In the world of luxury retail, the white boxes for Tiziana Fausti

by Giulia | Aug 26, 2015 | IN THE WORLD OF DESIGN, RETAIL, CONTRACT AND RESTAURANT, WORK IN PROGRESS

Luxury corners in the retail world have a universal language, this is what white boxes are and how we made them for the Tiziana Fausti multibrand in Bergamo.

WHITE BOXES

The world of fashion speaks a universal language. A language composed of functionality, simplicity and beauty. Three keywords that become the fundamental requirements in the design of the white boxes. These constitute the basic module of the exhibit system of any corner: essential rooms that build the “basic display units”. A sort of empty box, perfect in the executive realization that can be declined in all contexts depending on the brand’s exhibition project. An extremely versatile element equipped with lighting, arrangement of electrical outlets and air conditioning ducts as planned. It should then be destinated to the single luxury brand. White boxes are certainly among the fundamental requests of each general contractor, also for their duration over the years. If it is true that the world of retail is the first to always dictate new trend and to continually renew itself, the white boxes instead constitute a timeless element capable of becoming a constant for the internal layout of the corners. A flexible room that will experience as few structural changes as possible. The design of the internal exhibition spaces and their management are entrusted to the visual and interior designers of the single brand.

PROJECT LAYOUT

For the Tiziana Fausti luxury store in the centre of Bergamo we have realized the white boxes as designed by the architect Marco Costanzi. In particular, the lyout of the commercial space was intended to hoas a multibrand space equipped with linear display elements in its central area and to host three luxury brands in the respective white boxes on the back wall.

MULTIBRAND

In the central space, linear elements that can also contain lighting in their essential profiles, as well as glass display shelves are designed. Made of polished stainless steel, they hold the cable system at the base, which allows linear lighting which also acts as a luminous frame. In this way, they function as stand-alone elements, providing the necessary light for the correct illumination of the products, but they also not exclude the use of any external spotlights that can improve their visibility.

TIZIANA FAUSTI WHITE BOXES

On the back wall there are four white boxes used to shortly host the corner of Alaia, Givenchy, Celine and Valentino. These have been equipped with a recessed lighting profile to which the directional spotlights are attached. The profile follows a rectangular shape and it is placed in the centre of the false ceiling. The electrical set-up and the placement of electrical outlets for potential wall displays or illuminated central showcase constituted the interior layout of the rooms. These were also equipped with the air conditioning system and the wall and ceiling structure was mounted according to the project. This is the case, for example, of the corner of Valentino, whose project envisaged a marble wall cladding that needs a supporting structure behind it. Concerning the external front view, the white boxes were characterized by clack waxed iron closing panels. These chromatically detaches themselves for the choice of black in which the logo of the luxury brands inside the corner are laser shaped. The size of the logo and its blacklighting is a dimensional constraint fixed by Architect Costanzi’s studio on each brand to visually standardize the external front view in accordance with the general project. The niches created between the corners are equipped to hold the mannequins of the brand as a sort of recessed showcase. Some photos of work in progress are shown below. N.B. We in retrospect added the photos of the fitting completed in August 2015 for a greater success of the visual representation.

white boxes Tiziana Fausti work in progress

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The Coffee Market, a store in Ibiza that smells like coffee

by Giulia | Jun 25, 2015 | IN THE WORLD OF DESIGN, RETAIL, CONTRACT AND RESTAURANT

The Lavazza coffee store inaugurated in Ibiza, in collaboration with Officina iDEa. Here the famous bitter grain becomes the protagonist and it expresses all its cultural and experiential variations.

COFFEE BREAK

Coffee culture is a tradition that passed down all over the world for years, knowing different variations according to the context in which it is settled. There is no continent without any charm of its essence, making it a real ritual. Did you know, for example, that in Ethiopia the preparation of Arabica coffee takes place in all its phases in a domestic environment? As a real ritual, starting from roasting, passing through the grinding and ending with the infusion, everything is done at home. Each culture knows its own technique, which ranges from preparation to tasting. An overview is available in this article from the Lavazza magazine. Italy is undoubtedly the homeland of coffee, with the unique and inimitable espresso. Its own definition encompasses the essence of Italian coffee. If in fact other countries conceives the coffee as a stop to calmly taste and enjoy, in the beautiful country it is often served at the counter, by standing and very quickly. <the barista expresses its skills knowing how to master the coffee machine by cranking out one cup after the other. It is no coincidence that the main feature of the espresso is that you can finish it in three sips. An espresso is perfect at any time of the day, nothing to do with the cappuccino with croissants that denotes the breakfast ritual. An espresso is a quickly break before going to work, but also a refill after lunch or the perfect closing of the day.

THE CONCEPT

The project, of which we had anticipated you some work in progress photos, follows the Officina iDEa’s concept, focused on the morphology of the coffee grain. Not only has that, the commercial space rather than a simple shop and bar fit perfectly into the category of concept store. It is in fact a retail space mostly focused on the experience and philosophy behind the band, which is in this case Lavazza. The atmosphere recalls for lines and shapes the sinuosity of the coffee grain, also matches with colours and materials that define it. This is the reason why a textured fabric-like laminate was chosen for the finish of the false ceiling and for the central pillar, to recall the texture of the jute bags in which the precious product is kept. The internal layout of the spaces provides a direct sales area for products, with relative exhibition, a tasting area to enjoy the sacred moment of the coffee break in a European concept. But also a series of infopoints where you can get closer to the cultural world and curiosities of the Italian coffee, and an import and export office visible from the large windows. The projects also considers the graphic point of view, establishing a user experience with a line that accompanies the customer towards the main display elements and in the tasting and sales area. A graphic line that also develops on the sidewalls from the floor, becoming three-dimensional displays elements.

