Project name and location:
Perenne Design Retail Store
Raghuvanshi Estate, Lower Parel Mumbai
Name of architecture/design firm and location:
Design By Meta, New Delhi
Design Brief and Aim:
The design brief from the client was to create an open and inviting space with plenty of room to browse around. The client was looking for a space where the aesthetics were neutral yet impactful, where people did not just come to shop for home decor but seek new ideas for their homes. This required the store design to blend the store's design with products in order to build a realistic context for the customers.
Design concept:
Poetry can make people swoon, a shocking image can enrage someone, but the most effective way to create emotion in design is by color and textures.
There's a reason we don't see the world in black and white. Color is a power which directly influences design, becoming the language of design. Every color creates a different psychological response.
In the efforts to create drama and punctuate the space at the beginning of the experience, a cube was created which had an open lattice shell. Right in the start, one gets into the space with a pop of the brand’s color. It introduces the brand in a subtle manner and creates an interesting entrance patio space like in a home. The river washed stone used for the flooring in this area also adds to the character of the patio.
The first time the designers saw the site, they loved the height in the space and wanted to keep this aspect of the design as in most retail spaces this liberty of height is not there. The grandeur of the height was enhanced by the use of one color as a monotone in the design, creating an impression/illusion of a higher ceiling. And the idea was to suspend the client’s products (chandeliers) from the ceiling to create drama and intrigue.
As one proceeds into the space, the color tones drop to subtle mass of beige which plays around in different shades in the form of wall paper. A neutral palette of beige and browns in the interiors create focus on the products. This creates an earthy tone to view the home décor products, set in display racks which have a mixture of wood, metal and leatherette. The walls act a subtle background to view the products. The flooring in the high foot fall areas with the circulation remains tile while the discussion area in the central space has a distinguished use of wooden flooring in a herringbone pattern. This space acts a consultation zone like a living room space in a home where customers’ designs are discussed and they can get 360 degrees view of all the products in display. The product display in the showroom is divided into sections like: Bedroom furnishing, dining room décor, lamps and shades, large showpieces, so that the client can focus on the exact requirement and is able to view the products with ease.
The overall design is muted and subdued with punctuations to create a warm congenial environment for shopping for a home décor brand.
Unique design Element
The creation of a patio space with the brand’s color, a highlighted space with a lattice, adds a pop of color and texture to the entrance with play of light and shadow.
The overall design accentuates the height of the space and creates an open canvas for product display from the ceiling.
The façade invites the customer into the space with a classical interpretation.
How was the project accomplished?
There was a challenge in the design of the space as the entire electrical panels of the street were housed in the retail space. This area was adjusted and reworked to accommodate the panel and camouflage the space creating an interesting show window space. The design of the façade has an introduction of arches and a colonial inspired textural rendering bringing the yesteryear of Bombay into the design of the space.
The project was accomplished within these challenges successfully and in the words of the client Mr. Ishaan Taneja who appreciated the design,
” Our entire team perceives that Design By Meta has positively redefined our retail language, whilst keeping the brand's aesthetic philosophy intact. This store is well planned, with a versatile interior design that provides us and our clients with a good canvas to contextualise and style the brand's furniture and decor line. The color scheme, flooring and wall treatments are all distinctive and in sync at once, making it a vibrant retail experience for all. “
Photographer's Name: Visuary (@VISUARY.IN)
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