The second store of the new hybrid surf/fashion brand, designed by BKH, packs a punch in Melbourne Central. Nicky Lobo reports.
February 16th, 2012
The first store opened with a bang on Manly Corso in October 2011 and Co-Op Surfection in Melbourne Central quickly followed suit in November. Although the design language, finishes and overall feel are the same, there is definitely a different set of design challenges in the two projects.
Where Sydney’s store is a heritage building fronting an open promenade on an iconic beach strip, Melbourne’s is within the mass retail environment of a shopping centre. So the results are in a way even more impressive, presenting an air of cool, yet flexible and unobtrusive enough for the product to take centre stage.
As well as the contrasting retail environments, the Manly store is double-height while the Melbourne store is over a single floor with low ceilings. It still achieves a sense of spaciousness though. “Melbourne has a curvature between the wall and the ceiling but it’s not a huge vault [like Sydney],” admits Ian Halliday, Director, Burley Katon Halliday (BKH), who led the project.
It’s still a successful interpretation of the concept, with design elements, finishes and quirky styling carried through both stores. Halliday notes, “the slatted timber, the chequered tile in some version, the bronzey coloured steelwork, the brick [are] elements that give it its tonal language; it’s quite warm.”
Creative Director of Board Sports Retail Group, Lotte Barnes, adds, “In terms of brands, the Melbourne store features slightly more niche surf brands and less fashion brands than Sydney. However there is still very much that juxtaposed romance component in terms of fashion/niche surf and urban wear mixture.”
Halliday believes, “Retail in Australia is a pretty difficult place. Whatever you can do to hold the customer, by keeping them amused, is good.”
Consider us amused.
Check out the Co-Op Surfection Manly store in Indesign #49, out in May.
Photography: Lotte Barnes
Co-Op Surfection
http://sfxn-co-op.com/
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Suitable for applications ranging from schools and retail outlets to computer rooms and X-ray suites, Palettone comes in two varieties and a choice of more than fifty colours.
Savage Design’s approach to understanding the relationship between design concepts and user experience, particularly with metalwork, transcends traditional boundaries, blending timeless craftsmanship with digital innovation to create enduring elegance in objects, furnishings, and door furniture.
In the pursuit of an uplifting synergy between the inner world and the surrounding environment, internationally acclaimed Interior Architect and Designer Lorena Gaxiola transform the vibration of the auspicious number ‘8’ into mesmerising artistry alongside the Feltex design team, brought to you by GH Commercial.
Marylou Cafaro’s first trendjournal sparked a powerful, decades-long movement in joinery designs and finishes which eventually saw Australian design develop its independence and characteristic style. Now, polytec offers all-new insights into the future of Australian design.
Bringing together the LGBTQI+ communities of our built environment industry, Architects with PRIDE is here to celebrate the 2023 World Pride and Mardi Gras Festival. Attend these 4 events this February.
Pushing boundaries and fusing the philosophical with the physical – Lucy McRae has carved out an utterly unique body of work (pun intended) that has a firm eye on the future. We talk with the ‘body architect’ ahead of her first retrospective show, now open in Melbourne.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
The American Hardwood Export Council promotes the works of next-gen designers through Discovered Singapore exhibition happening from 16 to 22 May at Red Dot Design Museum Singapore.
July has arrived in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane and this exemplary luggage brand has a new home that ticks all the boxes.