Kate Sylvester Broadway
The concept behind the design of the store was to retain a clean, fresh modern feel while at the same time infusing a mix of unexpected detail and material to give the project a unique character very much like the clothing designs of Kate Sylvester.To acheive this, the existing space was stripped out and rationalised to create a new organisation and proportion to answer the functional brief as well as create an optimised feeling of spaciousness.The new shell of the store consists of a stone floor of honed Pietra Serena and a single ceiling plane that floats below concealed lighting coves, away from the perimeter walls of either set and paint finished plasterboard or wrapped fabric panels, which can be changed seasonly. Within this shell sit the display cases, hanging rails, and other merchandising items. These elements are all constructed in Teak with a natural oil finish and introduce a more organic, hand crafted element to the fitout.The insertion of these elements opens up the possibility of different readings of the space. The shape and scale of the carved hanging rail that runs along the length of the store has been likened to a ballerina’s practice bar. The organic curves of the display trays, front door pull and shoe try on bench all follow the same principle of an organic profile, extruded, to perform the function it is prescribed. The overall effects of the palette of colours and materials, that is, the silvery sparkly sand stone floor, the warm teak and the subtle patterning and pink hue of the fabric panels manage to maintain an architectural clarity while also creating a warm feminine ambience that Kate Sylvester describes as not dissimilar to a ‘19th century parlour’ or ‘ladiespowder room’.This feeling is further reinforced by such details as the main mirror which not only visually doubles the space to further enhance the proportion of the store, but also has hinged side panels that give it the feel of an oversized vanity mirror.The mirrored wall also doubles as a dividing element giving privacy to the fitting area. The feeling of bedroom-like comfort and privacy is further explored by such devices as the flowing fabirc curtains that divide the fitting rooms from the fiftting area and the pendant light, not dissimilar to a piece of draped fabric.