Los Angeles, CA | Saint Louis, MO | Montreal, QC, CA | Tel Aviv, IL
The project in Friendswood is the third retail store for the Rajeunir Black Caviar brand. The design for this location diverges from the previous two stores, that were larger and more immersive. Since this store is smaller, the approach expanded from a previous concept proposal for a temporary pop-up environment for the same brand. Rather than a surface that wraps the interior retail environment, the pop-up concept inserts a series of objects within a space. Three similar large objects are placed in the space with a smaller object serving as the point-of-sale desk. The objects communicate a sense of autonomy, almost seeming as if they could wander around the space on their own. They are larger than a person and appear slightly unstable as their top is leaning over as if ready to move. Thus the objects give a sense of temporality for the entire environment. The objects are made from a series of stacked CNC cut plywood where the white parts create the overall form in which void spaces are cut for personalized spaces for demonstrating the products and the gold parts create hidden objects embedded within. This is supplemented by a curtain that divides the treatment space from the sales area providing privacy yet flexibility to draw the curtains open to visually enlarge the small retail space. The curtain provides a soft backdrop to contrast the strong forms of the demonstration stations objects.
Status: Built
Location: Friendswood, TX, US
Firm Role: Architect
Additional Credits: Contractor: Enterprise Renovation / Ehud Marciano
Digital Fabrication: LDI Studio / Eric Arnold
Photography: Open Source Architecture