The project consists of a store for the maternity clothing brand Mama Mat Mama, located in the Eixample district of Barcelona. The principal concept was to create an atmosphere where products and architecture come together in a harmonious environment filled with nature and light.
The first decision was adapt the ground floor to originate an open-plan space with four metre high ceilings and a completely glazed facade. Services such as the fitting rooms, the cash desk and toilet were all joined together in a longitudinal line underneath the storage loft. The store’s transparency leads to a direct connection to the street. Several wood benches expand the store to the outside, providing a public service to the city and inviting future clients to enter.
The second design strategy was inventing a prefabricated modular shelving system, solving the required functions of the project and meeting the conditions of a low budget and a restricted construction timeline. Clothing is displayed on rails and shelves fixed between rows of ash timber ladders. The ladders have a different function depending on the height they are placed. Benches are placed across the first rung and a desk for the till sits across the second rung. At the third rung, the steel bars are used as clothes hangers while at the fourth rung they support fitting-room curtains. At higher levels, the steel bars hold the plant pots and lighting system. The flexibility of the system allows the store owners to modify the location of steel bars and wood boards without altering the initial concept of the store.
Upon entrance two mannequins beneath the leaves of a lemon tree are immediately visible, followed by timber ladders and a white steel spiral staircase that acts as a sculptural element while giving access to storage. The vertical rhythm of the ladders, together with the hanging plants, generates an interior green path that leads to a great mirror that visually duplicates the store. This light and airy environment intends to provide the fluent shopping experience requested by the brand.
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