Since 2006 DiabloRosso has been a hub for creative talent and a platform for its development. In 2014, DiabloRosso decides to move its most commercial facet and SKETCH is commissioned to design a new store in the lobby of one of the city’s design hotels; located in Obarrio - indisputably, Panama City’s shopping epicentre. The store will operate as their new gift shop and as its new headquarters.
The SuperMini welcomes the visitor with a bold colour and material palette, contrasting textures and non-traditional material usage. From white bathroom tiles, a mirror-clad countertop to a wallpaper that resembles a cast concrete wall, the project seeks to generate a new discourse by its visitors.
Movement throughout the space is defined by a series of independent display elements. These create the exhibition surfaces on which the carefully curated products on sale are displayed.
Due to SuperMini’s contiguity to the main hotel entrance and front desk, the shop’s storefront opens toward the pedestrian and vehicle entrance as well as to the interior of the lobby. The decision to design an easily recognisable space - a grand showcase - that is understood from afar, comes from the fact that its side facade is the most viewed. The space is understood as an art installation, a reference from the exhibits that every month and a half take place in the Diablo Rosso Gallery (currently located in Casco Viejo). This 60 sq m shop aims to contribute to the urban scene as much as what takes place inside of it.