Image Credit : Ross Honeysett
Project Overview
Landini Associates’ design for Sarah & Sebastian's first flagship store is as considered as their jewellery and is a true reflection of the brand’s values. There are three elements to the design: The first is the minimalist glass box, lined with mirror to represent the simplicity of their design. The second the beautifully detailed timber and copper jewellers bench, an expression of their craft. The third the alchemy of the one way mirrors which magically unveil their treasures at the jewellers will. These three elements represent the sum of Sarah and Sebastian's work: minimal, crafted, magic.
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Team
Landini Associates are a team of designers and strategic thinkers from around the world, based in Sydney. Their work tends to be multi-skilled as they practice strategy, architecture, interior, graphic, product, furniture and digital design. Most of their projects engage all of these disciplines and currently they are working in Australia, North America, the UK, Europe, Asia and the UAE.
Project Brief
Achieving a unique, experience-focused design was paramount for the project where the customer's first impression and overall journey were always kept front of mind. When you enter the rectangular glass jewellery box, you cannot see any product. A mirrored wall conceals the jewellery collections, reflecting instead the heritage sandstone church across the square. The jewellers bench made from American Walnut and Copper is the central focus of the store, and the jeweller the first point of engagement.
The jeweller talks customers through raw materials and process, then guides them in finding the perfect piece using a control switch to light up sections of the back two way mirrored wall to slowly reveal the collections one at a time. This is designed to give customer’s a full appreciation of the brand’s ethos and the craftsmanship that is behind each piece. In stark contrast to commercial mass market, every piece is hand made in the brand’s Alexandria based studio or in their Paddington store.
Project Innovation/Need
When you enter the rectangular glass jewellery box, you cannot see any product. A mirrored wall conceals the jewellery collections, reflecting instead the heritage sandstone church across the square. The jewellers bench made from Amercian Walnut and Copper is the central focus of the store, and the jeweller the first point of engagement upon entering.
"Landini Associates challenge everything you know about retail design." - Broadsheet
Design Challenge
In the face of the challenge presented by online retail, customers often need a reason to come in store. The design challenge was how to reimagine traditional bricks and mortar retailing to give the customer a more intimate shopping experience.
Sustainability
The interior uses classic, honest and raw materials that will last, and sourced locally wherever possible. Landini Associates’ design approach includes never designing to trends, instead they design to create something special that possesses longevity and as such it is not unusual for the studio’s designs to live up to and beyond 20 years old. This is a studio philosophy that allows for sustainable design, and one that was applied when designing Sarah & Sebastian’s flagship store.
Interior Design - Flagships & Showrooms
This award celebrates innovative and creative building interiors, with consideration given to flagship, discovery centers or showroom space creation and planning, furnishings, finishes and aesthetic presentation. Consideration given to space allocation, traffic flow, building services, lighting, fixtures, flooring, colours, furnishings and surface finishes.
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