My studio class this semester is focusing on retail design. I absolutely love going to stores and just looking around and figuring out what exactly it is that creates the ambiance. This semester is going to be lots of fun! To kickstart things, our first assignment is to go to five different stores and take note of its materials, lighting, and pretty much anything that contributes to its design. I decided to focus on these five: Abercrombie & Fitch, IKEA, Earthbound Trading Company, Sun & Ski, and Bass Pro Shop. The last three, I found at Concord Mills over the weekend.
Abercrombie & Fitch
I chose this store because I’ve worked there for the past two years, so I pretty much know every nook and cranny of the place. As soon as one walks in their eyes have to adjust to the sudden darkness. The lighting coming from above is recessed way into the ceiling, creating a spotlight affect on whatever is directly above the bulbs. Located on the ceiling near the walls is track lighting, which is pointed at the clothing or pictures on the walls, much like it is used at art galleries. The walls are painted a dusty shade of gray, framed in white wood molding. Abercrombie uses wood a lot throughout the store. The floor is hardwood that is painted a shiny black that lets the lights reflect vibrantly off of it. All of the tables are wood, as well. Only they are a rich, cherry hue that really adds warmth to the otherwise cold rooms. (An occasional very tall, and very fake plant helps with this too.) Near the center of the store where the fitting rooms and register is located, there is a material change on the floor from the shiny black wood to dull concrete. I can only imagine that it is like that to break up the room a little and signify that that particular area has a specific function. That was a pretty smart design idea. I will remember it.
Here is an example of how one of the walls of the store looks. See how the lights have that spotlight effect on the clothing and picture?
IKEA
I have been to the IKEA in Charlotte before and loved it! I recommend it to everyone. At first glance, IKEA has a warehouse-type feel. That’s because, let’s face it, it is a huge warehouse. The main material on the floor is concrete and it is huge and open. What caught my attention about it, though, was the material changes on the floor when little room displays were set up. With every different display was a different floor material. I don’t know why that baffles me so much. I just think about how long that must have taken to install so many different kinds of flooring. It made me realize, though, how much a room can change depending on just one element of design. So many restaurants and stores that I go to disappoint me so much because they just forgot about doing something interesting with the floor and even the ceiling. They just focus on the walls. But when designing an area, it’s important to think about EVERYTHING. You’re designing the whole room—that’s what is going to make people have the best experience. IKEA was such an inspiration to me and opened my eyes a little more.
This photo belongs to Judy Hedding. I didn't take it. Its on here because it shows the material change on the ground, as well as shows how its a warehouse. Notice the trellis-like ceiling? I thought that was really cool. I like things that create the illusion of a ceiling.
Earthbound Trading Company
My mother and I went to Concord Mills (a huge outlet mall in Concord, NC) over the weekend and I got to go to my favorite store in the whole mall. Earthbound Trading Company is a small store that has products in it from a hodgepodge of different cultures. I don’t really like going in because of the stuff that they sell, but rather because I simply enjoy the way it feels. My absolute favorite part of it is how it uses the lights that it sells as the main lighting for the store. Hanging down from the ceiling are many ornate Japanese paper lights. They look like they just floating gently in the air, casting a soft glow on everything below them. Sigh. I love lighting. Another interesting thing about the store is how the owners chose to display merchandise on the wall. Instead of hanging things right on the wall, there are actually bright yellow acrylic rectangle panels that are mounted on the wall at regular intervals all around the room. The yellow against the very dark blue wall contributes to the starlight effect that the lights were making from above. They also created a very nice steady rhythm across the room. It felt very pleasant to be in. Hmm. Lighting and Rhythm. Noted. 
^Here are the yellow panels I wrote about. They lined every wall. That is a good way to bring order to chaos--have a shape that repeats over and over.
This is a little doodle I did of the lights in Earthbound. They felt so festive and peaceful..all at once.
Sun & Ski Sports
This store isn’t my favorite; we went in because my mother just had to see if they had a good sale on sweaters, so I was dragged in against my will. Once I was in there and wiped the grimace off my face, though, I looked around and liked some of the ideas the designers were trying to execute (even if it was done kind of poorly, in my opinion.) The main material for flooring in the store was an ugly wall to wall carpet. What caught my eye, though, was that there was a stone path that led the customers around the store, weaving gently in and out of different sections. Once I took note of that, I looked up and noticed, to my surprise, that the whole store was made to look like you were standing outside in the middle of a little mountain ski village. The walls were all one massive panoramic picture of a beautiful snowy mountain range. There were facades placed around the store along the wall, made to look like store fronts. It was very bright because there were clerestory windows way above me, as well as a bunch of fluorescent lighting (ick), which probably felt closest to daylight during the night. So, in conclusion, I still dislike the store, but I took away some good ideas from it.
If ever there was a time to do wall paper, it would be for something like this.
Bass Pro Shop
Ahh, the paradise of the hunter and fisher. I must say, though, even though I’m not much into either sport, I enjoy this store every time I walk through it. It is pretty huge with what seems to be twenty foot ceilings. At least. The floor is a polished concrete that changes colors slightly every now and again, which adds nice visual interest. There is a high usage of wood throughout the store. The tables for the clothing are all wood, as well as cute little furnishings that add to the rustic ambiance. At one point in the middle of the store, the ceiling shoots up to its highest point of maybe thirty feet. This allows some clerestory windows to nestle in nicely in the wall, high above the main path in the store. These windows let daylight pour into the store and make it feel open and friendly. (This is illustrated in the pictures below.) One little detail that I thought was a great idea was the fact that while letting the cement dry, the designers stamped different molds of animal feet in the cement to make it look like bears, birds, etc had been walking around the store. I like the idea of having a sense of humor in design and doing a little something that is just fun. It has to be well thought out, though. (This is also in a picture below.) I’m sorry to say that there is a plethora of dead and mounted animals intermingled in with all of these good ideas. Sigh.
In conclusion, I learned to be more observant of my surroundings when I am out and about. Once you open your eyes and pay close attention to where you are, its amazing to recognize the thought (or lack thereof) that went into different environments.
Until next time,
-J
