UGG Westfield:
A vibrant new concept
umdasch presents UGG's new shop design concept in White City, London. Opening earlier this year, as part of a revamp of several stores across Europe, the store is brought to life with a whole new look. The luxury footwear and accessories brand commissioned umdasch for the planning, value engineering, furniture design, manufacture and installation services for the 160m2 store remodel.
A splash of colour
Best known for it’s comfortable, fluffy boots made from lambs fur the brand is internally acclaimed for it’s quality, even featuring on Oprah Winfrey’s Favourite Things, back in 2003. The newly refurbished sunny shop with modern furniture, clean lines and a mixture of sleek materials, accented with popping colours, is sure to satisfy UGG fans with it’s new design concept drawn up by 20.20 Ltd. The atmosphere of the store is transformed into an open and airy feel, with soft colours of brown, white, black, powder pink and powder blue. The sleek tiled floor, wooden panelling and black and white furniture with touches of metal and straight edges embody the modern concept of the store. This is complemented by soft seating and rounded shelving unit shapes, reflecting the comfy products for sale. The powdery pastel pinks and blues, create a calming atmosphere and multiple mirrors at varying levels produce an even more open feeling.
“What makes this project stand out from the others is that it brought together a whole host of materials into a retail setting. The mannequin stands have a concrete finish and the cash desk is coated in porcelain tile, made to look like marble, specially ordered from Italy. There is a whole heap of colours and textures, that you don’t tend to find in a shoe shop such as walls with an armourcoat textured finish” Richard Fry, Project Manager at umdasch explains.
Smart Concept Layout
Elevating the energy of the store to a brighter atmosphere, pops of colour are strategically placed throughout the concept. The black painted open ceiling contradicts this colour, giving a modern look whilst allowing the eyes to focus on the iridescent colours throughout the concept. The main seating area houses a large square bench unit with plush blue upholstery and a coffee table in the middle. This area serves to retain the flow of shoppers in the centre of the store, encouraging them to stay a little longer to soak up the energy of the store and its vibrant feel, whilst trying on all the different products on offer. The coffee table doubles as both a surface and mirror, representing the practicality of this design concept. We also installed an interactive wall opposite the kids area inset into the shelving unit where you can bring up the latest promote stock items at the touch of a finger.
“Another impressive aspect of the new design concept is the use of the space above head height. Iridescent panels and mirrors hanging off a Re-bar (a twisted black metal rod structure hanging from the ceiling) represent the unusual use of materials, as they are generally not used in this kind of way”, Richard Fry, Project Manager at umdasch continues.
This series of cube structures is replicated in the shelving systems throughout the store. The ceiling is also clad in some places with beautiful birch plywood ceiling fins. This softer material and colour contrasted with the other black and white sturdy materials draws the eyes across the entire design concept.
The Highlight
The main highlight of the new store design concept runs along the wall in the centre of the store. Called the “Pool Wall”, this element has in fret-cut splashes of light that look like ripples in water and sun rays or snowflakes, illuminated by a hidden light box behind the plywood wall. Whatever the season coming up, this is sure to get the client in the mood for a seasonal purchase.
Staging Products
Raised plinth blocks, on top of various surfaces throughout the store, highlight certain shoes and enable a tiered presentation of products, with furnishings in a variety of the core colours reflected throughout the store. When used on a shelf, this allows shoppers to see all the options available to them easily. This careful consideration of colour usage both invigorates the energy of the area, whilst keeping it conformed and complimentary.
