LUDWIG BECK- “Store of the Senses”
Köln, Germany; (5, 000 sqm)
Position: Project director for Thoerner Design, Munich Germany
Köln, Germany; (5, 000 sqm)
Position: Project director for Thoerner Design, Munich Germany
BACKGROUND: Located in the center of Munich, LUDWIG BECK, deemed the “house of the senses”, is a unique shopping mecca for locals and tourists from all over the world, and known for innovative merchandizing design. Surrounded by the beauty of a bespoke selection of fashion and life style objects, the visitor enjoys a shopping experience with all five senses; the sound of special music, the touch of rare exquisite stationary paper, the view of color nuances in a dress fabric, the smell of a candle perfume or the tastes of an exceptional coffee. All this comes together to create the LUDWIG BECK signature shopping experience.
CLIENT BRIEF: With the opening of a new location in Koln, the client wanted to adapt this unique signature experience and re-invent with a fresh eye. The brief was also to achieve a heightened personal, customer-friendly service experience with detailed attention to the presentation of the merchandise, additionally ,using “green solutions” where possible.
MY VISION: As head of the project and of the global concept, I was looking for an identifiable idea for the overall department store space design and chose the horizontal and vertical movement in the escalator space as the "beating heart” of the store. Through the use of creative merchandise display designs and the right materials and colors choices, my goal was to create a setting that was overall warm and welcoming.
THE DESIGN: The photos below showcase the main focal structure of the store where I placedan oval-formed tower that extended up to all 5 levels in the escalator space.This enhanced the vertical movement of the escalator and also served as the main cashier area with an integrated merchandise elevator. To accentuate the horizontal movement, an “arriving zone” at each level was designed using handmade tiles of various colors, depending on the level. Using “green solutions” where possible, these landing areas were covered with recycled oak wood flooring with an upward view of an intricate ceiling design.
CLIENT BRIEF: With the opening of a new location in Koln, the client wanted to adapt this unique signature experience and re-invent with a fresh eye. The brief was also to achieve a heightened personal, customer-friendly service experience with detailed attention to the presentation of the merchandise, additionally ,using “green solutions” where possible.
MY VISION: As head of the project and of the global concept, I was looking for an identifiable idea for the overall department store space design and chose the horizontal and vertical movement in the escalator space as the "beating heart” of the store. Through the use of creative merchandise display designs and the right materials and colors choices, my goal was to create a setting that was overall warm and welcoming.
THE DESIGN: The photos below showcase the main focal structure of the store where I placedan oval-formed tower that extended up to all 5 levels in the escalator space.This enhanced the vertical movement of the escalator and also served as the main cashier area with an integrated merchandise elevator. To accentuate the horizontal movement, an “arriving zone” at each level was designed using handmade tiles of various colors, depending on the level. Using “green solutions” where possible, these landing areas were covered with recycled oak wood flooring with an upward view of an intricate ceiling design.
RESULT: The Koln location became a magnet location and a true, albeit slightly different, reflection of the mother store in Munich.
