As Nature Intended
The Marble Arch store of health and wellbeing brand, As Nature Intended, has been shortlisted for a Retail Week Interiors Award in the ‘Best Convenience Store’ category – alongside designers K2 Architects and main contractors, Oakhurst. K2 began working on the designs in June 2015 with construction starting on the empty unit a few months later.
As Nature Intended was founded in 2000 and it only sells organic produce and products made with the finest quality ingredients. The first store opened in Chiswick and the company has now expanded to six stores across London.
K2 Architect Adam Morgan has worked on a number of As Nature Intended stores and led the Marble Arch store design. He talked Premier Retail through the project:
‘’Everything was kept large scale in terms of high ceilings, our palette of materials and quality detailing. The brand and location demanded high-end retail, so the store design and fit out is more unique and expensive than the average supermarket.
“The shell to begin with was four and half meters high, so it’s a significantly sized unit, we preserved the height giving an element of grandeur. Every part of the shop has been designed in sections but the choice of materials ties everything in. Laser cut sculptures direct from K2 drawings feature throughout, alongside high glass tiles, birch timbers and hardwood flooring.”
From the street two aluminium glass doors guide customers in to the store, where they are welcomed by a bespoke display of produce that’s a sculpture in itself. This impressive piece of design immediately sets the tone for the wider store.
Aisle widths are purposefully generous, there’s no prescriptive route around the shop; customers can meander around the store and are not pressured in to a forced route. This is in keeping with As Nature Intended’s ethos.
Whilst the fact the shell was empty to begin with meant construction was straightforward, the design stage was complicated. A blend had to be created between As Nature Intended’s food products and its cosmetics range.
Adam explained:
“It’s very tricky to combine the clinical nature of cosmetics with the rawness of organic food. We created a laser cut timber feature at the rear that spilled into the food area, intertwining the two; a tessellated timber structure.’’
The award nomination is testament to the success of the store and brand, in part achieved through K2’s design and fit out by Oakhurst. Adam is extremely proud of the nomination, this is the first As Nature Intended store to receive this kind of recognition.
The Retail Week Interiors Award ceremony will take place on 3rd November 2016, at Hilton, Park Lane, London.
