Architecture for Everyone (TM) – EASTWEST architecture on how businesses can make the most of their space

Dean Smith: Founder of EASTWEST Architecture. He is an RIBA chartered and ARB registered architect

Our column in last month’s edition of Hackney Citizen focused on local residents and  their homes. This month, we have some ideas about how local businesses can make the  most of their space. Architecture is a crucial part of the fabric of society, and every business needs good design.

As a busy small practice working with both commercial and private clients, EASTWEST  hears many stories combined with news and social media give us an insight into current trends in the way businesses use design. A hot topic at the moment is the decline of the high street and local businesses.

THE HIGH STREET

At a time when the high street is under threat due to rising rents, changing shopping habits, tightened spending and the popularity of ecommerce, it is refreshing to see Hackney businesses still thriving—from long-standing shops to new boutiques, interim shops and pop-ups. The challenges of the recession have forced businesses to find new ways to create street-side appeal. But these challenges are also an opportunity for innovation.

Hackney is an area supercharged with unique and attractive ideas. The flip side is that we see a lot of the same—either old ideas being regurgitated or a kind of mush where everything merges. In the current market, our challenge is to come up with new retail concepts for our clients. When you see a new shop in Haggerston it appears novel because of the context, but actually it’s just a kind of copy and paste from Carnaby Street District or Shoreditch. A lot of businesses in Hackney are strategically placed with no nearby competition. This situation will change as the economic edges of Shoreditch keep pushing up towards Haggerston and Dalston Junction. Then the question will really be about how you visually stand out to passers-by.

Lexington Street, Soho, London

CONSIDER THIS…

Here are several ideas for separating your business from the herd

Use your shop front as a marketing tool: The shop front is the first impression to the public. It plays a major role in whether customers choose your business over the competition. Can you use a novel design concept to quietly shout from the outside? Is the shop fully exposed or are there less transparent parts of the shop front to create intrigue?

EASTWEST Architecture can provide strong and cost effective designs for shop fronts; quite often all it takes is a few tweaks to give a defined presence to the street.

Have strong interior design concept: People tend to remember atmosphere. Use an uncomplicated material palette, mixed in with colours to give a unique atmosphere. We know a lot about materials, colour and products and how to do a lot with a little.

Surfaces and details play a key role in tying these elements together. Is the concept to match or mismatch? Is it kitsch, slick, shiny, super modern, sparse, or cluttered? As architects we are always looking at space materials and how they are organised—this takes serious thought. It’s our job to discuss and think through every possible option to
make sure that the result is very considered.

Once you’re inside: How do clients experience the space? Identify zones within the space—seating, buying, storage—and differentiate between them. How does the furniture integrate with the space? Some of the best spaces have a lot of character, but that often poses a design challenge—nooks and crannies can be hard to make use of.

Custom furniture is a worthwhile investment to avoid wasted space. EASTWEST can design furniture into a space to suit specific requirements. With the right custom furniture, a dust-collecting alcove can become the best seat in the house, the one that customers remember and love to come back to.

Porocity, Beijing, China

MORE THAN A POP-UP

EASTWEST can make innovative solutions for retail trends like pop-up shops. We can make a space in kit form to create rooms inside of rooms that fit a particular space.

These structures can be easily assembled, dismantled and reused. Every space has potential with the right concept and the right materials. To make your idea stronger, use an architect.

More questions? Get more advice by asking a question at our website here. Just click ASK US ANYTHING.

@eastwestoffice