Hens and Peacocks

There’s a growing contingent of Americans who raise an eyebrow at any show of opulence, glitz or luxury at a time when so many others are pinching pennies.

Show-offs. How out of touch.

It’s a reasonable perspective, and it’s interesting to see how it’s wiggling into every aspect of our culture, including retail design. Sitting with a group of designers recently, the conversation turned to what’s “appropriate” in store design these days. We were talking about recent store openings, remodels and renovations. With regard to one luxury brand’s latest efforts, someone mused, “Is a lavish, expensive flagship really ‘of the times’? From a design standpoint, is this a dinosaur?”

Now that’s a thought. We’re all wondering how things will be different on the other side, which changes to consumer behavior will be temporary and which are here to stay. And the idea that conspicuous consumption and over-the-top displays of wealth are gone, daddy, gone makes a certain amount of sense. Couple that with the continued push for green solutions, and you tend to get a naturally (pun intended) cleaner, simpler design aesthetic.

As a shopper, I personally love a warm, modern-yet-authentic environment. Soothe me. Guide me. Keep it bright, clean, lovely and simple. Especially now, when it feels like every aspect of life has become more pressure-filled and challenging. (Although maybe that’s just me.)

On the other hand, as one of the other designers in our conversation pointed out, gilded-lily stores with rich, expensive materials and bold architectural features can be seen as a welcome breath of optimism and aspiration. Besides, we still need the occasional jewel, the pop of color, the grand statement every once in a while to punctuate the landscape as a whole. Simple can be beautiful, understated can be stunning, and yet, too much is … not enough. Eventually the subdued vibe gets boring, and you start looking for something to really rattle your cage just to keep things interesting.

So it still takes all kinds. And it’s invigorating to follow what designers are doing, to track the changes and trends across all retail sectors, no matter what the climate. Many retail analysts and consultants are saying that after this, retailing will never be the same. How will that affect design? We can’t wait to find out.