A Stirring of Nostalgia – Aesop Paddington by Clare Cousins Architects

Expressing an Australian innate connection to water, Aesop Paddington draws on familiar references to the art of swimming through an organic and textural approach. Clare Cousins Architects create an inviting and immersive experience aimed to stir memories of rousing nostalgia and a sense of identity through place.

Located in inner Sydney, the same-named Aesop Paddington sits comfortably close to the ocean, while not directly upon it. As an expressed statement about the connectedness of life in Sydney and an affiliation with the water, the retail experience is inspired by a stirring of memories through form and finish and aims to immerse the visitor through sensory cues.  Clare Cousins draws on the familiar and the affectioned, to conjure a space that connects to both its identity and people of its placing, and a greater Australian love of immersing ourselves in water.

Mottled with its dark and muted green tones, the grey and green pebble composite mix is skimmed across the surfaces of both the walls and ceilings, reinforcing them like an upturned residential swimming pool.

Built by EMAC Constructions, Aesop Paddington brings together a concentrated attention to craft through the use of sinuous materiality to form the shell of the store.  The mix is both reminiscent and synonymous of the suburban inground pool condition while also combining references to the rugged cliff walks famous in the area. Connecting Bondi to Bronte, the popular trail connects dotted outdoor sea baths with a rough and robust coastline and is uniquely identifying. These cues inform a similar connection to place as a signature of the area.

Through consistency, each of the surfaces are brought together through a shared approach, with the result evoking a number of feelings from within. The rough and yet organic nature of the pebble screed is then balanced against the steel shelves that are regular and linear.  From the stepped display and inbuilt planter sequence in the window that imitates stepping into a pool, to the floating travertine island bench that captures the tough irregularity of the nearby sandstone cliffs, there are boundless opportunities for interpreted narrative throughout

The complete and deliberately holistic approach wraps the inner envelope with a consistent materiality, where edges are softened and curves accentuate transitions between planes and surfaces, mimicking the space as an empty swimming pool, only without the water.

Intentionally, Aesop Paddington’s combination of materials, finishes and how they engage with one another offers a heightened sensory experience. Clare Cousins Architects have taken cues from the surrounding context and a deep-seeded connection to place and immersion, to conjure a place of wistful meaning.