MORPHOLOGY, COLOURS AND MATERIALS

The concept store follows a conceptual development of its spaces. Each of these is clearly identifiable in the forms and graphic lines, fitting harmoniously as a natural passage between the zones. The presence of exhibition volumes that emerge from the ground as a horizontal stratification of several layers mainly characterizes the space used for the product’s display and sale. If in the lower part these elements are made of natural lacquered curved MDF profiles with horizontal closing surface in white laminate, the upper part takes on its shape to incorporate the lighting. A stylistic line that characterizes the whole store, providing dynamism and graphic elegance. These elements are interspersed with other exhibition objects, recovered from yesterday’s time contexts and added to convey the ideas of authenticity and tradition. This is the case, for example, of the drawers spreads all over the back wall, becoming display elements for the various essence of coffee. Even the display cabinet with bright green doors has been recovered from an old context to take on new life. To enrich the space, we can found jute bags at the corners of the furnishings, which texture is takes from the sidewalls. The coffee bar is equipped with punctual lighting, with suspension lamps with a contemporary design. On the back, a linear display element took place, the external lines of which are rounded in accordance with the general design line. The tasting area is much more essential in design, to focus attention on the experience itself. Classic armchairs in black leather accompany reinvented pellets with metal wheels and glass support surface. Punctual lighting is set up on sight in the recessed false ceiling. It is exactly from this room, that the area for import and export offices takes place visible through a large window, making it a multifunctional environment.

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Work in progress with the bitter taste of a coffee

by Giulia | Feb 25, 2015 | IN THE WORLD OF DESIGN, RETAIL, CONTRACT AND RESTAURANT, WORK IN PROGRESS

Directly from our laboratory, some photos of the work in progress project of a coffee shop in Ibiza. The Officina iDEa project concerns a retail space where coffee is the undisputed protagonist. An experiential rather than design concept, in which what conception of Italian coffee meets the European experiential context. The realization of the display elements establishes a structure composed of an upper curved MDF template to which the pantographed profiles are anchored, always in natural MDF. The whole is subsequently lacquered obtaining a slight alteration of the natural colour turning to a darker one. An unusual execution technique, which tested the technical processing skills. We will soon could observe the results together when the outfitting is complete, in the meantime we will let you peek through the works.

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Zimmer Rohde fabrics and wallpapers in Milan

by Giulia | Feb 5, 2015 | RETAIL, CONTRACT AND RESTAURANT

Here a preview of the new Zimmer Rohde showroom just inaugurated in Via Fratebenefratelli in Milan. An exhibition space where fabrics are the protagonists, expressing their uniqueness. Arranged on two levels, the project by architect Fernando Mosca provides for the basement a very large environment for the exhibition of the products and the offices, while the customer sale service takes place on the upper floor. The refinement and detail’s care of the fabrics showed is visible even in the particular finish of the furnishing. Addressing an elite clientele, the choice of furnishings also reflects an almost obsessive attention to detail. This is primarily visible in the choice of materials and in its finishes. Ash imitating tabu applied counter-silk, dark gray stained ash with Bolivar finish and bronze metallic lacquer. Materials and finishes interchanges in a tale of elegance and refinement that involves all the display elements that we dealt with.

BASEMENT FLOOR

The table with an important but extremely clean presence mostly respond to the bronze finish, providing a uniform and suggestive background for the products on display. Concerning shelves and window frames instead, the ash is the choice. It characterizes the interior without overloading it with visual elements. The basement floor uses the raised windows to provide natural lighting and setting them up with a contour profile in order to equip them as shop window. These are in fact visible in the external view at the walking level, offering the opportunity to have small shop windows at regular intervals. For this reason, the internal frame element also incorporate lighting in order to function as a real showcase both during the day and in the evening. To characterize the interior, we can find the alternation of full-height branded panels with equipped niches carved into the masonry. These are mostly characterized by the presence of linear profiles able to support the weight of the exposed fabrics. Display profiles are also present in full-height panelling, hosting small object and samples. Another showing system is provided by the shelves, whose dark colour given by the wooden essence, elegantly fits in harmony with the frame element of windows. Both emerge from the white background paint creating an extremely refined contrast. To broaden the perception of space and to create a suggestive ambient, the mirror coating of some pillars takes place. It is also taken up in the ceiling that leads to the sales offices.

UPPER FLOOR

A staircase with large tread majestically enriched with dove-gray coloured upholstery, leads to the upper floor. This can be seen from the back of the artificial rushes that characterizes the entrance area and it is also recalled on the upper floor. An apparently natural alternation of bamboo canes, then lacquered in silver and illuminated with a linear profile on the ground or ceiling providing a touch of artificial elegance. Upstairs, between large curtains and luxury velvet furnishings, a room are located for the customer service. There is also space for smaller exhibition layout, which convey the idea of a more personalized and intimate relationship with the customer.