彩虹零售 | 店铺内饰拥抱全光谱色彩

In each issue, we identify a key aesthetic trend evident in our archive of recent projects and challenge semiotics agency Axis Mundi to unpack its design codes. In Frame 146, we looked at how kaleidoscopic colour is injecting energy into retail environments.

As if awakening from a prolonged state of hibernation, the emergence of vibrant interiors full of energy and life signifies the eager anticipation of warmer weather. Metaphors of organic growth and elemental transformation proliferate, inviting inspiration from the outdoors in verdant bursts of lime green and ultramarine. Uncanny aspects of nature are distilled and reimagined to imply Edenic abundance in unlikely places. In one instance, the abstract expression of a bamboo grove rendered in saturated hues offers an opportunity for forest bathing while browsing merchandise, in another, oversize sculptures of roses loom and bloom over shoppers, opening their plaster petals towards the soft white lights suspended overhead.

Photo: Brad Dickson

Louis Vuitton SoHo pop-up store in New York, US.

Photo: Jesus Muñoz

Toadstool Project by Gabriela Noelle.

Photo: Daisuke Shima

Colors installation Hitobito Iroiro for Uniqlo Ginza by Emmanuelle Moureaux in Tokyo, Japan.

The curation of an optimistic ambience is further fostered by insistence on full-spectrum, full-bleed finishes that flood rooms with the aesthetics of joy. Mood-boosting rainbow stripes enrich and uplift otherwise sleepy store interiors, harnessing maximalism and providing an invigorating source of irrepressible positivity. Striking signature shades of magenta, cerulean and canary yellow emanate a fauvist, feel-good aura, serving to somehow stimulate and soothe at the same time. Adjacent scenarios offset areas of chromatic intensity with neutral finishes to alleviate sensory overwhelm and focus attention on the displayed items. Muted grey brushed metal, polished concrete and shimmering PVC are cleverly employed to provide moments of visual rest amid noisy neon explosions.

Vivid halcyon visions airbrushed, splashed and daubed onto expansive retail spaces envelop visitors within bold technicolour imaginaries. The crude innocence of saturated crayon colours provides a kindergarten canvas for more subtle and sporadic references to childhood toys and games. From floating paper planes to plastic multicolour signage in 'fridge-magnet' fonts, these environments are encoded with a spirit of instinctive playfulness and modularity. Chunky display units take on cubed, cylindrical and prismatic forms that echo naive sentiments, reminiscent of rudimentary building blocks, waiting to be made and unmade at will.

Photo: DSL Studio / Delfino Sisto Legnani

Modes showroom by Gonzales Haase AAS in Porto Cervo, Italy.

Photo: Michael Vahrenwald

Nuhü Division pop-up store by Cartonlab and Studio Animal in New York, US.

Elsewhere, the integration of sophisticated optical art obliges viewers to adopt more radical ways of seeing. Simple shapes and potent pigments are translated into hypnotic moiré motifs, trompe l'oeil checkerboards, and Escher-esque illusions that transform ephemeral stores into kaleidoscopic portals. Total immersion is ensured by the elimination of outside influence. Windows wrapped in pulsating patterns balloon and recede. Floors liquefied using undulating lines induce the feeling of unsteadiness underfoot. The general sense of rippling reality recalls the entrancing thrill of the carousel, where centrifugal movement manipulates and subverts the rules of perspective to afford a mesmeric effect. Mind-bending psychedelic iconography interspersed with infinity mirrors affords instant access to multidimensional and increasingly metaversal modes of being. Getting lost in the game is the ultimate goal.

In its various expressions, the triumphant resurgence of uncontested colour signals the hope of happy times to come. Spatial strategies for dynamic disorientation offer a powerful antidote to pandemic stasis and screen-centric entertainments. Rather than adjusting for digital vision, the outburst of eye-catching environments intends to engage and experiment with the mysteries of human perception and embodied experience. Unbounded creativity is celebrated with lavish and life-affirming passion.

Get your copy of Frame 146 here.

Cover image: Spectrum store for Munich Sports by Studio Animal in Barcelona, Spain. Photo: José Hevia