A person's choice of materials is an expression of who they are. So when it comes to retail design, the materials you use can be seen as an expression of your brand identity and should reflect how you want your customers to feel and act when they enter and explore your premises. Here we have identified materials, ranging from the conventional to the innovative, that you might consider for your future high-end retail design.
1. Stainless Steel
The great thing about stainless steel is that it can take on many forms. It can be used to make a setting look modern and polished and depending on the finishing provide a sense of warmth or coolness. Elements can be linked together to create chain mails or even woven into screens, for example. At Côte & Ciel, a backpack store in Hong Kong, it is used to create poles, among other types of metal, against stone to express 'nature vs. urbanity' and functioning as a tool for displaying their products.
At 5 Star Plus Retail Design, we implemented a three-dimensional look with a layer of stainless steel mesh in front of painted walls in our fashion store design project ORA.
2. Innovative Woven Fabrics by Wovns
Digital platform Wovns has developed an on demand weaving process that allows designers to order patterned Jacquard fabric in quantities as small as a single yard by weaving multiple designs as one continuous piece of fabric, so the loom doesn't need to be reconfigured before each one. The company's co-founder Dena Molnar said she was inspired by the rise of digital fabrication in fields like architecture and industrial design.
3. Laminated Glass
Laminated glass is made of various flat products sandwiched between two sheets of glass which can result in a high end, pressed look. Mona, a salon in Oyama, Japan uses laminated glass with thin glass fibres embedded inside which transmit light resulting in a crystal-like appearance.
4. Woven Resin
Although many people would most likely immediately associate this material with garden furniture, it has been redefined by indoor features such as this 3D surface wall treatment from 3-Form. This was once only seen in commercial projects but has now become popular in residences and could easily be seen soon in retail. This feature is extremely easy to install and also has strong acoustical properties.
5. Piñatex
New materials company Ananas Anam is using pineapple waste to create a material that is an animal friendly alternative to leather. The material uses cellulose fibers extracted from pineapple leaves. The strands are then separated and felted together into a non-woven fabric that is breathable and flexible. It is ideal for seating as it adjusts to your body temperature due to its pours and ability to breathe. Much like real leather, it is very versatile but due to its recent conception the current product range is limited. The potential for future applications however is undeniable.
Using any of the above materials appropriately could make your store, restaurant or bar stand out from the rest by creating a special atmosphere for your customers and emphasizing your brand identity.