Sustainability: Designed to Be Ordinary

IN THE AGE OF conscious consumerism and simple ingredients, skincare isn’t the only thing getting a cleanup. Toronto-based skincare brand The Ordinary’s new Covent Garden flagship, designed by architecture and retail design firm Brinkworth (London), proves that sustainability doesn’t need to shout to make a statement.

Instead of a glossy, overbuilt flagship, Brinkworth applied the same logic to the store as The Ordinary does to its products and packaging: simple, effective and no unnecessary fluff. The three-step design process – “Prep, Treat, Seal” – borrowed its language from skincare to guide the spatial transformation, beginning with a “quietly practical and non-wasteful approach.”

“Working within a Grade II listed building is in a lot of ways inherently sustainable because you’ve got character that already exists within the space that is of great value,” says Sonny Cant, Design Director at Brinkworth. “Our approach from the outset was looking at what we inherit, what we can keep, what we can build off and then overlaying materials on top of it sparingly.”

Every material choice follows suit: Locally sourced limestone, brushed stainless steel with low-impact finishing and VOC-free tiles all feature prominently. Even the lighting is thoughtfully anti-glare, flattering for faces and functional for consultations.

THIS PAGE: A nod to the brand’s lab origins, the new Covent Garden store features a “mini pharmacy” for easy restocking and consultations.

The sustainable design doesn’t sacrifice storytelling. A central column becomes a 360-degree feature wrapped in matte-molded tiles and acts as a display, wayfinding cue and branding moment all in one.

At the store’s center is a tiled consultation desk that integrates everything from product displays to payment – a nod to the brand’s lab roots. Trays created with recycled plastic are embedded with The Ordinary’s signature “O” logo and double as product holders and consultation tools.

“We also created a pocket for fast replenishment of stock. Behind the cash desk, there’s an area like an elevated mini pharmacy. It’s very curated, but it means that on the really busy days with high footfall, staff can quite quickly replenish products that run out,” says Cant.

In a world obsessed with more, The Ordinary’s store is refreshingly less. “The point is that it’s a given that we are consciously considering and incorporating sustainability into the design,” Cant says. “Sustainability should just be part of the mindset.”

The future of sustainable retail design might just be… ordinary.

PHOTO GALLERY (13 IMAGES)
PHOTOS: LOU MELCHIOR, LONDON