On the increasingly rare occasion one finds themselves shopping at an actual in-store location these days, rather than online, there’s no doubt that a beautiful space adds to the experience – maybe even subconsciously affecting your decision to purchase.
The below brands have nailed their offerings, with stores that are worth visiting purely to appreciate their design merit before even considering the product on sale. are heroed in a myriad of materials, shapes and sizes, forming everything from concrete counters to rammed earth walls and glass floors.
Our round-up includes a fair few stores, no surprise considering the brand makes a conscious effort to work with local architects that add a distinct flair to each individual outpost. The Gough Street store in Hong Kong by March Studios, for example, makes excellent use of , comprising the aforementioned floor.
More local awesomeness includes the Tigerlily flagship inside Westfield Sydney, a boho dream come true by Room On Fire featuring a material palette inspired by Aussie beach culture. Cream-coloured clad the façade, a bright and summery point of difference amongst the shopping centre surrounds.
Below are a total of 14 projects that elevate the humble brick to noteworthy heights, brought to you in partnership with our friends over at .
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Aesop Brussels Store by Bernard Dubois // Brussels local took charge of the Belgian capital’s Aesop skincare store, cladding most of the interior with 2cm hand cut yellow briquettes. Brick is a cornerstone of Belgian architecture though Dubois sought after a less traditional take on the aesthetic, beginning by stacking the briquettes vertically rather than the conventional horizontal.
The same briquettes are laid in herringbone formation across the floor, a visually satisfying pattern clash against the vertically laid walls and counter. Dubois sees Brussels as a city without borders, with a global cultural influence. He demonstrates this outlook in the Aesop store, sourcing the briquettes locally from the region of Flanders, but assembling them with cement-less joints in the same vein as East Asian construction.
Images courtesy of .
// Set amongst the mid-century brownstones synonymous with the charm of Brooklyn’s Park Slope is an Aesop store by Mexican architect . Hundreds of rosy rammed-earth bricks sourced from Oaxaca are stacked in opposing diagonal rows, creating gridded walls that jut out into the store and divide the space into open sections, determining the public-facing store layout.
The bricks were developed by Escobedo’s former student, Patricia Medivil, made by hand in a workshop in Mexico City. Natural pigment from Mexican earth gives the bricks their unique blushed hue, while their tessellating pattern reinterprets the local masonry of the brownstone homes that surround Aesop’s corner site. The original brick walls inside have been painted white, while the original stamped tin ceiling remains.
Images courtesy of Aesop.
Aesop Gough Street Hong Kong Store by March Studios // In the weathered concrete shell of a former Bangkok printing press, Melbourne-based inserted a translucent glass and steel structure, embracing the site’s rough textures rather than concealing them. propped on steel legs and machine feet form an illusive ground-scape hovering above a topography of bulky concrete artefacts, making customers feel as through they have stepped into a museum and elevating the regular retail experience. Seeing as this is March Studio’s 17th Aesop store, they seem to have it down to a fine art.
Glass brick steps, terraces and an untethered central counter rise from the floor, emulating the stacked density of Hong Kong’s skyscrapers. The bricks also clad an entire display wall, providing a non-invasive yet compelling backdrop for product placed on floating steel shelves. The reflective quality of the glass brick aids in brightening the formerly dark space, enhanced by the addition of large steel-framed windows. Shimmering in the light by day, the glass bricks draw passersby into the store, a subtle yet effective visual draw card.
A thick curtain shields an original spiral staircase leading to an upstairs treatment room, an additional element of intrigue and slow reveal. A tea corner provides a place for calm respite, much needed within the often over-stimulating city surrounds. The Gough Street Aesop store is Hong Kong’s first dedicated sole-use building whereby retail and events are allowed in the same space. The store also has a facility for customers to drop off used glass and plastic product bottles for recycling.
Images courtesy of Aesop.
Aesop Bucktown in Chicago Store by Norman Kelly // Chicago’s grid plan inspired the duo behind for Chicago’s first Aesop store, set in a 93sqm site on an upmarket street corner. Ubiquitous across the city’s alleyways, Norman Kelly chose to elevate the humble Chicago Common brick, reclaiming approximately 10,000 of them to clad the walls in a pinwheel formation, and the floors in a herringbone pattern.
Choosing to arrange the bricks in purely aesthetic, non-load-bearing bonds accentuates bespoke qualities of the common brick that were historically overlooked, celebrating their irregular colouration and dimensions. Embedded black steel alcoves and counters allow the product displayed to shine, without distracting from the materiality of the brick.
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