Store Design
LOUD, is a high end boutique. which carries brands that produce minimalistic yet interesting clothing such as Acne Studios, Our Legacy, Lemaire, and Noah NYC. the store will not be limited to apparel and will carry shoes and accessories by the same brands as well as some hard goods such as candles, incense, ceramics, and print material. The clothing will be presented mainly on speed rails with some items being placed on tables and other platforms. Near the entrance of the store will be a three tiered pyramid type shelving unity in white. This is where the shoes and some accessories will be regularly displayed for the customers to browse.
The theme of LOUD is meant to be somewhat reminiscent of a 70’s basement. The main trend in this era was to have wood panelled walls and the common mid century modern furniture in bright colours. To put a modern spin on this classic interior design aesthetic, the wood paneling will be used only for accent walls while the rest remain white in order to maintain the brightness of the space. The goal in using this style of interior is to create a comfortable and simultaneously high end environment. Stores should not be intimidating, they should feel welcoming and using the wood in conjunction with the white will add warmth to the overall colour scheme.
As previously mentioned, the two main colour elements will be white and a medium stained wood. The cash area, the pyramid fixture, and non accented walls (including the fitting rooms) will be painted the same shade of white. Towards the fitting rooms there will be a seating area with mid century modern furniture to maintain the theme of the space. The colour scheme there will be mainly the same, and the furniture will feature a neutral mid grey upholstery to remain light but not fade into the white walls. Throughout the store there will be various accent items in warm shades. The bar near the fitting rooms comes in a bright yet warm orange, the lamp in the seating area will feature a clear blue that adds life, and there will be various greenery placed throughout the store to add a sense of freedom and comfort.
LOUD will use simple materials with an emphasis on nature. Speed rails along the wall and in the centre of the store will be in a heavily lacquered wood supported by gunmetal hardware. Cash wrap and the pyramid structure will likely be constructed of high density fiberboard to remain durable while having a flat look to them. Doors to the fitting rooms will be in the same shade of wood as the paneled walls and have one large mirror each. Near the seating area and behind the bar, there will be a large mirrored wall that borders the store room. The door to the store room will also be a mirror so as not to stand out from the rest of the surface. This mirror will be extremely useful to the shoppers for multiple reasons: it will enable them to have somewhere they can still look at themselves if they are showing a garment to someone else, and it will also be useful when a shopper wants to try on outerwear or accessories. The floors will be a finished concrete which is both appealing and easy to clean.
LOUD will have a free flow layout that features many visually appealing and unique fixtures. Boutiques work best when they are designed to browse and when products are displayed nicely you want to encourage shoppers to see them all. As a customer enters a store they will see the previously mentioned pyramid structure in the centre of the store. To each side of this structure will be a speed rail along the wall. One rail will be broken up by a display table and the other by a large mirror with a wooden bookcase at the other end used to display hard goods. There will be a third speed rail that wraps around one corner the pyramid structure. On both sides of the pyramid structure will be more display tables between it and the rails along the walls, some of which may feature a mix of apparel, accessories, and hard goods. There will be three forms to display clothing in one window and two in the next for a total of five. These forms will be used to display new apparel merchandise. On the side of the store that features the large mirror, there will be two chairs near the pyramid for ease of trying shoes on. They will give whoppers somewhere to sit while they try on shoes and/or wait for someone else. The ambient lighting of the store will be a modern track light that gives off a warmer palette than usual to continue the comfortable atmosphere in the store. In addition, there will be modern pendant lights placed in various locations in the store with two hanging in each window above the forms and a lamp in the seating area.
The name LOUD is meant to tie into the basement inspired decor. The 70’s were the height of rock and roll and as a result the height of the “garage band”. Teens would often get together and play songs they either wrote or loved in a basement or garage and it’s doubtful they were respectful of their parents. LOUD is meant to call back to the comradery and comfort associated with playing music with your closest friends in your parents basement.
