Renovation of a fashion store — Mönckebergstraße 17, 20095 Hamburg, Germany — 400 m² — November 2019 — Braun Hamburg GmbH & Co. KG
A tradition of luxury
Its wares are classic, and so is its appearance: Braun Hamburg has always been one the city’s noblest shopping addresses. Now, the renovation of the firm’s flagship store by blocher partners architects and interior designers has added an exclamation point to Mönckebergstraße – and a sign of commitment to brick-and-mortar retail.
Very few stores on Mönckebergstraße – Hamburg’s shopping mile – go as far back as Braun Hamburg. Since this site opened in 1937, this menswear specialist has earned customer loyalty through providing dependable service and has drawn renowned international designer labels through offering the proper setting for their goods – all without being unduly influenced by the fast-paced world of fashion.
After blocher partners’ Stuttgart-based planning office turned the Braun store in the Kaisergalerie into the go-to address for elegant menswear in 2014, skilfully playing up the charm of the historical Kontorhaus office building, the firm was commissioned to modernise the venerable flagship store.
The new façade gives visitors the first inkling of the extraordinary shopping experience that awaits them inside. They set off on their adventure through an entryway of black aluminium set into the large glass front. The store’s colour concept favours natural materials: Light grey natural stone flooring runs through the entire space; wooden slats of whitened ash give the store structure and pick up momentum. The panels serve as product carriers, partition walls or vertical access points.
Furniture made of high-quality and sustainable materials such as terrazzo, natural stone and brass accentuates the luxurious look, while anthracite-coloured leather panels with brass joints on the outer walls add to the warm, modern and classic atmosphere. Oversized mirrors set alongside the panels enhance a sense of spaciousness.
