London & South East Premier Retail

The Lounge Co.

Lounge Co.
Written by Roma Publications

The Lounge Co.

Sofa Brands International, the UK’s leading branded sofa group, has expanded its portfolio with the launch of a new aspirational and contemporary brand, The Lounge Co. Alongside three other well established brands, The Lounge Co appeals to the style conscious consumer offering new ranges of sofas and chairs.

As well as developing a strong online presence for the brand, The Lounge Co. wanted to open its flagship store to coincide with their launch. turnerbates Design and Architecture were appointed to design a scheme to be implemented into their first ever showroom, set out over two floors, the site occupying 4,671 sq ft, is located on a prominent corner along Chiswick High Road, London.

Working closely with The Lounge Co., turnerbates developed a scheme that would reflect the brand’s identity and create a backdrop for their products. They wanted it to become a space to exhibit and show off the ranges whilst creating a warm and inviting space for customers.

Upon entry, customers are greeted with two armchairs, suspended in mid-air over a void looking down into the space below. Other design highlights include an oak timber welcome desk with integrated storage; a digital screen, which forms a focal point in the store; and a set of painted columns which run through both stores and link the spaces together.

Lounge Co.

The Lounge Co, Chiswick.

Sarah Acres, Lead Designer from turnerbates, said:

“The store was different to many projects that we had worked on previously with several constraints within the space, the main challenge was the void to the front of the store which resulted in limited visibility from street view and restricted space for product display within the windows.

“To work around this constraint, oak frames on metal posts with interchangeable display posters were designed to be staggered within the windows, creating depth and movement while still allowing visibility into the store. Suspended platforms to display furniture were also introduced over the voids adding an additional layer of movement to draw the eye into the space.”

Minimal black and white colours were used to distinguish key areas within the store, the use of simple, crisp painted lines were used to reflect the brand’s attention to detail within their products and painted terracotta blocks were implemented along the walls to add warmth. Clever ‘paint zones’ were also added, including painted rafts over the fabric bars and staircase to help differentiate the various areas within the showroom. A combination of contrasting materials have also been used throughout the space, with an oak timber slatted welcome desk, black metal framework and warm colour palette to develop a relaxed design approach with a subtle industrial/warehouse feel.

Emphasising the brand’s values throughout was a contributing factor to the concept and one of the key values was to focus on multi-channel shopping whilst still maintaining a simple and transparent buying experience. This was achieved by introducing interactive fabric bars across the two floors, with warm oak timber desks and storage units complete with black metal framed shelves, providing customers with access to the extensive range of fabric samples, accessories and touch screens for a comfortable, easy online buying experience.

Since completing the scheme, The Lounge Co. showroom has created a positive buying experience for their customers, with fantastic feedback received, resulting in a successful first year of trading.

Lounge Co.

The Lounge Co, Chiswick.

Julian Neal, Director at The Lounge Co. quoted:

“We are a demanding client! I would never settle for less than the best and the turnerbates team has delivered for us. Thank You.”

For more information about The Lounge Co. please visit: www.theloungeco.com.

turnerbates are creative multi-disciplinary design & architectural studio with a practical approach to providing excellence. Located close to London Bridge the company provide architectural and interior design expertise on a diverse scale of projects, specialising in the retail, hospitality, heritage, workplace and residential sectors. For further information please visit www.turnerbates.com

 

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Roma Publications