New design of a department store — Tapionaukio 4, 02100 Espoo, Finland — 8,185 m² — March 2017 — Stockmann Plc
Shopping in a luxurious ambiance
Stockmann, the Finnish department store chain, is the Harrods of the north. Everyone who’s anyone shops here. Lübeck merchant Georg Franz Stockmann founded the store in 1862. Today, Stockmann is a corporation doing business in 17 countries, with more than 500 stores in the retail, real estate and fashion sectors.
After designing parts of the main store in Helsinki, blocher partners now has designed an entire location for Stockmann. The new department store in the Aiona shopping mall brings fashion, sports, cosmetics, shoes, accessories, plus home & living together on three sales floors, under one roof. The interior designers were inspired by Finland’s vast landscape of lakes and forests. Founded as “garden city” in the 1960s in Helsinki’s more urban southern fringes, Tapiola boasts residential areas marked by proximity to woodlands. References to the natural environment anchor the Stockmann store within its surroundings and lend it special charm. For example, decorative wall elements in the shape of leaves also function as guides to the visitor. Artistic, ornate animal motifs adorn the try-on rooms, and potted plants bring the natural world indoors.
Finnish feel-good ambiance
blocher partners has given each of the three levels – with a total sales area of 8,200 square meters – a clear structure, with different design accents and shop-in-shop concepts on each floor. The looks vary: On the first floor, the men's department has an urban style; the women's casual zone features classy red-brown wall elements; and the sports section is outfitted in fresh tones of white and green.
One floor up, the blocher partners interior designers skillfully present cosmetics, premium women’s clothing, accessories and handbags, and lingerie, staged against a backdrop of gold-toned fabric, on coppery shelves and illuminated by expressive, large-format circular lighting fixtures: all in all, a luxurious ambiance that turns shopping into a memorable experience. The heart of the third floor, location of Home & Living, offers a sense of well being thanks to the predominant use of oak. For the kids’ department, the blocher partners team developed playful concepts that also pick up on Finland’s flora and fauna: Children’s sizes are indicated using stylized bird images, from sparrow to parrot to raven – designed by the typenraum communication agency, a member of the blocher partners family. Try-on rooms resembling birdcages add to the fun of shopping. An iPad in each cabin offers digital support to the customer: A simple scan sends your request for a different size to the salesperson on the floor – a service available throughout the entire Stockmann store.
