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Traditional hanging fabric panels were lowered through
the centre of the store to define the third zone and to
create interest but also a visual divide between the two
main retail sectors. These screens contrast the 'lab' ceiling
of the exposed services deliberately left unfinished. The
central area is the point-of-sale counter and feature
product cube.
The fit-out of Viridian’s ScalaMirage™ features an acidetched glass. Two large islands in the store centre are
clad in geometric ‘Rain’ pattern.
The firm’s investigation of working with glass revealed that
the application of a black backing allowed light to reflect
and shine like a mirror.
Nexus Designs' lead designer for the project, Lucy Marczyk,
spoke with Peter Hyatt about a design where restraint
helps achieve the wow factor:
Did you approach the store design with a
half-formulated idea?
LUCY MARCZYK Everything in the store is unique and handcrafted and really made with love. It was about ensuring
each item is represented individually and very specially.
The rain glass pattern really highlights those special
products. When the store introduces new products into its
range, they’re showcased on that glass for their exclusivity.
Japan produces some of the most innovative, whimsical
and beautiful homewares in the world and that's where we
really saw the rain glass as this whimsical take on Japanese
landscape design.
VISION
Other than storefronts and display cases, glass is rarely
this prominent in retail fit-out.
It allowed us to reveal and remind visitors once inside
the store of the Japanese landscape. Glass elements here
are of a large scale. They are sculptural elements made
possible by such a special material. Rather than seeing
glass as secondary to timber, we wanted it to be just as
strong. The scale really allowed the glass to have its own
special personality and very subtly talk about Japanese
design and Japanese high-end fashion.