CASA AUSTURHÖFN
Refined, explosive and bold.
Welcome to the new Casa
Meaning home in Italian, Casa (founded in Reykjavík in 1977) is a multi-brand retailer of a refined selection of home & décor products. For its new store in Austurhöfn - a recent development on the dock of the old Reykjavík harbour - Casa rethinks its retail approach for a new generation of home-product hunters.
Incorporating a spectrum of materials, the interiors comprises three distinct areas or ‘rooms’ separated by different floor finishes and light temperatures with the intention of enhancing the beauty of a wide range of products. The monochromatic colour palette - from white to black - that characterizes the interiors is downplayed by tangerine orange curtains and exotic indoor plants.
A solid yet ghosty counter passes trough the concrete wall, guiding people towards the store's core: a total-white ‘island’ that makes coloured products stand out.
Pursuing the same goal, the central white product display emphasizes glass unique tridimensionality through a back-lit top, celebrating its beauty in all its forms and colours.
Above, an eye-catching LED light installation makes for a striking centerpiece, visually strengthening the connection between the entrance and the core of the store.
As a background of the entire store the massive monolithic wall with built-in shelves is framed by thick velvet curtains that serve dual purposes. Firstly, they create a scenographic setting that gives the feeling of having just revealed the items displayed on the shelves, adding excitement to the shopping experience; and second, they hide the entrances of the storage and the staff room.
Intersecting the otherwise open- plan 200 sqm space are a series of freestanding product displays, revealing most of the building original features: window displays, concrete walls, pillars and the metal mesh that separates the store with the adjacent high-end foodcourt.
-Tiles: MDi surfaces by Inalco (3,2 x 1,5m)
-Samedan bookshelves by Fioroni
-Inori system by Fiam
-Custom-made product displays realized by MeCubo
-Mikado pendant lights by Buzzi&Buzzi
-Mito sospeso pendant lights by Occhio
Austurhöfn
Reykjavik, Iceland
Pictures by Gunnar Sverrisson (@gunnarsverrisson)
July 2022