PSLab collaborated on the lighting design of Aesop’s latest German signature store, and its first in Hamburg -ABC-Viertel. Created in collaboration with the Antwerp firm Vincent Van Duysen Architects, it features the brand’s first facial treatment room in Europe.
The stores design relies on simple, natural materials and a subtle palette; it is informed by two primary influences: the building’s status as a protected historic site and the neighborhood’s vibrant, sophisticated milieu.
Walls and ceiling in the 112-square meter space have been stripped back to their original state and clad in pale, roughly textured plaster, providing a refined tactile element. Bluestone is also used for flooring, working in concert with the plastered surfaces to define a serene and timeless setting.
PSLab’s directional metal halide down lights are displayed in well thought out grids, with a random feeling, corresponding to the needs of the retail displays, giving the right color rendering and language to Aesop’s products and store.
A floor to ceiling rod, holding three adjustable projectors, lights Aesop’s sought-after facial treatment room. In the aromatic calm of a purpose-built treatment space, the brand’s meticulous formulations are employed to detoxify and stimulate skin and spirit.
The two pendants, designed by Vincent Van Duysen were developed and built by PSLab as tailor-made light sources over the counters. The directional brass louvers provide the flexible and warm ambient light. The blackened plated steel fixtures are a rappel of the display shelves, crafted from untreated European oak and blackened steel – the latter referencing the store’s original cast-iron facade.