Aesop is a well renowned skin care company which was established back in 1987 in Melbourne.Their objective was always that of formulating skin, hair and body products of the finest quality. Altought their headquarters are in Melbourne the company is spread world wide with having Stores all over the globe including New York, London,Paris, Tokyo Hong Kong and many more… The store i will be researching about is the Aesop ION designed by Snøhetta back in 2015, Snøhetta has designed four of Aesop’s stores which where built all over the world which include: Singapore,Norway and Berlin.
Concept \ Taught behind the design :
Aesop Ion was designed to be a “ warm, reflective space that med iates nature and artifice through local history.” The shop i chose to talk about is situated in Singapore which is situated just off Orchard Road, the project was designed in “collaboration with Norwegian-based architecture and design practice Snøhetta”. There main inspiration and thought behind the design was that to “commemorate Orchard Road’s original incarnation as a nutmeg plantation, which lasted until development along the thoroughfare began in the early twentieth century.” inspired by the past and also an underground location the studio wanted to create the feel of an upside down forest. they managed to get this feeling with intelligent use of “sensitive layering of materials, colours and forms.”
Forms and functions
The designer kept the form of the interior very organic and simple. Although they uses square battens for the ceiling they still managed to keep the form as flowing and circular as possible. The advantage to this was not only the fact that it create a form of flow in the shop but also it works well with the central piece which is used to test all the products. Integrated in it you can find two sinks where the client could wash their hands and either try on another product or just check out. The till is situated at the end to help with the flow of people .
Layout and User experience
The layout and user experience is a simple but effective one. the layout is kept simple by showcasing the products on the side but directing all the flow of people to the central panel where one can test the product and see which one they prefer before checking out. Although the designer never blocked any passages they managed to create a good flow which works well with the customers and instantly gives you a sense of direction.
How the designer interpreted the brand identity
Aesop tend to give their designers the luxury of being free in their design and most of the stores have different designs. The designer interpreted the brand identity in the way where they kept certain aspects which are very similar to a nearby Aesop which establishes the use of brass in functional elements such as the sales counter and sink The brass counters are all enhanced by overhead lighting.
Materials and colours
Referencing to the orchard the design decided to make the ceilings dark to give the sense of a forest whilst keeping it bright enough for the Timber battens which help forming walls which curve throughout the space and also acts as a feature but at the same time doesn’t take the importance off the product on display. All the Exposed walls where painted pink which is reminiscent of the colour of mace, the other spice which is harvested from the nutmeg fruit which is used in some of their products.
Shop window design and light strategies
The facade of the store looks alot like the stores nearby as can be clearly seen from the exterior subtile curved line of the tenancy facade. The use of brass tends to project a burnished glow to passers by. The design of the facade is kept simple and luxurious whilst also showing some of their products. The brass facade instantly gives a big sense of richness, it is kept plain and simple so the passer by could see the products for sale inside the store and also invites you to have a look whats product are found inside the shop.
Regarding lighting strategies the designer focused on keeping the outside shiny and all lit up to attract customers whilst keeping the inside dull with the use of dark ceilings with using LED lightings to branch out on the products which are being sold. The displays inside the store are also made of brass thus the light could reflect greater off the products.
"Aesop ION / Snøhetta". ArchDaily. N.p., 2017. Web. 2 Mar. 2017.
"Home Page". Aesop.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 2 Mar. 2017.
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