Country Road, the modern Australian lifestyle brand, celebrated its 30th birthday with the launch of a new store concept, fashion and homewares lines and brand identity.
Lippincott Mercer, a design and brand strategy consultancy, worked to translate the retailer's new statement of modern Australian living into a tactile retail experience. The new concept opened in Melbourne, Sydney and Macquarie, Australia, and Shore City, New Zealand.
"Our reference points for expressing the brand ranged from contemporary Australian residential architecture through to a modern use of natural local materials that enabled us to express the emotional link between the indoors and outdoors that is so important to Australians," says Simon Stacey, a partner at Lippincott Mercer's London office.
Louvered pavilion fixtures are used in the men's, women's and homewares areas, with clusters of mannequins (by United Displays, Sydney) sprinkled throughout for additional merchandising displays.
Natural materials such as Australian gum-woods, limewashed timbers and concrete floors add to the nature-inspired setting, while site-specific materials, such as bluestone at the Melbourne locations, add a complementary touch. The Bondi Junction store in Sydney spans three levels and features a suspended timber mezzanine floor.
Client: Country Road, Victoria, Australia
Design: Lippincott Mercer, London
Audio: DMX Inc., Sydney
Fixtures, Furniture: S&B Shopfittings, Melbourne, Australia
Flooring: Surface Management Group, Sydney
Lighting: Consulight, Melbourne, Australia
Mannequins/Forms: United Displays, Sydney
Signage/Graphics: Diadem, Sydney
Photography: Courtesy of Lippincott Mercer, London