Store Design- Tips and what I Learned

For work I was asked to do some store design for a new clothing store they wanted to open- it was a new concept store from what they have done in the past. I was asked to pick out wall colors, wallpaper, and a few fixtures. I thought that it sounded fun so I said yes and started my research. The look was boutique + vintage + on trend. We all know I love Anthropologie, so I began with a trip to the store.

I love how they use their furniture as fixtures and I took some pictures of what works for them. I found a few options I really liked- my favorite was a dining table in combination with a cocktail table and a mannequin. I also liked a round table for displaying accessories. I sourced furniture my company carries for those fixtures.

While doing my research, I also looked at paint colors in retail shops. As I mentioned in my Rifle Paper Co. blog, I think white walls are perfect for a store- it lets the product shine. So I selected a Martha Steward paint- Picket Fence (Martha is my fave- she is so good at colors that I start with her paints when choosing a color first). The dining table I selected has a teal base so I picked a coordinating color- Winter Surf by Behr.

We really wanted to incorporate wallpaper so I spent a lot of time sourcing this. Finding wallpaper that wasn’t dated, but fresh and modern with a lemon theme was a little challenging. I finally found the perfect lemon yellow flocked paper with a crisp white floral pattern- and let me tell you, it was love at first sight. I created a mood board with everything and presented it to the CEO’s of the company.

I had actually first considered painting the walls grey, but that was nixed and I am so glad it was- like I said above, white is perfect. We have now since opened two stores with these designs! The first was in Washington State, so I wasn’t able to see it (although I do have a few pictures I will share).

The second was close by, so I was able to stop by and see it. It was so fun to see my designs in real life- and the store turned out so cute! There were a lot of fun details that were added by my coworkers that really made it sparkle (aka, my design was good but the execution by others was excellent and it was fun to see how they added to my vision). In the second store we used wallpaper for the dressing rooms. I was a little concerned with using grey stripes on all the walls- I thought it would be like a fun house. The stripes are so adorable, but they do mess with your eyes while you are in the dressing room.

Anyway, it was a great and fun experience to design a clothing store! Have you ever designed a store? What surprise things did you learn?