1970s Hotel Glamour Meets The Australian Desert in Aesop’s Chermside Store
Inspired by the rich colours and curves of the Arunta Desert, the latest addition to Aesop’s remarkable catalogue of Australian stores pays homage to the home of the Wangkanguru people and the distinctive Australian desert landscape.
As conceptualised by Aesop’s in-house design team, Aesop Chermside is a striking space against the stark white shopping centre surroundings. Its floor-to-ceiling rich red palette draws the eye of passers-by through its doors and across the tiered ochre shelving, envisioned to imitate the desert’s ribbon dunes.
The national importance and deep cultural significance of the Arunta Desert were motivators of inspiration for the team in their vision for the store. In conjunction with the striking topography of the landscape and record-breaking Saif sand dunes characterised by sharp peaks, Aesop was drawn to the Arunta Desert as a quintessentially Australian landscape, reflecting the brand’s own origins as an Australian company founded in Melbourne
While the colour palette directs us to the iconic elements of the natural Australian landscape, the interior fit-out style incorporates an unlikely pairing, drawing inspiration from 1970s hotel architecture and the blossoming Queensland nightlife scene. The design team has specifically referenced John C Portman Junior’s Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles as an exemplar of the representative design elements in this time, particularly those of the hotel lobbies.
Somewhere between these contrasting sources of inspiration, this unique space has found harmony, creating a place of warmth, intimacy and discovery. As a company whose entire philosophy is built around the notion of meticulous attention to detail, the intention behind and coherence between every individual characteristic of the store is flawless. The tiered shelving allows for ease of browsing, the addition of two tucked away basins foster intimate consultations, and the wrapped velvet seating evokes luxury.
Aesop Chermside is a delicately balanced encapsulation of the design team’s vision, the land on which it stands, and the optimised customer experience. It embodies the commitment to well-considered design innovation that Aesop so consistently upholds.
Aesop and The Local Project acknowledge the traditional owners of the Arunta Desert, the Wangkanguru people, and the traditional owners of the land on which this store exists, the Turrbal and Yuggera people.
