Originally designed for a retail pop-up, these objects achieve functions of storage, display, and spatial delineation. The client store specializes in the sale of small objects. In its very large temporary space, the client needed a way to display these objects that would entice customers to examine and purchase them. The overwhelming size and relative emptiness of the space needed to be addressed with a very small budget.
Our answer was to create functional storage that also resized the temporary space so that the objects read at scale. The inspiration for the design is rooted in the Japanese zen principles of simplicity and minimalism, which were central themes for the client’s store. The boxes are composed of two identical wooden containers that fit together as a solid object when not in use. They can be separated to display the shop’s merchandise and to create internal circulation, achieving a distinct space within a larger space. We detailed each box with minimal joints and used subtle shifts in wood grain to express function. Because the pop-up was sited in an existing retail space, we established a unique identity by approaching the project as an object that lives and functions within the shell of the existing space.
The boxes are made from maple plywood, a durable, renewable resource that also allows the objects to be expressed in a plain and natural manner. The low cost of maple plywood also fit within the budget of what was originally intended to be a temporary installation. The boxes were fabricated in a standard cabinet shop. The success of the pop-up led to the client opening its own brick-and-mortar retail location, where the boxes currently reside.
Team:
Architects: FORWARD Design | Architecture
General Contractor: Studio Build
Photographer: Bob Greenspan
Material Used :
1. Maple plywood
2. Blum - Hardware
