incorporate recycled elements.
      It used waste collected from the sea to create display units”We focused on the fact that 20,000 tons of marine debris is incinerated annually on the island of Jeju without any way to reuse it, leading to the destruction of the rich natural environment, and conducted an experiment to produce clothing brand fixtures out of marine debris,” said the studio.

      Stacked into puzzle-like arrangements, the discarded marine debris includes jerry cans and blocks of white polystyrene. Debris was also used to make hangers, shelves, and tables for the store.
      Polystyrene and jerry cans were stacked and piledFor the interior itself, the architects wanted to make minimal interventions. The store’s walls are a patchwork of peeling paint, exposed concrete, bricks and breeze blocks, while lighting is provided by simple strips of tube lights.
      On the outside of the building, signage was limited to a simple logo and the uniform white storefront blends into the neighbouring buildings.

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      “This is an approach to urban development that we call ‘invisible development’,” said the architects. “At first glance, nothing seems to have changed from the outside, but once you get closer and enter the building, you can see how interesting it is. And it makes you wonder if there will be similar changes in the other building beyond.”
      The Kolon Sport space is a continuation of the studio’s wider Arario Project – a community development project on Jeju that has seen the architects renovate several buildings – including a multipurpose store, restaurant, gallery and hotel – as part of the rejuvenation of the island’s Tap-dong district.
      It is located on Jeju island in South Korea”The Kolon Sport project was not limited to the renovation of a single commercial space as an upcycled brand, but aimed to break down the space’s own territory and spread the value of that brand in stages in the town,” explained the architects.
      “The project was planned to protect the nature of Jeju island, to implement initiatives to expand environmental sustainability, and to become a hub of sustainability for the town.”
      Walls of the store feature expose brick and concreteThis project has been shortlisted in the large retail interior category of Dezeen Awards 2022 alongisde a second hand book and clothing store in Shanghai that features display fixtures inspired by grocery stores and a reconfigurable sales showroom in Japan.
      Photography is by Ju Yeon Lee.

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