B3 Designers Blog » Retail Spaces

Red Pif Restaurant and Wine Shop by Aulík Fišer Architekti

Lisl — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:43:26 +0000

For the design of the Red Pif Restaurant and Wine Shop, Czeck designers Aulík Fišer Architekti decided to keep the inspiration and execution as pure and natural as the wine served. The designer and owner worked together, using photographs of bars and wine shops in France as inspiration, but drawing from their honesty rather than their style.

The architect said about the design: “We put most of our effort to make our work invisible at first sight. Our interior should be a background allowing enjoy good wine and meal here and now.”

The first step in the renovation was removing any superfluous building elements so that only the original 19th century structure remained. Bottle-shaped shutters were added that pivot open to reveal the stripped back interior that has been modestly furnished with design classics and simple, elegant fittings. Wine bottles are stacked high in a steel rod framework that creates simple geometric patterns on the walls. Dimly lit, bare light bulbs create an intimate atmosphere where the original intention of the space is allowed to quietly reveal itself.

Photography by AI Photography.

Esprit, Cologne

Lisl — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 18:05:04 +0000

Designers Reich und Wamser have completed the interior of fashion brand Esprit’s Cologne outlet. The Lighthouse shop juxtaposes masculine and feminine elements. Exposed brickwork, timber and steel frames throughout are used throughout in contrast to softer elements like woven light fittings. Similarly gauzy curtains that conceal the fitting room at the back of the shop complement the harder materials used in the design and add a soft, feminine touch to the otherwise rigid interior. Furnishings and fittings are also more delicate: walnut tables and cabinets are used, along with clothes racks with slender profiles to display clothes and accessories. Another distinguishing feature of the space is the glazed courtyard that is naturally lit by a skylight above and filled with plants and flowers.

(Photos by Peter Janczik and Reich und Wamser.)

Bungalow Eight, Mumbai

Lisl — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 21:26:14 +0000

Bungalow Eight in Mumbai (not to be confused with London’s Bungalow 8 nightclub) is a beautifully curated luxury store, selling products ranging from high quality clothes to home ware. The store is spread across a three story building, designed by architect Bijoy Jain, and takes its name from the address where Maithili Ahluwalia, the owner, grew up. The spacious building has unusually high ceilings and was left mostly bare, with raw concrete and exposed trusses. The few fixtures that do adorn the space is minimal and high end, like the tube lights by Michael Anstassiades. The selection of objects on sale all originate from either India or France and are arranged in such a way that you may be mistaken for being in someone’s home.

Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain, New York

Lisl — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 18:47:00 +0000

Somewhere on the corner of a brownstone lined street in New York there is Farmacy: a ’soda fountain’ with a touch of old school charm mixed with Brooklyn attitude.

The former pharmacy has been lovingly restored and boasts original cabinetry, ceilings and mosaic floor tiles from the 1920’s. Shelves and drawers that used to be stocked with medicines are now lined with vintage bottles filled with treats. The interior has been furnished to echo the bygone era of the shop: featuring bentwood chairs, cast iron tables and upholstered diner bar stools.

Vintage pieces like the unusual scales and signage add just the right amount of playfulness to the charming space.

(Images via The Scout)

Smith&Hsu, Taipei

Lisl — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:46:55 +0000

Swiss-Danish designer Carsten Jörgensen designed the interior off a two-storey teahouse for Taiwanese tea brand Smith&Hsu. The minimal, modular interior that aims to be simple and legible predominantly uses concrete and timber. The ground floor serves as a tearoom and retail space and the first floor as a dining room.

The first floor features long sections of grid shaped shelves, simple tables and Y Chairs by Hans Wegner, complemented with glossy black and red feature lights.

The first floor repeats of the simple aesthetic established downstairs. While the minimal design approach prevails, the dining area takes on a more playful interpretation of it. Here the cubes are diagonally staggered with gaps in between, and filled with second hand books. Eames Plastic Side Chairs fit perfectly into the casual chic dining space.

(Images via Dezeen)

Heliocosm, Paris

Lisl — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 12:26:29 +0000

Heliocosm, a new natural cosmetics brand, opened shop in Paris and commissioned FREAKS freearchitects to design the interior.

The space is unusually long (nearly 20m) and narrow, which the designers addressed by separating it into a front and back room that are linked by a wooden tunnel with an integrated display.

The entire interior is painted a “cool mint” blue-green, including the floors and ceilings, enfolding customers in a refreshing space. The front room serves as a workshop and reception, and the backroom as a lounge. The back wall of the lounge is covered in a large scale print of a greenish blue mountain and lake, creating an impressive ending perspective for the connecting tunnel.

All freestanding furnishings were salvaged from second hand shops, adding comfortable, homey elements to the very edgy space.

(Images via Dezeen)

Topman General Store

Lisl — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 07:49:29 +0000

Topman General Store is the high street fashion powerhouse’s first standalone concept store, located in Shoreditch. Unlike the Topshop we’re used to, the interior is pared back and minimal, giving carefully curated collections from their ‘Design’ and ‘LTD’ ranges the opportunity to stand out. The store is curated by the brand’s design director Gordon Richardson and the creative director of b-store, Matthew Murphy.

The interior has an early 1900s sideshow Americana look and features seasonal collaborations, temporary installations in display cabinets, limited edition art prints and books. Exposed brick walls and grey painted walls provide the perfect backdrop for the garments and artifacts on display. This rough, worn in, east end cool interior might just trick you into thinking that you have walked into an independent retailer.

(Images via weheart)

John Lewis Fashion Pavilion by Grimshaw

Lisl — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 07:28:06 +0000

London department store John Lewis has commissioned Grimshaw Architects to design a pop-up installation for their Oxford Street store. The installation is made of cardboard tubes of various lengths and diameters suspended in sheets of perspex held together with transparent rods, creating the illusion of a floating cardboard screen.

After two months in London it will travel to other John Lewis stores in the UK. The modular nature of the installation means that it can easily be dismantled and reconfigured to suit the needs of specific stores and spaces. The ‘tube walls’ separate spaces in an unusual way by partially obscuring views and revealing glimpses of adjacent spaces.

(Images via Dezeen)

Outsider Tart, London

Lisl — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 10:44:13 +0000

When Americans David Lesniak and David Muniz moved to London, they felt that the indulgent cakes and tarts that they were used to were hard to come by, and promptly decided to rectify the situation themselves. The Outsider Tart serves up about any sugary treat you can think of, from brownies to biscuits, and already has a cult following.

The dark interior is as quirky as the cakes they bake, with the large arrow shaped light fixtures above the counter taking center stage. The ceiling also features prominently and looks like it has been lined with cake tins of various sizes. Rough wooden shelves line the walls and add a rustic touch to this contemporary space.

(Images via weheart)

Tracey Neuls by Faudet-Harrison

Lisl — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 12:09:27 +0000

Pioneering footwear designer Tracey Neuls scheduled the opening of her east London store to coincide with the London Design Festival, and to mark the occasion equally daring British designers Faudet-Harrison were appointed to create a fresh interior that would be appropriate for the edgy new Redchurch Street location.

The interior of dark wooden floors and white walls is minimally fit out with a mix of new and recycled customised furnishings; a vintage footstool topped with a chest of shoebox drawers being one of the most interesting pieces. The result is an undertated but bold interior that forms a welcome addition to a street of galleries and cafes.

Faudet-Harrison said: “the Furniture and products produced are centred around rituals of shoes and getting ready, all have an element of altered and restored found object married with new materials giving each piece a revised function.”

(Images via Dezeen)