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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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      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.

      Formafantasma and Artek’s Cambio exhibition explores Finnish design’s link to forestry

      “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.

      Axel Arigato opens “upside-down” pop-up sneaker shop in Selfridges

      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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