Toteme Los Angeles Flagship by Halleroed

Design studio Halleroed has collaborated with fashion label Toteme on its Los Angeles flagship. As the most ambitious retail space the two Swedish companies have undertaken together, it’s a confident expression of Toteme’s signature Scandinavian refinement levelled up by its Californian context.

Tasked with reimagining an existing building, Halleroed co-founders Christian and Ruxandra Halleröd completely redesigned the exterior. “It was quite a mess, so we decided to scale everything off,” says Christian, adding that the location on Melrose Avenue heavily informed the form and materiality. “LA is an interesting and specific environment, and we felt the storefront was very important as some kind of statement,” says Ruxandra.

And it does indeed make a statement. Fine black steel lettering typical of 1930s Hollywood announces the brand’s name and address – sleek, defiant and inherently Toteme – and two large circular windows punctuate the sandblasted sandstone facade. A pair of low-lying garden beds filled with agave succulents and cacti separate the store from the footpath and a series of steps lead to two glass doors sealed with Toteme’s geometric monogram.

A similar material palette continues inside with sandstone – honed for a softer expression – concrete and steel. Garments hang from bespoke shelves around the perimeter and a pair of Liljevalchs sofas by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn allow shoppers to relax in the heart of the space. Underfoot, the original concrete floor communicates layers of history, bringing a certain patina to the space, and overhead, a large skylight is an intentional conduit to the outdoors and a nod to the sunny Californian context. “In Sweden, it’s dark and cold for eight months of the year, so for us, LA’s biggest quality is its climate – you can be inside and outside year-round and it’s a nice temperature,” says Ruxandra.

Fine black steel lettering typical of 1930s Hollywood announces the brand’s name and address – sleek, defiant and inherently Toteme.

Halleroed and Toteme’s decade-long partnership encompasses showrooms in New York, London, Shanghai and Stockholm, and their creative rapport is finely tuned as a result. “The brief is always vague,” offers Christian. “We know them [Toteme founders Elin Kling and Karl Lindman] quite well because we’ve worked together for so long.” Ruxandra offers further insight to this partnership, saying, “we meet with them every second week, so we know what’s going on and what they’ll do in the future, and that makes it easier for us to understand the brand.”

This solid creative foundation gleans a certain continuity that ties Toteme’s boutiques together. Neutrals, black geometric elements and Swedish minimalism are consistent, as are unexpected moments of colour and pattern. The Los Angeles flagship delivers on both fronts – the central corridor with lush blue carpet and blue Marmorino-finished walls is a brilliant example of the latter, more adventurous bent – making for a Toteme space that elegantly raises the bar.

Architecture by Halleroed. Landscape design by Ochre.

Neutrals, black geometric elements and Swedish minimalism are consistent, as are unexpected moments of colour and pattern.